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magazine

inside:ancient thought leadership

how to capture your ideas

the three attributes of a Thought Leader

selling you can be tough

the property development

an amazing new way to meet

the quiz for thought leaders

get real fast

your difference is your destiny

defining and valuing expertise

thought leadersmay/june 2010 #tlmag

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what’s going on at a leadership level at Thought

Leaders

Michael Henderson is a Thought Leaders Mentor based out of Auckland (Waiheke Island), NZ. He is a member of the Thought Leaders Global Leadership Council and is the Anthropologist in Residence at TLG.

Contact details:Web www.valuesatwork.orgEmail info@valuesatwork.orgPhone +64 9 372 2045

Thought Leaders was created in 2001 by Matt Church to act as an educational curriculum and networking community for experts.

Designed to have an explicitly commercial agenda, it was created ‘to help clever people to be commercially smart!’

It is delivered through the concept of Mentoring, which specifically means the people giving advice have been there and done that.

Over the years, we have had all kinds of programs, formats and events that all respond to the needs of the growing ‘expert’ community. Some of these have been awesome and some have been fabulous learning opportunities for us as a group.

This year we have continued to de-centralise the administration of the Thought Leaders entity into the hands of our stunningly capable Mentor community in each local city. As a result of this, we have more than 25 Mentors in 15 cities, who all exist to develop expertise in others and to help those experts be commercially savvy. Hook up with them through www.thoughtleaderscentral.com; our online community network.

This year saw the launch of the complimentary education platform, www.thoughtleadersstudio.com You should add it as an RSS feed to your browser and as new episodes are released, you will be the first to know.

Our twitter account for Thought Leaders is @thoughtglobal and is manned by our team of Mentors, who each post thoughts on how you can develop your expertise. We also use this channel to communicate what’s coming up, as well as new postings to the STUDIO and to the BLOG. You will notice that this magazine has a backchannel through the hash tag #tlmag. Start tracking and commenting in real time your thoughts and feelings about the various articles and more.

The Blog, www.thoughtleadersblog.com is up and running and acts as a digital forum for the sharing of specific ideas on developing expertise. AND all of this is FREE!

Once you get a room full of experts sharing their thoughts, amazing things begin to happen. It is with this in mind that we have launched our much anticipated ‘un-conferences’. We call these SUMMITS and you can find out more at www.thoughtleaderssummits.com

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LEADERSHIP THROUGHOUT THE AGES

Leadership Throughout the Ages by Darren Hill

As a Thought Leaders Mentor operating out of The Northern Territory, I operate in parallel worlds. One world sees me at the cutting edge of new technology, trends and original thought; key components of Thought Leadership. Another world is just as real for me; as I write this short article for Thought Leaders Magazine I find myself out in the heart of Arnhem Land, a vast remote country that hosts the original Australian culture over 40,000 years old.

Thought Leadership is not new. In fact, it has been with us since the very earliest of days. Whether it was the foresight to travel to new lands, the comprehension to make trade with other clans, or even to position oneself in your tribe to make your presence felt, the 9 essential skills of Thought Leadership are not buzzwords, or made up terms without validity or robustness.

Even in modern history, great social activists, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr, or more recently, Mandela, have embodied principles of commitment; ensuring people understood their vision, execution; bringing their ideas to reality, and the ability to pitch their idea so people ‘bought it’.

And now we enter this heady new world where the rapidity of change is just mind boggling. New frontiers are broken down by Google who used uniqueness to leverage a free

product to change the face of business forever; or the ongoing expertise of an entrepreneur such as Richard Branson to conceptualise and drive incredible socialpreneurship programs across the world; or maybe it is the writers and editors of wickedly-cool magazines such as Wired and Monocle who understand comprehension in the coolest of ways...where, when and why new trends can and do change our world.

So, whether it is in the busiest of metropolitan centers or the remote reaches of Arnhem Land, Thought Leadership and the essential skills needed for it have always been, and will always be around us...we just like to think our Thought Leaders Global community understand it exceptionally.

open yourself up to

new ideas

Darren Hill is the Northern Territory Mentor for Thought Leaders and an expert on human behaviour and leadership.

