From Expertise to Influence: The Business Case for Thought Leadership
Over the years colleagues have occasionally described me as a ‘thought leader’—sometimes with a tone that suggests it’s a mysterious talent or a kind of professional magic trick. While ideas often emerge in unexpected moments, more often than not, thought leadership comes down to something far more practical, intentional and deliberate.
It’s a bit like any other creative pursuit like song writing (one of my other interests). Ask any great songwriter and they’ll tell you—yes, inspiration plays a part, but what really matters is treating it like a craft. Like a professional discipline. One that you care about, show up for, and work at—again and again.
Thought leadership is the same.
In his classic book Managing the Professional Services Firm, David Maister wrote, “Marketing works when it demonstrates, not when it asserts.” It’s a simple idea that holds enormous power—especially for professional services firms, where expertise is the product and relationships are the channel.
This is where thought leadership comes in. More than just publishing whitepapers or posting on LinkedIn, true thought leadership is about demonstrating insight, provoking thinking, and advancing the conversation in your field.
As business leaders, we have a responsibility to act as both advocates and contributors to our firm’s thought leadership. That means:
Representing and amplifying the company’s expertise in local markets
Contributing original thinking that connects local relevance with global trends
Building a culture that values curiosity, experimentation, and intellectual generosity
The benefits are compelling. As Bruce Rogers (former Chief Insight Officer at Forbes) put it:
“By becoming thought leaders, professional services firms garner enormous business benefits. They become the go-to providers for their expertise... and are instrumental in advancing their field by delivering meaningful value-added to select audiences.”
What Thought Leadership Really Looks Like
Several years ago, I was asked to prepare a short presentation for a group of colleagues on how I approach thought leadership. I was flying from Australia to the US, so I’d given myself some time on the plane to think it through and prepare.
I opened my laptop, ready to jot down a few key insights... and stared at a blank page.
Like many skills, thought leadership is something you do, but rarely stop to define. I knew how I approached it but struggled to articulate the process. It felt abstract. Hard to pin down.
So—like many people on a long-haul flight—I paused, put my laptop away, and decided to watch a documentary. It was about the songwriting partnership of George Young and Harry Vanda (of Easy Beats and AC/DC fame). I wasn’t expecting a revelation. But one arrived.
As I watched them talk about writing music—how they played with ideas, leaned into creative tension, returned to unfinished riffs, and shaped melodies over time—it hit me: thought leadership is essentially another creative process.
Just like songwriting or painting, it isn’t linear or formulaic. It’s a rhythm. A way of working. A set of behaviours.
And it turns out; their creative process mirrors the rhythm of great thought leadership remarkably well:
Discipline. Experimentation. Tension. Iteration. Connection.
These aren’t just creative buzzwords—they’re the real mechanics of turning insight into influence:
Discipline
Show up. Keep going. Don’t wait for inspiration.
Great thought leadership isn’t accidental—it’s the result of habit. Discipline means carving out time to think, write, and reflect even when you're not in the mood. It’s the intellectual version of practice.
Block 30 minutes each week for deep thinking
Capture ideas on the go—on your phone, in a notebook, or whiteboard
Set a monthly rhythm for sharing your perspective
Experimentation
Try new angles. Break patterns. Let go of being “right.”
Curiosity drives originality. Experimentation means questioning norms, flipping assumptions, or borrowing concepts from outside your field. Not every idea needs to be fully formed to be useful.
Create a “what if” list of provocations
Pilot your ideas in meetings, team huddles, or internal blogs
Explain a complex idea using a metaphor from sport, music, or nature
Tension
Sit with discomfort. Let ideas rub against each other.
Where there’s friction, there’s energy. Tension arises when you explore competing views, client dilemmas, or ambiguity in your industry. This is where new insights often emerge.
Reflect on contradictions or trade-offs in your work
Write about challenges before you solve them—unpack the tension first
Ask “How do we hold both X and Y as true?”
Iteration
Refine. Rewrite. Sharpen the signal.
Strong ideas evolve. Iteration is about revisiting, reshaping, and polishing your thinking. Most great articles or posts are third or fourth drafts of a raw idea.
