thought leadership (mignon van halderen); het communicatie congres 2012

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

Presentation for the Communicatie Congres

Thursday November 15th 2012

Dr. Mignon van Halderen Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University

Independent (research-based) consultant

@Mignondelicia

Extracted from just a few company websites

© Dr. Mignon van Halderen

“Our thought leadership”

“We pride ourselves on the caliber, breadth

and scope of our thought leadership”

“…our thought leadership magazine”

“.. we are thought leaders and experts”

“We are active thought leaders”

“…access our latest thought leadership”

“Browse our growing library of

mobile thought leadership pieces..”


Thought leadership is overused to a point that it is becoming

meaningless.

“Twelvis” effect: “We must do something with thought leadership!”


Diagnosis Thought

leadership

Act in line

with NPoV

Articulate Novel Point of View

Initiate network platform(s)

Openly share knowledge &

expertise

Act in line with

Novel Point of View

Analyze market-or societal trends

Assess opportunity for Novel Point of View on

these trends

Assess commitment and available resources

Preferred partner to work with

Reflected in company-unique

metrics, e.g. brand value, brand preference, active

business leads, sales, employee engagement,

invites to influential platforms etc.

Implementation

Novelty Stakeholders are

attracted to company

because of its novel insights into for them

relevant issues

Trust Stakeholders

regard company as a trusted voice

and partner on these relevant

issues Go / No Go

Business results

Review alignment with identity and firm’s

expertise

Developed by Mignon van Halderen & Kym Kettler-Paddock (2010). Presented in their forthcoming e-book (with Craig Badings) “How to differentiate your company and stand out from the crowd: Thought Leadership”.

The thought leadership frameworkTM


WHAT IS THOUGHT LEADERSHIP?


Thought leadership defined

The action of promoting thought-

provoking viewpoints that reframe the

way stakeholders think about their key

issues, helping them toward new

insights and solutions.

Mignon van Halderen , Kym Kettler-Paddock , Craig Badings

(2012)


What does the “thought” exactly relate to?

Thought Novel Point of View

(NPOV)

Inspiration

Meaning

Disrupting status quo

“AHA” impact

Intellect

Research Knowledge Expertise


WHY IS THOUGHT LEADERSHIP AN ATTRACTIVE POSITIONING STRATEGY?


It gives “refreshing” meaning; drives and mobilizes people.

Unifying thought


It is a logical part of our “zeitgeist”

Product/Price

1850

Corporate Identity

1980

CSR Branding

1990+

Thought Leadership

2010


It benefits the company in different ways

Meaning, inspiring, mobilizing

Offering meaning that goes beyond the product/service

Inspiring and mobilizing employees and stakeholders

Building mutual rewarding relationships

Strengthening positioning

Safeguarding the role of the organization for the future

Strengthening the reputation or brand

Generating leads; new business

Pushing forward agenda of the industry


HOW TO IMPLEMENT THOUGHT LEADERSHIP?



The most elegant forms of thought leadership are not claimed, but are the outcome of strategies driven by

thought provoking viewpoints

Diagnosis Thought

leadership

Act in line

with NPoV




expertise

Act in line with

Novel Point of View

Analyze market-or societal trends

Assess opportunity for Novel Point of View on

these trends

Assess commitment and available resources

Preferred partner to work with

Reflected in company-unique

metrics, e.g. brand value, brand preference, active

business leads, sales, employee engagement,

invites to influential platforms etc.

Implementation

Novelty Stakeholders are

attracted to company

because of its novel insights into for them

relevant issues

Trust Stakeholders

regard company as a trusted voice

and partner on these relevant

issues Go / No Go

Business results

Review alignment with identity and firm’s

expertise

The thought leadership frameworkTM


Developed by Mignon van Halderen & Kym Kettler-Paddock (2010). Presented in their forthcoming e-book (with Craig Badings) “How to differentiate your company and stand out from the crowd: Thought Leadership”.

Diagnosis phase: what is the “thought” that drives us as an organization of people?

History Identity Strategy

Societal trends

Market trends Novel point

of View (NPOV)

E

M E

I

C

Soil for good

thoughts

Unleash employees

most creative

thoughts!

C

C

O

P

The company’s

“leading thought”

(the NPOV)

provokes,

inspires,

mobilizes


Articulate Novel Point of View (NPOV)

Let’s us see the world differently…

…re-conceptualizes our thinking…

…gives new insight…

…elicits AHA moments…

…provides clarity of sight…

All important for realizing meaning, progress or change!





expertise

Act in line with

Novel Point of View

Implementation

IBM is trying to get the world to look at itself from a systems perspective. If enough data can be collected and analyzed, IBM believes that it can improve the efficiency in the delivery of energy to homes, reduce traffic congestion……basically tackle and solve many of the world’s most serious sustainability and other issues.

“Smarter Planet” : a systems perspective..