Contact details:Web www.changeworksweb.comEmail darren@changeworksweb.comPhone +61 8 8945 3199

Aboriginal rock art of the Gagudju people of Northern Australia, one of the oldest continuing cultures on the planet.

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Dates and Locations

Sydney:

Thursday 6 May 2010

Thursday 5 August 2010

Wednesday 20 October 2010

Brisbane:

Wednesday 2 June 2010

Wednesday 1 September 2010

Wednesday 1 December 2010

Melbourne:

Wednesday 30 June 2010

Wednesday 11 August 2010

Wednesday 27 October 2010

Auckland:

Tuesday 18 May 2010

Friday 27 August 2010

Friday 26 November 2010

a new way to share, learn and meet

It was Charlie Jones who said that the key factors that make a difference between who you are today and who you will be in 5 years time are the books you read and the people you meet.

We reckon he was right, but now, the change can happen quicker, and the ways you can learn are more diverse.

We have been running meetings for thought leaders for almost 10 years. A Thought Leaders Conference is so unique.

Where else in the world would you get to attend a program where the audience is as stimulating as the presenters? In the past, the only way you could really know this was in the breaks. Those short sessions where you duck to the ‘loo’, grab a muffin, chat to some new people briefly and then, almost with regret, have to break up the chat to go back into the learning session.

Well, what if the whole program was as good as the break? What if you just had a whole event dedicated to the mutual sharing of ideas between some truly great thinkers and subject matter experts?

Three things that could go wrong:

1. The experiences have no structure and therefore achieve nothing with your valuable investment of time and money.

2. The people and issues being discussed don’t interest you.

3. You could be exposed to some truly paradigm-changing ideas and have your mind stretched so far that it never regains its original dimensions.

The Summits will be built around the phenomenally successful Open Spaces format. This structured approach to unstructured meetings has been used in the United Nations assembly discussions and in small regional communities in the outback. It works!

Of course you have to take our word for it the first time. After a few minutes though, you will come to see this as one of the most natural and effective ways for people to get together to share, learn and meet.

There are four principles of Open Space...

1. Who ever comes is the right people

2. Whatever happens is all that could have

3. Whenever it starts is the right time

4. When it is over, it is over

It breaks the old school one way communication mode that so many gatherings perpetuate.

And, there are two laws...

The Law Of Two Feet implies that if, after being part of a session you are no longer interested in it, you have permission to leave. The law puts responsibility for your own actions on your own shoulders.

Bumblebees And Butterflies are for those people who wish to use their two feet and 'flit' from meeting to meeting. These people can pollinate and cross-fertilize, lending richness and variety to the discussions.

It’s elegant in its simplicity!

Not only do we not apologise for the likelihood that you might just think differently when you finish the day - we hope that is exactly what happens. Indeed, that is the role of thought leadership.

So what do you do? Well, go to the registration site and invest $990 and get our ‘all you meet’ special deal. That’s right. You can attend any of the advertised dates and locations. You can register by going to www.thoughtleaderssummits.com

And, come to the first one as our VIP Guest!

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Recently I was pondering my way through one of my favourite books when something occurred to me. If you could list the attributes of what makes a great thought leader – what would they be?

Because being a thought leader is all about blazing trails, opening new regions of thought and inspiring others.

In his book ‘The Art of Looking Sideways’ designer Alan Fletcher talks about 3 key attributes needed for being creative. Here’s my take on it.1. The inquisitiveness of a child.2. The determination of an evangelist.3. The spadework of a nanny.

I love that because it is so true. I also love it because it is also true that it can be translated directly into thought leadership.

Inquisitiveness: To be a great thought leader you need to be curious and adventurous. You need to be a great

explorer of ideas and concepts. And you need to investigate how you can develop an idea further and see where you can take it. To do that you need to be inquisitive. Otherwise you’ll just come up with safe and adequate ones. And that is not very exciting.

Determination: To push past safe and adequate takes effort. To develop an idea takes effort and once you’ve done that it takes effort to get it up and running and effort to get that message through. That requires determination.

Spadework: You need to know your stuff and you need to keep pulling apart and playing with your ideas, to help them grow and become giants. On top of that, a great thought leader constantly needs to be listening and watching, and reading and learning. Otherwise the trails you blaze will end up either anywhere or nowhere. So you need to keep digging.

