JULY AUGUST 2010 | #tlmag

#tlmag
update from the leadership council
Thought the dark side of expertise page 2
Leaders helps standing out is easy page 3
clever people be where have all the leaders gone? page 3

commercially get real about getting things done page 4

how to profit from your ideas page 5
smart.
going from white belt to black belt as a million dollar expert p6
the negative impact of positive thinking page 7
what’s the story, morning glory? page 8
authenticity that attracts page 9

ask great questions page 9

what is a white paper? page 10
attraction factor page 11
selling thought leadership page 12

who are you talking to? page 12

update from the leadership council
Things are progressing nicely on the Global front. Five main things to report:
1. A fabulous mentor
accreditation program was run in
June. Matt Church conducted an
awesome week for the mentors,
walking through the core Thought
Leaders IP and getting very clear
about how we can help clever
people to be commercially smart.
The next one in is October - if you
think you have what it takes to be
a mentor and work with other
Thought Leaders helping them
develop their great ideas, take a
look at
thoughtleadersglobalmentor.com
2. Scott Stein and Michael
Henderson, along with Matt
Church have secured a publishing
deal with Harper Collins to publish
the first ever book on Thought
Leadership. It’s going awesomely
well and will be a great addition to
anyone’s library.
3. Summits are rocking along
nicely with events run in Sydney,
Auckland, Brisbane and soon in
Melbourne. The format is fabulous,
the conversations amazing
and with the addition of a social
get together at the end. A
fantastic additional touchpoint for
members and mentors and for
those new to the Thought
Leaders Community.
4. We are on track to our goal
of 1500 members by Christmas
2010. We are halfway there and
with your help and the fabulous
connections to our mentors let’s
see how we go!
5. Watch out for the Thought
Leaders Studio signature show
later in this year. Matt will be
interviewing great Thought
Leaders in a 20 minute Parkinson
Style Format - can’t wait.
JULY AUGUST 2010
#tlmag -1-
That’s it from the leadership
council for now. Enjoy the new
look landscape format. As the
Thought Leaders Magazine is a
digital publication we took on
board suggestions that this style
lends itself to easier screen
viewing.  

