Thought leadership strategist, speechwriter and former newspaper journalist Lech Mintowt-Czyz on why you need thought leadership, why so many people get it wrong and how you can get it right. The bottom line is this: thought leadership is not about leading people with your thoughts. Its power is in its ability to lead the thoughts of other people. See the video and transcript below. Reach out if you’d like a conversation with Lech.
Lech Mintowt-Czyz
Transcript: Hello! My name is Lech Mintowt-Czyz. I have been a news reporter on the Daily Mail, a news editor on The Times and speechwriter to the CEO of Shell.
Now, I help companies and their leaders move critical audiences from where they are… to where they want them to be. In other words, I help them with thought leadership.
Why thought leadership?
So then. Do you need people to follow you? Do you need people to agree with you? Do you need people to make choices that benefit you and your company?
Of course you do. Everybody does. That is why companies value their brands in the billions and why advertising is a trillion-dollar industry.
Thought leadership, done well, is highly focused, highly efficient and exactly what you need to move people’s minds.
Why so many get thought leadership so wrong
Unfortunately, most people misunderstand what thought leadership is… and where its power lies… so they have no impact.
Thought leadership is not, for example, the mechanism to share a brilliant idea. It is not an opportunity to download the contents of your head… into the heads of other people.
In short, it is not about leading people with your thoughts – it is about leading the thoughts of other people. You change minds… by getting into the minds of others.
How to succeed in thought leadership
To succeed you need to know your audience. Where they are now, and where you want to get them. You also need to know how to make your audience want to hear what you have to say. And, finally, you need an expert in persuasion.
If you already have all of that – that’s great! If you do not. Let’s talk.
Arrange an introductory chat with Tantalus about our Thought Leadership programs for your executives, comms or marketing teams.
Lech Mintowt-Czyz| Senior Consultant | London, UK
Lech Mintowt-Czyz is a thought leadership strategist and speechwriter for CEOs, senior executives and other prominent figures. Leaders turn to Lech when the words need to be exactly right and when the moment really matters.
Despite his Polish name, Lech is London-born and has been a writer his entire career. He started as a news reporter, covering everything from Harry Potter premieres to political scandals and terrorist attacks. He met people at the most extreme moments of their lives and helped them tell their stories. Lech then worked as a news editor for nine years at The Times (of London) in both print and digital formats.
After more than 20 years in newspapers, Lech joined Shell as speechwriter to the CEO. Together they won five Cicero awards in three years, an unprecedented haul. More recently he has written for the CEO of ADNOC and the President of the UN’s COP28 climate conference.
The Tantalus Group is a global firm that specializes in management consulting services. We advise leaders on business opportunities and threats, from strategy, marketing, communications, organization and digital, to business transformation, change management, sustainability and mergers and acquisitions. Our management consulting services cut across all sectors and geographies.
We have a team of strategy and management consultants in Asia, Europe and North America and draw on decades of practical experience advising CEOs, CFOs, CCOs and executive committees. We also work closely with teams within companies, to deliver management consulting services to tailored to the unique demands of working in a fast-paced, changing global environment.
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