Thought Leadership is a journey. A journey that should never stagnate or end. So to keep moving, ask yourself if you’re inquisitive enough? How’s your determination?

And do you dig deep into your ideas and thoughts?

Because once you get complacent the journey ends. Thanks Alan for the inspiration!

THE THREE ATTRIBUTES OF A THOUGHT LEADERChildren, evangelists and nanny’s....by Nigel Collin

Nigel is a Mentor based in Sydney. He teaches how people can lead creatives.

Contact details:Web www.nigelcollin.com.auEmail nigel@nigelcollin.com.auPhone +61 2 9888 6200

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SELLING YOU IS TOUGH

A crazy thing happens when you talk about yourself in the third personby Matt ChurchWhen you are what is for sale, you can often confuse the client by rambling on and stuffing up the sale or pitch.

Thought Leaders often have to talk about themselves.

I sometimes talk about Matt Church in the third person (second sign of madness). I've been doing this for so long that I have learned a couple of tricks to help me talk about this Matt Church guy.

Stage-names: My name is Matthew but I promote Matt Church. It is not ‘Madonna' or ‘Bono' status, but it helps.

Diagrams: I often rely on contextual diagrams to explain what I do. This way the focus is less on me and more on my message.

Analogy: If I can explain what I do through an analogy, it is easier to talk it up than if it is simply me I am talking about.

Future: Always focus on what is coming up as opposed to what you have done. What you have done is bragging, what it is you hope is going to happen is exciting.

Rapport: People buy people. Be gracious, generous and positive in your conversations. If asked about a competitor the same rules apply.

Often as experts and Thought Leaders, we wish for some one else to sell us. This is not always the best option.

There is no one better than you to sell you.

Matt Church created the Global Thought Leaders movement and continues to be the driving force behind many of the country’s leading thinkers.

Contact details:Web www.mattchurch.comEmail matt@mattchurch.com.auPhone +61 2 8966 4700

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CAPTURE YOUR THINKING...Before the slippery stuff gets away by Shelley Dunstone

The basis of your thought leadership is your “Intellectual Property”. To exercise thought leadership, you must develop a set of original ideas to help others in their lives and business.

Initially you may find it difficult to separate your own original ideas from what you regard as “common knowledge”. It takes focus, determination and some introspection to develop your own material. However, the rewards are great. Experts who have worked hard to package and communicate their wisdom make a bigger impact, and leverage their knowledge more effectively, than those who have not made the effort.

Therefore, one of your first tasks as an aspiring thought leader is to write a set of “declarations” which summarise your unique wisdom. Then you can expand those with models, metaphors and content of many kinds.

This is not an easy task, especially as we ask you to produce 52 declarations! Your declarations will always be a “work in progress”, as you will continually refine them, but it is worth persevering with the challenge, as it focuses your attention on developing your own unique expertise.

To develop your intellectual property, you’ll need to capture your thinking. As we all know, ideas visit us at unexpected moments. Sometimes we come up with wonderful phraseology and enjoy such clarity of thought that we are convinced that we have found “the answer”. The problem is that if you don’t capture your thoughts they will quickly vanish, and you will be left wondering what that brilliant thought was. Ideas don’t spring forth fully fledged. Ideas are built gradually, using glimmers and fragments, casual observations and frustrations. You cannot just sit down one afternoon and write out your declarations, then tick a box to say that your declarations are “done”.

So you must continually watch, listen, think and write. Once you are familiar with the process of developing your “declarations”, you may hear yourself expounding them in conversation. Capture those thoughts! Don’t wait until a concept is fully-developed – write down whatever comes to you, and expand and refine later.

Shelley helps leaders lead for innovation and is a Thought Leaders mentor in Adelaide.

Contact details:Web www.shelleydunstone.comEmail shelley@shelleydunstone.comPhone +61 8 8407 3532

Keep a notebook handy for this purpose. When I focus on capturing ideas in my notebook I go through periods of frenetic scribbling, as it makes me pay attention to the fleeting thoughts that pass through my head.