“IBM would commit itself not to selling servers and software through depicting humorous office scenes (a convention IBM had successfully used in the past), but to advocating a thoughtful and serious point of view on how technology could make the world work better.” (Source: Effie Award Case, 2010).


“No wonder our perception of beauty is biased”

Social mission:

To encourage all women and

girls to develop a positive

relationship with beauty,

helping to raise their

self-esteem, and thereby

enabling them to realize their

full potential.

NPoV:

Our perception of beauty is

distorted



Sharing knowledge & expertise




expertise

Act in line with

Novel Point of View

Implementation

Not just any content BUT content that

links to the Novel Point of View

is thought-provoking

offers new insights

is preferably evidence based

www.jaumeplensa.com

Two types of content sharing

Content marketing

Content that reflects the overarching viewpoint


Philips took two themes: Liveable cities & ging

Aging Well Livable Cities

Upcoming Philips examples thanks to Katy Hartley, director of the Center for Health & Well Being

(http://www.philips-thecenter.org/)


Gained more insight into each theme through research: what drives people’s health perceptions (in 32 countries)?


Source:

Katy Hartley, Center for Health & Well Being


Shared their findings and insights through digital and social media. No push, mostly looking for debate.


Source:

Katy Hartley, Center for Health & Well Being


Recent content sharing partnerships


Initiate network platforms




expertise

Act in line with

Novel Point of View

Implementation


Center stage in an ecosystem of influencers…

Seen as a trusted voice in these networks

Enriching and extending relationships

Sensing external developments

Co-creation; sharpening NPoV and Ideas

Philips think tanks on each team


Aging Well Livable Cities

Acting in line with Novel Point of View (NPOV)


Demonstrating company is committed to NPOV; no pretense or window-dressing

Showing that company has the competence, expertise to deliver positive outcomes related to NPOV




expertise

Act in line with

Novel Point of View

Implementation

“Textbook advice”

Start in the diagnosis phase of the Thought Leadership FrameworkTM Start internally, involve your employees Demonstrate substance behind the NPOV


But…reality is usually different

NPOV still an aspiration, not yet operational reality No obvious connection between products and NPOV Contradiction between products, activities and NPOV NPOV is not ‘real’ for employees


So, how do you balance between real and ideal?

Reality Ideal

How do you prepare for this stance?

Is our NPOV

Substance-proof? Future-proof? Debate-proof?

NPOV fits with identity, core expertise

NPOV still an aspiration, not yet operational reality No obvious connection between products and NPOV Contradiction between products, activities and NPVO


Concluding remark

Let’s not be too fixed on the “leadership” part of thought leadership; the thought is what inspires and mobilizes!

Keep authenticity but take a stance, have a viewpoint that helps yours stakeholders to look at their relevant issues differently!

There is not one form of thought leadership: it comes in all forms and sizes.

Yet, the steps in our Thought Leadership FrameworkTM may guide you in developing the thought leadership strategy that fits your company!


THANK YOU! [email protected]

@Mignondelicia

“Our body is the home of the spirit. The

place in which ideas live. Our body is a

meeting place where our different

experiences converge, mix and grow,

creating a colossal archive.”

www.jaumeplensa.com


[email protected]

@Mignondelicia

mailto:[email protected]



• Mignon van Halderen (PhD) operates at the interface of corporate advice, (academic or company) research and (executive) teaching. She advises companies on thought leadership, (re) building trust/legitimacy or enhancing the impact of companies’ identity expressiveness efforts, e.g., through corporate language, symbolism, framing or storytelling. She lectures and coaches students on the same topics and works on academic papers to ground her knowledge and expertise in solid academic theories and frameworks.

• Through her 10 years’ experience at the Corporate

Communication Centre (bit.ly/IUnfjX) of the Rotterdam School of Management (Erasmus University), Mignon has become skilled in taking an evidence-based approach to business problems (both qualitatively and quantitatively) and makes academic models useful for a business audience. Mignon loves to constantly switch between academic thinking and intuitive creativity and pragmatism.

• Mignon has further developed a 3-day Master Class on thought

leadership at the Rotterdam School of Management and facilitates in-company thought leadership trainings (one day or more) by using the Thought Leadership Framework™ as described in her booklet with Kym Kettler-Paddock and Craig Badings. Mignon has published several articles on the topic (e.g., for RSMInsight, Communicatie, The Communication Director, Building Business and for the book CommunicatieNU).

Dr. Mignon (Delicia) van Halderen

Nationality: Dutch

Home town: The Hague

+31 (0) 6 43 98 91 18

[email protected]

Bio Mignon

@Mignondelicia


thought leadership (mignon van halderen); het communicatie congres 2012

Documents

thought leadership frameworktm

latest thought leadership

thought provoking viewpoints

active thought leaders

leadership pieces

line act

company websites

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