the dark side of expertise - take
a leap of faith
Finding and owning expertise can
often turn into a category or genre
exercise and this is a challenge for
many thought leaders. What I do,
and what I am really great at, are
uncomfortable bedfellows against
the vexing question of how this
differs from other people or
businesses.
Once we figure out what our deep
expertise is, we often become so
wedded to it that it’s difficult to
define ourselves in any other way.
Sometimes we need the
perspective of someone else to see
things in us that we cannot see in
ourselves. This is often the case in
the world of classical music, and for
the high-brow, Juilliard trained
artists of the grand art of opera.
As a result, many have been
surprised by the recent release,
Dark Hope by the American darling
of opera, Renee Fleming.
Encouraged to try a project worlds
apart from the opera stage,
producer David Kahne has worked
with Fleming to produce a CD of
songs by some of rock’s greatest
songwriters.
The narrow interpretation of
Fleming’s expertise is as an opera
singer, but the core of it is a voice
and intellectual sensibility that can
produce the most astonishing
music. Instead of just doing
“crossover” where performers sing
popular music in a classically
trained style, on Dark Hope
Fleming “wanted to bypass the
middle ground and get to the
other side of the divide
completely”. She sings in her
speaking voice, two octaves lower
than her soprano voice.
The middle ground should make us
all nervous. Staying within the
lines means that we can be in
danger of thinking the same way
as everyone else and offering
similar solutions to our clients. If
we are all reading the same books
and watching the same talks, we
are coming at problems in ways
that can limit our thinking.
I am an organisational ecologist, a
field that looks at how the
planning, management and design
of organisations impacts individual,
team and organisational
performance. From an academic
perspective, this is a relatively new
and narrow field.
While I need to immerse myself
deeply in the research, my
expertise has been enriched by so
many different things that other
academics would probably discard
as irrelevant. Some of these
include riding Olympic level
dressage, an Arts degree in
Japanese and passions for sword
fighting, Buddhism, truck driving
and philosophy. I get lots of ideas
from magazines like Dazed and
Confused. I love wandering and have the courage to take risks,
around fringe festivals and especially when you aren’t sure
exhibitions and talking to people what the outcome will be. Fleming
who don’t inhabit my world. For is a thought leader. Being a
me, all of these things are
massively relevant to my field and I
force myself to never settle on a
thought leader demands you
inspire others with your fire, soul
and sheer originality. Take a leap of
boundary as to what ‘fits’ my faith, shun the middle ground and
expertise and what doesn’t. go to the other side of the divide.
No matter if you are a devotee of
I am asked to design workplaces KD Lang or Jeff Buckley’s versions
precisely because I am not an or if you’ve never heard the song, it
architect or formally trained as a is difficult not to be transported by
designer. I approach the work with the application of Fleming’s
different eyes, very different expertise to Leonard Cohen’s
questions and fresh assumptions Hallelujah.
about what is possible and what A revelation indeed.
will create the result the client
wants. How else might you define
your expertise and apply it in new
ways that re-invent possibilities?
Don’t be afraid to think differently
and take risks everyday to do
things that might enrich your
expertise in surprising ways. Blur
the lines, be intellectually curious
Libby Sander is a Thought
Leaders Mentor in Brisbane and is
an expert on organisational design
and performance.
Contact details:
Web www.libbysander.com
Email libby@libbysander.com
Phone 0409 436 650
JULY AUGUST 2010
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 standing out is easy where have all the leaders gone?
As a thought leader, have you ever been fed the line ‘standing out is hard!’? I was recently in a senior-level meeting that Scott Stein is one of the
was looking at forward planning and I was Directors of Thought Leaders
If you have received that sort of commentary, there are two things to consider; Global, on the Leadership
amazed at the lack of thought leadership. Council and a Thought Leaders
1. You have been on the receiving end of someone else’s self-limiting belief Mentor based in Sydney. Scott
Given that the Global Financial Crisis has moved inspires individuals and teams to
2. There is no logic behind the statement on, I was amazed to find many senior people still reconnect with their instinctive
dazed and confused about how to begin leading purpose in life and to unleash
Standing out is easier now than it has ever been. In years gone by standing out took money, in this new, uncertain environment. their full potential.
time, study and effort, unless you were “born into it.’” In our current climate, thought leaders W: www.scottstein.com.au
are standing out from the pack because of the sheer volume in the market. Confused? Let me If you have a group of people that are “stuck” in E: scott@scottstein.com.au
explain a little further… “hold” position, there are three things that you P: 0412 990 919
can do to get their thought leadership firing.
There are a lot more bad movies made these days than good ones– think about it, go to your
local video shop or browse downloadable movies and you will find hundreds if not thousands First, get them to identify what a thought leader would do. Get them to brainstorm what
of movies you can choose from, yet I bet you struggle to come up with 3 or 4 on your shortlist. could be possible and what someone that is on the cutting edge would do in the same
situation. Ask what would Richard Branson do? Get them to identify things that could be
There are sooo many bad songs, and yet just a few good ones – whether it is cruising possible without fear. It can be amazing the ideas that come forward when people operate
Limewire or i-Tunes, or wandering through Sanity or a Virgin megastore, there are many more from this mindset.
unappealing albums than appealing ones.
Second, get them to look at what things are currently occurring that could be done in a more
The law of socio economics is on our side fellow effective way; be it systems, approach or activity. Thought leadership is about new ideas—
thought leaders; wherever there is and about demonstrating the courage to lead changes that others may resist. Today,
Darren Hill is the Northern abundance, it creates a scarcity. I believe our businesses can’t afford to play it too safe—or get stuck in 20 year old traditions that existed
Territory Mentor for Thought standard of idea generation has slipped. I before the internet!
Leaders and an expert on human
think the abundance and ease of production
behaviour and leadership.
of most things has seen quality become a Third, get them to identify a strategy to position themselves and their people as thought
W: www.changeworksweb.com leaders. An incredible thing can happen when people start believing in their capabilities—
secondary criteria. Our embrace of average (or
below average) in pursuit of choice has and start promoting the great ideas of their peers to others. One organisation I recently
E: darren@changeworksweb.com
contributed to a scarcity for thought leaders worked with had a couple staff doing some amazing research papers, the challenge was that
P: +61 8 8945 3199 to leverage. most of their colleagues did not know about it. When we discussed what they found in their
research, everyone was amazed—and this provided them with a tool to promote the thought
Your ideas can stand out! If what is coming out leadership that is being demonstrated to their peers, their industry and most importantly their
of your head is better than Weekend at Bernie’s clients.
IV (god help us if it isn’t!) you will become the new scarcity. The current zeitgeist means you
only have to be better than average to be seen. Thought leadership is more than just ideas, it is about executing them in a compelling way
that enrols others. The next time the voice in your head says, ‘where has our thought
So be brave, unleash the ideas in your head upon the general public…they are probably more leadership gone?’—don’t follow the crowd and play it safe—be the thought leader and make
desperate for it than you might think. Stand out, step up; be a thought leader. something happen!