Of course, you don’t always have your notebook with you. As an alternative, you can use your phone; many now have a “Notes” facility. On my i-Phone I have set up various categories such as “Metaphors”, “Models” and “Funny stuff”, so I can quickly key in a thought. If you are not in a situation where you can type (e.g. you are walking along) you can use the voice recorder. Another approach is to use Twitter. Sometimes I tweet my idea, and because it is going “live” to the world, I will spend a few extra minutes shaping the idea and finding some catchy wording. Later I can look through my list of tweets on my Twitter page.

The secret to successfully developing your intellectual property is to recognise, value and capture your original insights, and not dismiss them as invalid or silly. If nurtured, they can be crafted into impressive principles that will enrich the lives of others.

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ARE YOU A THOUGHT LEADER?

1. Are you resisting, avoiding and chickening out? Or, are you shipping product, producing results and making a visible difference?

2. Are you conforming, complying and sucking it up to fit in? Or, are you standing up for what you believe in and standing out because you shine?

3. Are you being told what to do, following instructions and being good? Or, are you creating a fresh path, drawing a new map and leading the way?

4. Are you waiting for the right time to step up and shine? Or, are you going for it, grabbing the bull by the horns and making hay while the sun shines?

5. Are you protecting and maintaining the status quo? Or, are you actively creating change, challenging the past and causing the future?

6. Are you turning up to work in your body only? Or, is your mind, body and soul fully present, alive and flourishing at work?

7. Are you suppressing your thoughts, emotions and opinions? Or, are you expressing yourself freely, openly and authentically?

8. Are you turning up to get paid, count the hours and make it to the weekend? Or, are you putting in the time, committing yourself and fully devoted to your work?

9. Are you a cog that could be easily replaced? Or, are you indispensable, producing remarkable work and an essential member of your organisation?

Geoff McDonald is the creator of the Book Rapper concept and is a Thought Leaders Mentor based in Melbourne.

Contact details:

Web: www.IdeasArchitect.com.auEmail: Geoff@IdeasArchitect.com.auMobile: 0407 830 902

by Geoff McDonald

Scoring0 - 15 You’re a cog. It’s time to uncover your genius, perform your art and share your gifts.

15 - 30 You’re on the way. You’re probably stepping up and out a little. It’s time to crank it up. Share your gift more often.

30 - 45 You’re a Thought Leader. Keep sharing your gift. Look at your lowest scores to spot areas to enhance your excellence.

Seth Godin’s latest best-seller Linchpin is the new bible for your career as a Thought Leader.

And, here’s a nine-step audit derived from his book, to find out if you’re being a Thought Leader or not, and authentically.

Circle the response that best describes your current efforts at being a Thought Leader.

Resist Ship1 2 3 4 5

Conform Stand1 2 3 4 5

Follow Map1 2 3 4 5

Status Quo Change1 2 3 4 5

Part Whole1 2 3 4 5

Suppress Express1 2 3 4 5

Turn Up Work1 2 3 4 5

Waiting Now1 2 3 4 5

Cog Linchpin1 2 3 4 5

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WHEN INSTANT COFFEE ISN’T FAST ENOUGH!by Rowdy McLeanEverything in life is getting faster. Close your eyes for too long and time slips away, opportunities to do everything you dream of or desire disappear and before you know it another year has gone . Do you want to risk that?We’re all busy human beings. So busy, in fact, that we’re losing the ability to raise the bar and execute on the important things in our lives.

Forget what you’re doing for a second because if you’re looking for success (personally, financially, professionally, whatever!), I need your undivided attention. Think back about 4 months when we promised ourselves that 2010 was going to be our year to lose 10kgs, save more money or grab that promotion you’ve been chasing. Feels like a lifetime ago, doesn’t it? A clear distinction can be made between those people that achieve their short-term goals consistently and those that don’t. The ones that do generally go on to be hugely successful!

I have invested most of my life in to researching human behavior, success and achievement and now I know just how to overcome that barrier of goal resistance.

It’s called Get Real FAST.

It comprises 4 key steps, Focus, Action, Support & obsTacles, to help you achieve that promotion, lose 10kgs or save some pennies. Check it out…

Focus – There’s generally more than one thing we want to achieve. But what really sets the achievers apart is their ability to focus on just one thing at a time. Forget the things that just won’t happen and the goals that are someone else’s. Think about what’s truly important to you and hone in on that. Given your goal is achievable, believable and consistent, with a touch of focus you’ll be well on the road to goal accomplishment.

