Competing on Thought Leadership

Book excerpt: "An essential guide to the engine that drives the early adoption of disruptive innovations." --Geoffrey Moore, Author, Crossing the Chasm and Zone to Win HOW COMPANIES CAN VAULT AHEAD BY DEVELOPING, MARKETING, AND DELIVERING SUPERIOR EXPERTISE "Thought leadership" is now a core part of the business lexicon. Numerous corporate websites devote whole sections to it. Entire conferences are built around it (TED and the World Economic Forum as the most exclusive ones). It's at the center of sophisticated, high-ticket PR campaigns. Thousands of people are making careers of it. And companies from Fidelity Investments, Adobe and Cigna to PwC, Accenture and Spotify have people in charge of it. Interest in the field of thought leadership is white hot -- just like the buzz created by illustrious thought leaders when they bring groundbreaking ideas to market. So it's about time the topic of thought leadership itself got a substantive treatment. In Competing on Thought Leadership, Robert Buday boldly delivers it. He defines thought leadership concretely: as the acclaim that a firm or a person earns for developing, marketing and delivering superior expertise in solving complex customer problems. And he defines it broadly -- as a business strategy, not just a marketing strategy. Buday also brings to bear his client work and research since the 1980s in helping companies and individuals inside them become known worldwide as leading experts in their field, which in turn has increased their revenue and profit multifold. This book focuses on how businesses that sell services and products to other businesses can thrive on thought leadership. It takes the lessons learned at some of the best firms in the world at selling expertise - consulting, accounting, law, financial services and technology firms - and makes them practical for every B2B firm. Yet the principles of Competing on Thought Leadership apply to all organizations - for-profit and non-profit alike -- that must demonstrate superior expertise in solving complex problems. Consumer companies, charitable foundations and other organizations, too, can benefit greatly from adopting these best practices in thought leadership.