JULY AUGUST 2010

#tlmag -3-

get real
about getting things done
Deadlines are a powerful
tool. Most people hate
them because they force
us to do stuff, to make
commitments, make
decisions, take actions
and follow through.
To me these are all the great
things about deadlines and the
reason people that get things
done and make things happen
embrace them. Deadlines draw a
line in the sand in the future and
when they are strong and robust
they push us to get off our
backsides and make our ideas and
thoughts a reality.
Thought leaders need to learn the
power in embracing deadlines,
drawing a line in the sand around
the development and application
of their ideas.
“
Thought leaders need to
learn the power in
embracing deadlines...
Journalists use
deadlines to power their ideas for
magazines and newspapers,
authors use them to power their
books, marketing people use
them to power their products,
CEO’s use them to power their
companies. The villain in a movie
uses them to power the hero or
heroine to make their escape.
Imagine the mad bomber going
“this bomb is designed to explode,
”
oh, whenever” not quite as
attractive as “in just 7 minutes this
bomb will explode and I will be
safely away while you get blown
to smithereens” is a much better
attention grabber. Deadlines do
that, they grab our attention and
focus our energy. Deadlines work!
A deadline shared is a project, idea
or thought delivered. Keeping
them to yourself is a cop out - it
allows you to make excuses and
weasel out of things. While
sharing them makes you
accountable, responsible and
more likely to get it done.
Particularly if the person holding
you accountable to the deadline
scares the socks of you! That’s why
editors, publishers and CEO’s are
so influential, they don’t back
away from holding their
employees and clients
accountable for deadlines.
Once we have a deadline to meet,
our brains start to operate at a
higher speed and on a different
level because our subconscious
starts to kick our butt, ‘remember
JULY AUGUST 2010
#tlmag -4-
Ron (Rowdy) McLean is a Thought
Leaders Mentor based in Brisbane,
Queensland. He is a member of the
Thought Leaders Global Leadership
Council and is the master at getting
things done.
Contact details:
Web www.rowdy.com.au
Email rowdy@creatingsynergy.com
Phone 0414 347 667
to get this done’, ‘be aware of this
commitment’, ‘be sure you do
this’.
I was talking with my mate Marty
Wilson last week, author of the
‘What I wish I knew’ series, one of
his family was just taken to
hospital with a fairly serious
problem. When I spoke to him,
he’s exclaimed, ‘Bugger! I have got
the deadline for my latest book ,
‘What I wish I knew about
motherhood due today!’ . Despite
the family crisis, his subconscious
was still chasing the deadline.
Give it a deadline, your brain just
can’t resist chasing it.
 how to profit from your ideas
The biggest problem with innovation is not coming up with ideas. action. They let someone do
That's relatively easy because we're all having thoughts, opinions and something with your idea.
ideas about something all of the time.
Ecosystem
The real issue of innovation is turning the ideas we do have into something useful. The key to The third transformation is to create
profiting from your ideas is to translate them into forms so other people can profit from them. When an eco-system. Like a forest, this is a
they profit, you profit. collection of products and services
that all rely on and feed off each
Idea Model other. The Ecosystem concept is
The first way to format your idea is to transform it into a visual model, diagram or representation. crucial because of the product/
The goal here is to make it easier to share with others and for them to think about things differently. service continuum. You can't really
create a product without some level
Product or Service of service and vice versa. The big
The second transformation is to turn your idea model into either a service or a product. This can be reward if you get this right is for
as simple as a paper clip or as complex as a rocket ship. your customers to live your idea.

Traditionally, telling the difference was black and white: products fitted in wheelbarrows, services Example: Apple iPod
didn't. A really potent example of an Ecosystem is the Apple iPod.
Apple designed the product and got a manufacturer to make it. Apple then got the music
Today, it's not so clear where products start and/or services finish. It's more of a continuum or companies to supply the songs and they built the iTunes store as software to buy, play and
greyed zone from product to service. manage them. They also encouraged Gracenotes to maintain a database of songs and album
covers. Then, Apple left room for a whole bunch of manufacturers to produce a whole bunch of
Where a visual model lets someone think about your idea, products and services are designed for accessories from covers to car phone adaptors. Finally, having this collection of products and
services has attracted more people to buy more of Apple's core products: its computers.
This collection of products and services has enabled Apple to grab a large chunk of profit from the
Geoff McDonald is the creator of the sale of digital music.
Bookrapper concept and is a Thought
Leaders Mentor based in Melbourne. Profitable Action
To put the Idea Profit model into action start to think about your ideas and how others engage
Contact Details:
with them.
Web www.ideasarchitect.com.au Do they make people think?
Do they help people act?
Email geoff@ideasarchitect.com.au Or, are they part of the way people live?
Phone 0407 830 902 The more people who live your product the more profitable it'll be for you.