Action – There’s a stark contrast between someone who’s interested than to someone who’s committed. You need to be absolutely committed to your goal to make it work. Once you’ve made this switch, write down your goal, describe your goal in detail, define the key action steps needed to get you there, apply a time frame and shout it loud and proud from your personal podium! Sharing makes you accountable, and that’s one of the vital steps in goal kicking.

Support – Support is about maintaining momentum and exhausting all the resources that are available to help you progress towards your goal. Doing it solo doesn’t give you hero status; in fact, it makes you more vulnerable to failure. Gather support in the form of information (books, magazines, internet) and experience. People who have been there and done that have a wealth of support to give. Call them, email them and ask them what it was that worked well, and what didn’t. Having someone keep you accountable is a good way to keep the momentum going. obsTacles – (I know it doesn’t begin with T, but funnily enough this is the one most people remember ) There’s nothing good about obstacles. Whether they take the form of a small speed bump or a big brick wall, they only lead to frustration and the possibility of failure. So the answer is, get rid of them! Research shows the biggest barrier is time (surprise, surprise!). Make time by combining activities, e.g. exercise & traveling to work or driving & conference calls. It’s essential you make time to action your goals and ensure they can’t be thieved by other people or commitments.

Also, keep an eye out for the dream stealers. You know the ones who love to see you fail. Avoid them at all costs! Either that or use them as an agitator – someone that pushes your button and makes you more determined to achieve your goals. Then you can say, “I told you so!”

Being successful doesn’t happen overnight – but the first significant steps can happen in just 30 days if you apply the principles of Get Real FAST.

Get Real FAST

Ron (Rowdy) McLean is a Thought Leaders Mentor in Brisbane.

Contact details:Web www.rowdy.com.au Email rowdy@creatingsynergy.comPhone 0414 347 667

IPHONE USERS REJOICEThought Leaders Iphone App ... Coming Soon!!!

Why:Thought Leaders Blog to your phone

Thought Leaders Educational Videos

Twitter feed consolidated to your phone

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Thought leaders are distinguished by the sense of self and place in the world, which guides how and where they devote their energy.

The Thought Leaders competency of Uniqueness is all about helping Thought Leaders first identify and then enunciate who they are and what their difference really is.

When I first joined Thought Leaders after practising law for 20+ years and feeling a little jaded, I was frenetically looking for the place to focus my energy but I had yet to “get me”. Now I own my space as a lawyer practising under the name Zeopard and live to my uniqueness of doing things differently and daring to be different. Now it shines through in my brand both in performance and personality. As a Thought Leaders Mentor I am passionate about helping other people discover their uniqueness using the Thought Leaders processes.

If you are just starting out on this track and the challenge of stepping into your uniqueness, you need to develop a uniqueness mindset . Here’s 5 thought provokers for you to consider as you start off:

• There is no value in being bland but there may be safety and comfort melting into the crowd. But, if that’s not for you, face the challenge of stepping up and stepping out. You are not what you do and you need to do the work to figure it out. Make a decision - do you want to be bland or a brand?

• The dark and light moments in your life provide the clues to your essence. For many the mistakes and errors provide the most colour and flavour. For me my greatest insights into the way to do leadership were provided by the hash I made managing my first team in corporate-land. You do not have to broadcast your failures, but use them as markers and triggers to see those unique identifiers. Start your walk down memory lane and peer into the shadows.

• The unique value you bring is going to be found somewhere in an inch wide, mile deep space of your experience and expertise. If you hate 360 degree feedback then come and join a community that believes that our special contributions come maybe only from 90 degrees, we are awesome and the rest can be outsourced!

• Thought leadership is not about being famous for being famous nor about having a personality brand. The distinguishing feature of a thought leader is performance backed up by personality. As the elements of your special place emerge, a key test is whether you have performance and not just personality to back up the brand promises. The times I spent feeling a fraud were to an extent signals to me that I had not quite found my thought leadership space.

