Thought Leadership

Thought leadership is a powerful, but often misunderstood communications tool. Thought leaders are believed to be able to influence industry trends, attract top talent to their companies, improve brand value and increase trust. And it is true, thought leadership can do all of these things and more. But these benefits do not arrive just because someone becomes a “thought leader”. And someone does not become a thought leader simply by sharing lots of good ideas, inspiring perspectives or sharp insights. Thought leadership is not about sharing your thoughts so that others follow you, it is about leading the thoughts of others so you achieve desired outcomes.

If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.”

Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Why thought leadership?

Thought leadership can be the difference between achieving your strategic goals or falling short. It can allow you to persuade crucial stakeholders instead of watching them walk away. It can influence decision makers, customers and investors to make choices that benefit you and your business. It can be deployed to drive trust, brand preference and sales, or to align your whole organization around common goals. It can do all of this because thought leadership, when it is done well, helps change people’s minds. With a clear objective, and the right skills, you can use thought leadership to reshape your business landscape.

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Learn how to hit your goals using thought leadership.

Get more actionable insights from Lech Mintowt-Czyz and Tantalus.

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The Secret to Successful Thought Leadership transcript

“Hello my name is Lech Mintowt-Czyz. I’ve 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 with 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 in ways that benefit you and your company? Of course you do. Everybody does. That is why companies value their brands in billions. That is why advertising is a trillion dollar industry. Thought leadership, done right, is highly focused, highly efficient, and exactly what you need to move people’s minds.

Unfortunately most people misunderstand what thought leadership is, and where its power lies. So they have no impact. Critically, thought leadership is not the mechanism by which you share a brilliant idea. It is not an opportunity to download the contents of your head into the heads of other people. In short, thought leadership is not about leading people with your thoughts, it is about leading the thoughts of other people. And to change people’s minds you have to get into people’s minds. 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 that audience want to hear what you have to say. Finally you need an expert in persuasion. If you already have all of that, that’s great. If you do not, let’s talk.”

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About thought leadership expert Lech Mintowt-Czyz

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.

Contact Tantalus to discuss Thought Leadership opportunities.

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We have a team of strategy and management consultants in Asia, Europe, North America and the Middle East 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 tailored to the unique demands of a fast-paced, changing global environment.

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Tantalus management consultants have worked in the far-flung corners of the globe, have held positions as senior leaders in organizations including ABB, Boeing, Novartis, Shell and Nestle, speak many languages and know how to listen. We also have a long list of business-tested case studies to help you create the right strategy for communication, including straightforward timelines, budgets and measurement.