JULY AUGUST 2010

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 Going from White belt to Black belt
as a Million Dollar Expert
Part 1 - White Belt to Yellow Belt
Thought Leaders has developed
a great model for strategising
and achieving the growth of
your practice.
You can see the different levels,
and their associated belts in the
picture. Each additional $10k per
month income into your practice
gets you another belt (just like
progressing through the belts in a
martial art).
Peter Cook is a Melbourne based
Mentor and an expert in the White
Belt to Black Belt journey.
Contact Details:
W: www.petergcook.com
E: petercook@thoughtleaders.com.au
P: 0407 077 210
Strategy
The key strategy for building a
million dollar practice is to do so
one step, one belt at a time. The
Thought Leaders methodology
divides your practice across six
modalities: speaker, author,
trainer, mentor, facilitator and
coach. The aim is to work up one
belt and one mode at a time.
If you got to white belt as a trainer,
then you should choose one of the
other five - let’s say mentor - to get
“
Make the
decision to be
a black belt
Focus - Decision
The focus at white belt level is
decision. Decide on one market,
and one message, and
communicate that message to
that market. (See Matt Church’s
White Paper Sell Your Thoughts for
more on this).
to yellow belt. And once you get
to yellow belt, you’ll pick a third One decision I invite you to make
modality to get to green belt. is that you are going to be a black
belt. I have a second dan black
this model. And the beauty of it is
It’s relatively easy to make $10k a
the different modes build on each belt in Aikido, a Japanese martial
month in any of the modalities. art. I clearly remember the day I
other. If you’ve got a book, its
However, to make $60k a month
much easier to get speaking gigs. started Aikido I was told that 1 in
from one modality you have to be 200 people make it to black belt. I
Deliver a great key-note, and
at the absolute peak of that field.
people will want to buy your decided that I was the 1. I’ve
There are hardly any speakers, trained 3 or 4 times a week pretty
training program. Run a kick-arse
authors, trainers etc making $720k
training day, and you’ll be in much without fail in the 10 years
a year in just one modality. since that decision. And it was that
demand for your mentoring. And
so on. decision that had me get out of
In the Thought Leader’s bed at 5:30am on cold winter
community there are a growing
My white belt came from my mornings to get to training.
number of black belts (over 50
business coaching practice (while I
now) who have got there using
called it coaching, it was actually Make the decision to be a black
mentoring small business owners belt - it will make you a more
to grow their businesses). The next effective white belt, and help you
mode I added, which got me to do what it takes to get your next
yellow belt, was training - belt (and the ones after that).
teaching science based innovation
”
and creativity to corporates.
JULY AUGUST 2010
#tlmag -6-