• The reality is that product brands are held in the minds and perceptions of the market. Same goes for personal brands. What are people going to perceive and say about you? What is your authentic story that will win hearts, minds and perceptions?

Jennie Vickers is a lawyer specializing in helping businesses think and do business differently and is a Thought Leaders Mentor based in Auckland.

Contact details:Web www.zeopard.comEmail jennie@zeopard.comPhone +64 9 529 1500

YOUR DIFFERENCE IS YOUR DESTINY!by Jennie Vickers

It is liberating and energising to own your space with confidence, as I now do. My work has never been better because of the clarity I now have and the authenticity of just being me. Take the first step and you will never look back.

Next steps

Thought Leaders has a number of processes to help you. To get you started take a look at Thought Leaders Studio, Episode 20, which is my story of discovery and an introduction to the process.

Thought Provokers...

• You are not what you do.

• Who are you?

• Do what you are.

• Other people may be able to see that to which you are blind.

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One of the initial challenges a thought leader faces is how to define and value their unique expertise. One of the reasons for this is that for most of our corporate lives, we have been put into a box. Traditionally, our expertise is valued in terms of how we measure up against a set of defined criteria. This might be a job description or a person specification. This means that we are used to thinking in a very narrow way in terms of our expertise.

Richard Gill is the current director of Opera Victoria. He is also an accomplished pastry chef. It is more than unlikely that Pastry Chef is listed as either a necessary or desirable characteristic on the person

specification for the role of Director of Opera Victoria. Richard feels it is an essential contributor to who he is as a person and also to his success in his role.

Not only are we not used to thinking broadly about our own expertise; we are certainly not generally trained to do it when thinking about other people. Others will only engage with our value and expertise when we are absolutely clear on it ourselves. In defining yours, a good approach is to step back from the boxed-in silo approach to our experience and expertise and take a much less linear approach.

A pastry chef can create both sweet and savoury masterpieces with the combination of flour, water and a range of unlikely ingredients. They have no fixed view on how pastry should be used. How are you viewing your expertise? Take the pastry chef approach and throw out the box of the person specification.

DEFINING AND VALUING EXPERTISEby Libby Sander

Libby helps leaders build cultures that work and is a Thought Leaders mentor in Brisbane.

Contact details:Web www.libbysander.comEmail libby@libbysander.comPhone +61 7 5543 8115

The place to launch you to all the online solutions for developing your Thought Leadership...www.thoughtleadersglobal.com

THE NEW THOUGHT LEADERS GLOBAL WEBSITE

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YOUR THOUGHT LEADERS....navigating your way around the Thought Leaders online world

WHERE WHY WHAT (TO DO ONCE THERE)

Thought Leaders Centralhttp://www.thoughtleaderscentral.com

It’s not what you know but also who you know. This is the key place to meet, network and communicate directly with the whole Thought Leaders membership community.

• Build a profile• Join the local community group• Introduce yourself to a local mentor• Blog your thoughts• Be cool; ‘serve don’t sell’

Thought Leaders Studiohttp://www.thoughtleadersstudio.com

You get tonnes of great information on how to capture, package and deliver your expertise.

• Create an RSS feed to the episode list

• Watch videos, post comments, share the content with your friends, clients and colleagues via facebook, twitter etc

Thought Leaders Bloghttp://www.thoughtleadersblog.com

Read streamed articles and specific thoughts on how you go about developing your expertise.

• Set up an RSS feed• Post comments• Share the content

Follow Thought Leaders on Twitterhttp://www.twitter.com/thoughtglobal

Get short bursts of mentoring.Stay up to date with latest networking and learning opportunities

• Follow • Re-tweet the stuff you like

Thought Leaders Home pagehttp://www.thoughtleadersglobal.com

It’s the one stop portal for all these different online places.

• Link to all the above good stuff

Attend Thought Leaders Summitshttp://www.thoughtleaderssummits.com

They are the live, belly-to-belly, face-to-face experiences that combine the multiple benefits of sharing, learning and meeting.

• Participate

Read about becoming a Mentorhttp://www.thoughtleadersglobalmentor.com

Ability for to you apply to become a Thought Leaders Accredited Mentor.

• Branding• Licensing• Positioning