This edited excerpt is from Human-Centered Advertising and marketing by Ashley Faus ©2025 and is reproduced and tailored with permission from Kogan Web page Ltd.
Resolution-makers usually tend to purchase from organizations that produce sturdy thought management content material, they usually’re extra seemingly to stick with a present supplier that produces sturdy thought chiefship content material, which confirms the corporate continues to supply insights and options in comparison with rivals.[1]
Sadly, the time period “thought management” has plenty of baggage as a result of too many individuals share plenty of fluff.
They speak about a grand future the place every little thing is superb, however they don’t share any plans for really creating that future.
They speak about how far they’ve come, triumphing over an enormous failure up to now, however they neglect to share any insights from their journey.
They repeat quippy soundbites and scorching takes, however they lack any nuance to assist their viewers enhance.
Thought Management Is Not Government Content material
How usually have you ever heard of groups calling any content material that features an government or founder byline “thought management”? It occurs on a regular basis.
However executives and founders ceaselessly have bylines, seem in movies, and share content material on phases – that isn’t thought management.
Think about the quarterly earnings report. That is ceaselessly delivered to traders and analysts by a chief government officer (CEO), chief financial officer (CFO), or a founder. But, would you think about that content material to be thought management? In all probability not.
Groups can simply perceive that, simply because an government shares the knowledge in an earnings report, it doesn’t imply it’s thought management, however they wrestle to make this differentiation in different narratives and property.
Thought Management Is Not Why Or How We Made Our Product Or Service
Usually, individuals assume that speaking about why you created one thing automatically makes it thought management content material. The “why” is a part of conceptual-depth content material.
However, merely explaining why one thing is useful or necessary doesn’t make it thought management.
Once more, that is straightforward to underneathstand with easy examples, like “why you must eat a high-protein weight loss program (it’s an important ingredient for constructing large muscle mass)” however turns into rather more troublesome when translated to advanced matters for manufacturers.
Thought Management Is Not Non-Product Content material
Some groups assume that sharing learn-intent content material or property associated to tales and practices robotically means it’s thought management content material. That is incorrect.
Study-intent content material usually teaches the audience about present data, together with well-known matters, referencing older analysis.
For instance, Atlassian shared articles associated to Agile methodology on growing attain, engagement, and conversion.
Whereas this learn-intent content material is useful, it’s based mostly on well-known practices that originated with different creators.
Atlassian didn’t create the ideas, regardless of articulating them in sensible phrases for groups seeking to study incorporating Agile practices into their staff rituals and workflows.
Thought Management Is Not Being Contrarian
Folks usually assume that being contrarian robotically makes you a thought chief, or that you just have to be contrarian if you wish to be a thought chief.
In idea, being on the forefront of your business implies that you’re going in opposition to the perfect practices, established order, and generally held beliefs.
You’re introducing new methods of accomplishing one thing. You’re iterating on earlier work, which most likely means you’re dismantling some technique and techniques, and that’s going to ruffle some feathers!
Sharing on this means is completely different from being contrarian. Being contrarian for the sake of being contrarian doesn’t make you a thought chief – it simply makes you contrarian.
Merely saying the other of no matter is stylish is just not thought management. You need to add to the dialog, not simply change it.
Attributes Of Thought Management
Within the easiest phrases, we will outline thought management by taking a look at every phrase within the phrase. So, have ideas, be a frontrunner.
In case you take a look at the anatomy of the phrase, you see that “thought” is actually about having one thing of worth to say; being a “chief” and exhibiting “management” implies that you’re value following, and that individuals do, actually, observe you.
True thought management content material adjustments minds and permits motion in a brand new course. It balances lofty concepts with actionable insights.
High quality content material is wise, useful, and curated. It’s not thought management, nonetheless, until it’s modern, disruptive, and authentic.
If we proceed the three-word descriptions, we will say {that a} thought chief is somebody who is wise, shaping, and sharing. Let’s take a look at these attributes:
- Good: You’re an professional and you’ve got actionable insights.
- Sharing: You codify your insights and make them out there for others to be taught, use, and enhance.
- Shaping: You have got affect in your business; your methods and techniques turn out to be finest practices.
Thought management is exclusive as a result of it’s a couple of differentiated perspective knowledgeable by experience and expertise, authentic concepts, technique, and/or execution, and serving to the viewers assume, act, and obtain in new methods.
Thought management builds belief as a result of it’s coming from somebody with deep experience and expertise, and it permits somebody to take motion.
Pitfalls Of Thought Management Applications
Along with the misunderstanding of the that means of thought leadership, many corporations make errors when making an attempt to construct thought leaders and thought management applications.
Entrepreneurs and public relations professionals usually shortlist executives to construct because the group’s thought leaders.
That is significantly true in founder-led corporations, with the belief that the founder is the perfect individual to be a thought chief.
Sadly, executives usually wrestle to be thought leaders for a number of causes. First, they’re busy! These individuals usually handle giant organizations with tens or tons of of individuals counting on them.
They’re liable for a big funds, usually proudly owning the Revenue & Loss statements, income objectives and quotas, and buyer progress numbers in the event that they sit within the go-to-market group, and effectivity, productiveness, or price financial savings in the event that they sit on the engineering or IT facet of the group.
Because of this they don’t have a lot time to experiment, iterate, and optimize, after which codify their findings in a means that others can observe. They don’t have time to create high quality property.
And so they don’t have time to distribute content material in a number of channels, reply follow-up questions, or in any other case have interaction with the viewers constantly to construct a big following.
It seems that practitioners all through the group are sometimes higher suited to rising into thought leaders as a result of they’re those grappling with the challenges and fixing the advanced problems.
The viewers trusts them as a result of they bring about real-world experience to the tales and options they share, they usually’re extra more likely to spend time on social media and construct group with a bigger peer community.
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Extra Assets:
[1] Kingsbury, Joe, Barik, Tusar, et al. (2023).
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