the negative impact of positive
thinking
Last week, yet another of my
clients decided that they
needed to postpone their
management retreat due to
‘budget restraints’.
For many Thought Leaders, the
impact of the GFC on our business
might be cause for alarm, if we so
choose!
My biggest concern, in the face of
numerous worrying issues, is the
epidemic of ‘positive thinking’ that
is flooding the planet. Just being
positive isn’t going to get us the
results we desire. We need to
understand that when we’re
thinking along the ‘negative –
neutral – positive’ spectrum, we’re
on the wrong spectrum.
Obviously, negative thinking is
also a flawed strategy for getting
great results. The downward spiral
of energy created by looking for
the worst possible outcomes all
the time is not going to power us
to success. Similarly, remaining
neutral in the face of adverse
conditions, is unlikely to inspire
the activity levels that we need.
The way many people see the
attitude spectrum is:
NEGATIVE NEUTRAL POSITIVE
The challenge is that “Positive
Thinking” is not the solution either.
We need a more powerful force to
create optimal performance, for
our Thought Leadership. We need
the “Power Opposite”.
The flaw in this thinking is that the
“Power Opposite” of negative is
not ‘positive’, it’s something quite
different.
Before we go there, let’s consider
another example - Love.
Do you remember the feelings
when you first fell in love?
Regardless of how long ago it was,
wasn’t it magical? When we’re in
love, the world really is wonderful!
The sun is shining, the birds are
singing, all is right in the universe.
Then, something happens and
suddenly the magic has gone.
We’re plunged into a darker world
which can lead (in some cases) to
what we think is the opposite –
‘hate’. The challenge is that, while
we’re in that place, we’re never
going to get over the lost love and
move on. The opposite of love
isn’t hate; it’s indifference. Only
when we get there, will we be free
to step into love, again.
The same applies with
overcoming negative thinking. If
we just decide to be ‘positive’
about everything, we’re not
looking for best possible
outcomes and we’re unlikely to
take the massive action
sometimes required to get us out
of the slump.
The “Power Opposite” of negative
is ‘optimistic’.
NEGATIVE REALISTIC OPTIMISTIC
Helen Macdonald is Australia’s
Corporate Optimist and a Thought
Leaders Mentor based in Melbourne.
Contact details:
Web: www.helenmac.com
Email: helen@helenmac.com
Phone 0419 930 864
When we’re faced with a negative Ex-Mayor of New York, Rudy
situation, the first key step for an Giuliani said “Leaders need to be
optimal outcome is to take a optimists. Their vision is beyond
realistic look at what is really the present.” As Thought Leaders,
happening and what is possible, in optimism can power our ability to
terms of options and solutions. deliver on our vision.
The critical next step is to tackle
“
the selection of alternatives
with optimism.
That means to approach it
We need a more
with, according to the powerful force to
Oxford Dictionary, “a
disposition or tendency to look create optimal
”
on the more favourable side of
events or conditions and to performance...
expect the most favourable
outcome”.
JULY AUGUST 2010
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what’s the story, ,morning glory?
the art and science of story
Up the road from where I live, there
is a huge bill board with a metre
high headline that says: ‘It’s all
about the story’.
The photo on the billboard is of a
television reporter talking to a
crouched old man in a field. The ad
is for a major New Zealand TV
network and their news service.
Now it does seem strange that the
billboard is stating the obvious, but
it goes to show how much leverage
the advertising industry believes
there is in depicting a TV network as
“hands on” and authentic about
their content. It’s all about the story.
Andrew Melville is a Thought
Leaders mentor based in Auckland.
He mentors, facilitates and speaks on
how to articulate your essence with
Stories That Speak.
Contact details:
Web www.spoke.co.nz
Email andrew.melville@spoke.co.nz
Phone +64 9 846 1260
There is now significant scientific
evidence that human beings learn
and remember best through story.
Stories zing across the gap in our
brain’s synapses like nothing else.
And yet the “X factor” that makes
stories stick is still elusive. Why do
stories strike a chord while soul less
facts get lost in translation?
In a nutshell, the science of story
shows that the brain’s neurons are
activated by “incoming coherent
sentences”. But the science, known
as psycholinguistics, still can’t quite
nail how we achieve coherence. It’s
researchers say that it is more than
just the written or spoken sentence.
Marketing guru, Seth Godin, says:
‘People don’t believe what you tell
them. They rarely believe what you
show them. They often believe
what their friends tell them. They
always believe what they tell
themselves.’ What leaders do: They
give people stories they can tell
themselves. Stories about the future
and about change.
John F Kennedy mastered the
science and the art of story.
He used conviction and passion,
juxtaposition and rhythm to craft
some of the most memorable
quotes of our times. He used the
magic rhythm of three (tricolon) to
great effect.
‘When power leads man toward
arrogance, poetry reminds him of
his limitations. When power
narrows the area of man’s concern,
poetry reminds him of the richness
and diversity of existence. When
power corrupts, poetry cleanses.’
And he used juxtaposition to put
together one sentence that
galvanised a generation.
‘In a very real sense, it will not be
one man going to the moon, it will
be an entire nation, for all of us
must work to put him there.’
There are a range of techniques that
can be learnt to help craft stories,
but the key to having stories
connect is in the telling.
As a journalism lecturer, I used to
come across countless students
who were totally confronted by
turning their research, data and
interviews into a couple of
sentences for a story intro. The
blank page, the white computer
screen was haunting. Where do you
start?
I would physically make these
student turn all their paperwork
upside down, turn away from the
computer monitor and tell me what
they thought their story was about.
Nine times out of ten they would
vocalise their story intro word for
word, summing it up succinctly and
memorably.
Now some people have a knack that
they can simply commit great
sentences to the page without
voicing them. You will know who
you are. But for the most part, our
conscious and unconscious mind is
constantly sifting and ordering
information coherently, and we
voice it, we get to the ‘guts of it’ by
speaking it.
JULY AUGUST 2010
#tlmag -8-
We just have to fall in love with
great sentences, observe them in
others, play with them, collect
them. There is nothing new under
the sun.
Find the rhythm of the sentence,
just like music.
The successful British rock band,
Oasis wrote the song, What’s the
Story, Morning Glory? It is a line
from Cockney rhyming slang, where
the word ‘story’ is substituted with
Morning Glory, just as London
cockneys will talk about going up
the ‘apple and pears’ for ‘upstairs.’ On
one level the connection is
meaningless, but it sticks, the
rhythm and the play stick in our
minds.
The key is not to ‘overthink’ stories.
Great thought leaders think about
the point they want to make and
then play to weave a story around it,
with word pictures and passion,
statistics and proof.
Wake up and find the morning
glory!
 authenticity that attracts ask great questions
Authenticity that attracts: The value statement of Thought Leaders is ‘helping clever
IP
your
How knowing and owning your Back vidence people be commercially smart.’ Steve Major offers a new
e
with twist to being effective with investigating our markets
IP “mojo” enables you to create
high value products that attract ahead of pitching our ideas.
people to buy.
People only buy solutions to their problems.
Steve Major is a Thought
From a sales point of view, when we talk innovation, we mean products that offer a high value Before we get carried away with a new idea, Leaders Mentor based in
proposition. That is, they are a high end product that very effectively solves a niched problem. thought leaders must go into detail in posing Brisbane. He is an expert in
helping thought leaders make
the critical question: What are the problems
smarter decisions.
The elegance of the Thought Leaders Positioning Matrix, is it helps at both ends of the we are solving? But even before this question
spectrum. It helps you identify your “mojo” in commercial terms and link it to the problem in W: www.decisionhq.com
is framed up, a deep understanding and
the market place for which you have a unique and effective solution. I think this is where a appreciation of the problems of the market is E: steve@decisionhq.com
data-base of case studies where your product/service has been used to solve a problem in the needed. Once the problems are determined, P: +61 7 3298 6583
commercial world adds gravity to your offering. Remember, you will be competing in a market they must be phrased as both great questions
place where a lot of claims are made on untested ideas. and statements.