Revisit content after a day or two with a fresh lens
Get feedback from a trusted colleague
Reuse a good idea across different formats (post, talk, internal note)
Connection
Make it matter to others. Link insight to relevance.
Insight without relevance is just noise. Connection is about anchoring your ideas to real-world needs and engaging others in the conversation.
Ask yourself: “Why does this matter right now?”
End your post with a question to invite interaction
Share a quick story or client example to make your point relatable
How to Generate Ideas
The best thought leaders are not always the domain expert— but they are the most attuned. They notice patterns, challenge assumptions, and make sense of complexity in ways others often overlook. Generating great ideas isn’t about waiting for lightning to strike; it’s about deliberately creating the right conditions for insight.
Stay Intensely Curious
Look beyond your immediate domain. Curiosity is the fuel for fresh perspectives. Read widely, explore unrelated industries, and question the “why” behind common practices. Sometimes the breakthrough idea comes from seeing how another field approaches the same problem differently.
Organise Your Thinking
Ideas need structure to take shape. Use outlines, frameworks, or narrative arcs to test and develop your thinking. Even a simple mind map can help you see connections and gaps you might otherwise miss.
Listen to Your Market
Pay close attention to what clients are struggling with, talking about—or even ignoring. The gaps in conversation are often where the most valuable insights can emerge.
Take a Drone’s-Eye View
Zoom out to see the big picture, then dive in for specifics, and repeat. The beauty of a drone’s perspective is that you control it. You can hover, circle, or pull back until the patterns reveal themselves.
Shut Out the Noise
This is perhaps the most overlooked part of the process. While listening to your market is critical, there’s also immense value in emptying your head of the “background noise”—the preconceived ideas, stale assumptions, and inherited perspectives that cloud fresh thinking.
Sometimes I imagine “draining out” all the mental clutter so there’s room for something new to flow in. It’s like clearing a canvas before painting.
Pause. Step away from the constant chatter of news, social media, or even internal politics.
Reflect. Ask: What do I really think, unfiltered by what I’ve just read or heard?
Challenge the default. Identify the assumptions you take for granted—and set them aside, just for a moment, to see what surfaces.
The combination of listening and clearing space for original thought is where the real magic happens.
Building a Culture of Thought Leadership
While individual contributions matter, the real power of thought leadership is unlocked when it becomes embedded in the culture of the firm. That doesn’t happen by chance—it happens because leaders intentionally create the conditions for it to thrive.
Here’s how:
Role Model It
People take their cues from leaders. If you write, share, comment, or speak up with insight, it signals that thought leadership isn’t just encouraged—it’s expected.
Tip: Let others see your process—share rough drafts, early thinking, or lessons learned.
Plan It and Execute It
Treat thought leadership like any other strategic initiative. Set goals, create time and space for idea development, and integrate it into team rhythms.
Tip: Align thought leadership topics with client themes, firm priorities, or market trends.
Remove the Mystery
Many professionals hold back because they believe thought leadership requires brilliance or polish. It doesn’t. It requires curiosity, relevance, and authenticity.
Tip: Run short sessions where team members share early ideas and get feedback.
Encourage Involvement
Not everyone has to write a whitepaper. Thought leadership comes in many forms—comments, posts, internal forums, presentations, and discussions.
Tip: Start with people’s strengths—some may prefer visuals, others verbal or written forms.
Build Interest and Excitement
Create momentum by celebrating contributions. Even a little friendly competition can help ideas flow.
Tip: Try a monthly “post of the month,” idea sprint, or team challenge to keep it light but engaging.
What’s In It for Me?
You might be thinking: Why should I invest time in this?
Because it’s good for your clients, your firm, and you:
You build your personal brand and elevate your firm’s visibility
You sharpen your thinking and become a more insightful consultant
You stay engaged, curious, and creatively fulfilled
Final Thought
Thought leadership isn’t about shouting the loudest. It’s about thinking deeply, sharing generously, and staying connected to what matters. As professionals, it’s one of the most valuable contributions we can make—to our clients, our colleagues, and our craft.