Asking questions to have people get clear about their problems will help promote the

“
Lis Faenza is a Thought conversation towards our solution.
Leaders Mentor near Canberra.
Lis’ expertise lies in being This makes buying Posing great questions as a speaker, a trainer, or in one on one sessions with clients and and
Commercially Savvy from one-
on-one sales to joint venture really easy, and it then clearly stating the problem will ensure others see you have a deep understanding of
deal making. their needs.
Contact details:
means you are not

”
E: lis@thebucketrevolution.com
a sales person But to succeed as a thought leader, we need to move quickly to explaining the causes of these
problems. A simple rule of thumb is to come up with three specific causes to each problem.
P: 0414 447 275
Now here comes a key twist. Thought leaders can hit an emotional blind spot with their
solutions and get carried away with selling or delivering the total solution themselves. But to
Where we need to stand out as thought leaders is in our willingness to back our IP with be truly effective, there must be an invitation to others to participate in the solution. The
evidence. The Thought Leaders Positioning Matrix then allows you to package your IP to Chinese philosopher, Lao Tzu, said: ‘A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when
deliver high relevance to your target market. his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.’

This makes buying easy, and it means you are not a sales-person. You become an innovative To be commercially smart, the thought leader must understand our market’s problems, detail
solution provider who attracts the right buyer at the right time in their cycle. It takes the the causes, have a quality solution and invite people to take part.
emphasis off making a sale and puts it back onto the value transaction, making you creatively
wise and commercially savvy.

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what is a white paper?
White Papers (sometimes called
“Special Reports”) are an
important tool for thought
leaders. A well-formulated White
Paper raises your profile as an
information expert. It helps you
become known for your
“
unique approach to your
subject.
The term “White Paper’
originates from Government
documents. Most paper is, of
course, white. A White Paper has a
white cover. It is an official
statement outlining the
Government’s policy or position
on a particular matter to be
brought before Parliament.
White Papers educate people
about new technologies,
products or services...
A Green Paper (with a green
cover) is more provisional in
nature. It is a document prepared
for the purposes of consultation,
to stimulate debate, or to propose
a strategy without any
commitment to a particular course
of action.
The term “White Paper” now also
applies to business documents of
an informational type. White
Papers educate people about new
technologies, products or services.
White Papers are used for
promotional purposes, but the
“selling” is not overt. The essence
of a White Paper is the
informational content. It’s not a
marketing brochure. The material
in it must be of an educational
nature.
”
A White Paper focuses on
particular problems faced by the
target market and ways to address
them. It must provide real value,
and should contain some ideas
that the reader can apply without
engaging your services. The best
way to market your thought
leadership services is to
demonstrate the value you can
provide. This is the way to
position yourself in the mind of
the reader, so that they will know
what you stand for and how you
can help them.
With your White Paper, you drive a
metaphorical stake into the
ground, declaring your stance on
your chosen topic. It’s not a
provisional document, so it
should not be the first thing you
publish. Novelist E.M Forster said
“I don’t know what I think until I
see what I say”, and I have found
this to be true. Put your thinking
in writing – by blogging,
contributing to online discussion
groups, starting an ezine and
publishing short articles. Put your
ideas out into the world and see
what people think. This can be
confronting at first. I spent two
whole weeks writing the first
edition of my ezine “The Cauldron
JULY AUGUST 2010
#tlmag -10-
Shelley Dunstone is a Thought
Leaders Mentor based in Adelaide. As a
Mentor her focus is on helping thought
leaders to discover their unique wisdom
and to express it in writing.
Contact details:
Web www.shelleydunstone.com
Email shelley@shelleydunstone.com
Phone 0417 846 108
of Innovation”. I read and re-read
it, reflected and re-edited. As my
finger hovered over the “Send”
button, I felt my heart pounding.
The next time, it was easier.
Be really clear about the points
you want to make in your White
Paper, express them succinctly,
and back them up with
substantiating material.
Your White Paper doesn’t have to
be white. You can choose any
colour for the cover, and you can
even put pictures in it. But the
most important thing is its
valuable information content.
 attraction factor
Part I: Causing a MOJO
explosion that effortlessly
attracts high value clients to
you and your products.
Have you ever wondered how some
people just seem to attract the best
clients and opportunities just seem
to fall in their lap?
Or why sometimes you are hot; and
everything you touch turns to gold,
while at other times you are not;
As Thought Leader Mentors and in
the Thought Leaders training
programs, we have some very
effective tools for helping clever
people be commercially smart.
Two of these tools include:
1. The Unique Intelligence training
- which rapidly allows you to tap
into who you are that makes you
unique and valuable to others.
and compelling for people. It
positions you and your products as
being attractive to high value
clients.
I like to think of it as mojo.
I define mojo as self-confidence. It’s
the super attractive energy that
comes from being true to yourself,
while in service of others. It’s a deep
knowing and accepting of yourself
while recognising and
Signs that mojo is missing or
lacking:
1. You are not attracting an
abundance of the terrific clients
2. Your work is stressful and
difficult, not joyful and flowing
3. Inspiration and effective
implementation are missing
4. You or your clients are not thrilled
with the outcomes and results
that you are getting
sales proposal, physical product or
book.
Product mojo is an extension of
personal mojo.
Products can be speeches, books,
training programs and mentoring
programs. They are specifically
packaged pieces of your thought
leadership intellectual property (IP)

“
and everything you touch turns to... 2. The Positioning Matrix - used to sharing your value. Start identifying your mojo!

well let’s just say... would be good
for the compost heap!
Ivan Waters is a Thought Leaders
Mentor based in Melbourne and is an
expert in helping finding effective and
sustainable ways to easily get results.
Contact details:
Web: www.loveyourbody.com
Email: ivan@loveyourbody.com
Phone: 0408 625 907
succinctly communicate that
uniqueness and value; either
personally or through your
products in ways that are relevant
High mojo people and products
attract high value clients like honey
attracts bees.
Tapping into your mojo creates a
couple of very important things:
authenticity and uniqueness.
Authenticity builds trust. People
intuitively trust people who know
who they are and act true to their
purpose, skills and values.
Uniqueness sets you apart from
others, which puts you in the
league where there is no
competition.
”
Aspects of personal mojo: that provide powerful and
compelling solutions to your target
1. Who you are being: knowing market
who you are in the context of your
expertise and how it benefits others Start identifying your mojo!
and acting consistent with this
What is it you love to do for others
that is of high value? What are you
2. What you say and how you say
it: Communication forms the bridge awesome at? What challenges have
you faced in your life that gives you
between your ideas and results
special skills and insights?
3. Your mojo talismans: The way
you display and leverage yourself
and your products that attracts
people to you. E.g. online video,
blog, website, product brochure,

JULY AUGUST 2010

#tlmag -11-
 selling thought leadership
The way an organisation sells has a critical impact on the way it is perceived in the
market, the nature and value of the relationships they build with clients and the
organisational culture.
For thought leaders it is important to ensure
that our own sales approach demonstrates
thought leadership to build a strong
community and enhance the reputation of
our members as they promote their own
practice.
Based on over a decade and a half in sales
across a range of organisations, I propose a
model of sales approaches based on the
level of conviction and competence of the
sales-person. The proposed approach
suggests application of the Thought Leaders
5-step Sales Model with high degrees of
conviction and competence.
Jeremy Samuel is a Thought
Leaders Mentor based in
Melbourne. He helps people
and organisations harness the
power of change to accelerate
their success.
W: www.dadsflyingsolo.com
E: jeremy@dadsflyingsolo.com
P: 0414 532 751
Competence is related to the degree of mastery of the subject. This is the focus of many technical
sales organisations.
Thought leaders are experts in their IP and in deep conviction of the value that their offering. This
approach is referred to as Partnership Selling - one where the relationship is paramount and the
seller becomes a trusted partner for the buyer.
Conviction is related to the level of congruence
with the offering. It is an internal attitudinal
measure that comes across in the way that you
communicate, the space you hold and the level
of neediness. They know that if there is a well
qualified prospect in front of them, they can
hold the space and the person will buy when
the time is right. - or not.
who are you talking to?
When it comes to delivering your thought
Nigel Collin is a Thought
leadership on video, how do you know you Leaders Mentor based in
are really connecting with your potential Sydney and is an expert in
market and clients? helping thought leaders deliver
their ideas and business on
camera.
Imagine that you’re surfing the web in search of
W: www.nigelcollin.com.au
someone who can help you in a specific area. You
do a ‘Google’ search and find lots of businesses. E: nigel@nigelcollin.com.au
Most of them have videos on their home page. So
P: +61 2 9888 6200
you watch a few and notice that some of them
really grab your attention and others don’t. Some
of them really manage to connect.
In a world where YouTube is the 2nd biggest search engine on the planet and having video
on your site is an expectation, you need to be able to cut through and really connect.
So how do you connect when delivering your message on
camera?
Here’s a simple device. Present as if you a talking to just one
person, not many. When in front of a camera the trap is
presenting to the masses, to the thousands, maybe millions of
potential viewers.
But in reality, I’m the one sitting in front of my computer watching.
It’s just me, and if you present to the masses then you’re not
talking to me. Video is extremely personal.
So, select just one person, who is perfect to hear your
message. It could be your favourite client, your spouse, or
another thought leader, and deliver your message to them. It
will help you deliver a more personal, more targeted message
and help you connect.
JULY AUGUST 2010
#tlmag -12-
 a new way to share,
learn & 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 event 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
sydney
Thursday 6 May 2010
Thursday 5 August 2010
Wednesday 20 October 2010
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?
The Summits are built around the
phenomenally successful Open
Spaces format. This structured
approach to unstructured
brisbane
Wednesday 2 June 2010
Wednesday 1 September 2010
Wednesday 1 December 2010
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.
melbourne
Wednesday 30 June 2010
Tuesday 24 August 2010
Wednesday 27 October 2010
There are four principles of
Open Space...
1. Whoever comes are 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
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
auckland
Tuesday 18 May 2010
Friday 27 August 2010
Friday 26 November 2010
JULY AUGUST 2010
#tlmag -13-
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!
Navigating your way around the online world
Where Why What to do

• Build a profile
It’s not what you know but also who you know.
• Join the local community group
This is the key place to meet, network and
• Introduce yourself to a local mentor
communicate directly with the whole Thought
• Blog your thoughts
Leaders membership community.
• Be cool—‘serve don’t sell’

• Create an RSS feed to the episode list

You get tonnes of great information on how to • Watch videos, post comments, share the
capture, package and deliver your expertise. content with your friends, clients and
colleagues via facebook, twitter etc

• Set up an RSS feed

Read streamed articles and specific thoughts on
• Post comments
how you go about developing your expertise.
• Share the content

Get short bursts of mentoring.

• Follow
Stay up to date with latest networking and
• Re-tweet the stuff you like
learning opportunities

It’s the one stop portal for all these different

• Link to all in the Thought Leaders world
online places.

They are the live, belly-to-belly, face-to-face

experiences that combine the multiple benefits • Participate
of sharing, learning and meeting.

• Branding
Ability for to you apply to become a Thought
• Licensing
Leaders Accredited Mentor.
• Positioning