The Thought Leaders Magazine is a bi-monthly publication, contributed to by the Thought Leaders Mentors. Read more at http://www.thoughtleadersglobal.com

1. SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2010 | #tlmag
update from the leadership council - p.1
#tlmag
Thought making your writing shine - p.2
Leaders helps why we are exposed if we don’t proprietise our practice - p.3
the power of positioning - p.4
clever people be awareness enhances attitude - p.5
commercially commitment - make a stand - p.5
hidden value in organisational thought leadership - p.6
smart. develop an idea bank - p.7
do you have a blue card - p.7
are you correctly valuing your thought leadership? - p.8
going from white belt to black belt as a million dollar expert - p.9
is anybody really hearing your really important messages? - p.10
the biggest product mistake you can make - p.11
what’s your mojo manifesto - p.12
thought leaders summits - p.13
thought leaders online world - p.14

2. update from the leadership council
the SPIRIT of belonging to Thought Leaders...
operate in a decentralised business 2. Keep developing your intellectual
Just the other day Our digital platforms facilitate live assisting every great thinker they meet
model in that there is no head office property and refining your thinking
Dan Gregory, the Creative Director of conversations. Each City (Dojo) will have to be commercially smart.
and mentors are empowered to make 3. Get engaged with your community at
Smart - one of Australia's leading at least 10 active mentors who each are
decisions that advance our interests at a a local level attending Monthly
advertising agencies and the man supporting a vibrant community of
Thought Leaders Structure local level. Mentoring sessions and Summits
behind the phenomenal turn around of 5-150 people. We will be in at least 20
locations around the world, all City (i.e. Thought Leaders is a co-operative (no
the Coke Mother product re-launch,
New York, not country based as in USA) shares). It can’t be sold or bought
was describing Thought Leaders to a
and are focused on the Developed and while I founded it, I don’t own it.
major international bid team. He
described Thought leaders as... World. The Mentors are the members of the
The idea is that in time these co-operative and we have two levels
A cross category, multi disciplinary
communities can come together as a of mentor, Associate and Partner
think tank who drive innovative
cross category, multi disciplinary think Mentor.
solutions to social, political and What can you do to be involved? 4. Drop me a line if you think you have
economical challenges. tank who drive innovative solutions to The Partners are the operational
social, political and economical 1. Keep focussing on being what it takes to be a Thought Leaders
leadership team and hold a member
This is a grand statement of intent and a commercially smart as a Thought Mentor
challenges. status in the co-operative structure. We
definite possibility in our near future. Leader
For this to happen we need to be ‘more
than just talk’. Keep thinking!
Driving Thought Leadership Globally M@
My focus for the next 12 months is to
Thought Leaders is a group of loosely assist the Thought Leaders Leadership
coupled networks each centered Team (i.e. our mentors) to grow their
around a Mentor. We are a live Founder of Thought Leaders
local communities by
community that meet physically. (Matt Church)
SEPT OCT 2010
#tlmag -1-

3. Shelley Dunstone helps people win in
making your writing shine! a world without precedent, and is a
Thought Leaders Mentor based in
Adelaide. She has published countless
articles, has contributed chapters to two
of the Ideas Books (published by
Thought Leaders) and is also the author
of a best-selling textbook for lawyers.
Writing articles for publication is a obsessed with helping people to
great way to raise your profile and improve their lives”. Structure your article clearly. Use Contact details:
let people experience your headings to break up the text and Web www.shelleydunstone.com
thought leadership. But the world Don’t try to cover too much in to give the eye some easy points
is suffering from information your article. You don’t have to of access. For your headings, use Email shelley@shelleydunstone.com
overload. What can you do to cram everything you know into a questions or short statements, Phone 0417 846 108
make your article easy and single piece. To position yourself rather than single words. For
interesting to read, and easy for an
“
editor to publish? cheated and that they have Use bullet points for lists, rather
Choose a topic that addresses a
Focus on the reader, wasted their time. However, don’t
go to the other extreme and
than stringing the items together
in a long sentence.
problem your audience would not on yourself... provide a list of 50 pieces of advice
”
commonly experience. Raise this – this becomes overwhelming, Include a story or case study to
problem in your opening and cannot be absorbed all at show the reader how your advice
paragraph. A question is a good once. can be applied.
way to attract a reader’s attention as an expert, it is better to cover a
and motivate them to read your smaller topic area, in more depth. example, instead of “Happiness”, Include some paragraphs that are Use active rather than passive
article. Can you summarize your article in use “Happiness is a Choice” or “Can very short and succinct and that language. This helps the reader to
one sentence? If not, you are you Choose to be Happy?”. make an important point. These picture some action occurring.
Focus on the reader, not on probably covering several Headings of this type keep the can form “pull-outs” for the editor Instead of saying “A plan can be
yourself. For example, asking “Do different ideas. Choose one, and reader thinking and wondering to enlarge, to catch the reader’s developed”, say “Make a plan”.
you wish you could have a long save the other information for what comes next. eye. These are like “sound-bites”
weekend, every single week?” is future articles; you now have for radio or TV – they are “write- When you have finished the
more engaging than saying “I’m topics for several more pieces. Offer several pieces of practical bites”. article, see what you have said.
advice. Your article needs to offer Now rework your opening
value in exchange for the reader’s Keep your sentences short. paragraph – this is what will hook
time. It should not just be an Breaking a long sentence into two your reader!
advertisement for your services. can give your writing more
Articles that hold back the “magic impact.
formula” leave the reader feeling
SEPT OCT 2010
#tlmag -2-

4. Why we are exposed if we don’t
Proprietise our Practice. Tim Wise is a Thought Leaders
Mentor based in Perth. with a
It was Michael Gerber, author of Gerber suggested that, our passion or become sick or wealth of hands on experience in
the business book classic, The E irrespective of whether you intend incapacitated SME’s, Public Companies and
Myth, that popularised the term to franchise your business or not, Franchising.
“proprietisation” in a business you should always think in terms Proprietisation ensures that you Contact Details:
context. I first read this life of proprietisation. I interpret this will not always have to trade time Web: www.wisespeak.com.au
changing book nearly 20 years to mean the art of capturing the for money. As thought leaders it
ago and its principles excited me look and feel of your business as may be difficult to think in terms Email: twise@westnet.com.au
so much that I founded a highly well as the positioning and of proprietisation but at some Phone: 0413 056 880
successful franchise business systems (hard and soft) that make point in the life of our business it is
partly to prove the principles set your business stand out from important to consider how your
out in the book. The Tap Doctor others in the same space. business will carry on without you.
(those little cars with taps on the In some cases it may seem
roof) has become Australia’s Most people in our Thought impossible to separate the included a thumb drive, a set of The point at which you choose to
biggest plumbing franchise and Leader community are principally business from the individual, note files and a carry bag. It seems proprietise your business is a
this largely due to its proprietary technicians running businesses. whilst you can choose to create a Thought Leaders is now taking the personal choice. Getting money
uniqueness. Actual business skills are business name outside of yourself idea of proprietisation seriously, through the door for the service
sometimes secondary, often there are many examples of which not only helps build the we provide is obviously the
something we acquire through individuals who have turned their brand but also helps everyone priority but don’t forget about the
painful lessons that can cost name into a brand and in some identify more strongly with what “P” word, it could be the key to
plenty of time and money. As instances an institution, including Thought Leaders is. In the you future freedom and leverage.
Gerber said, we need to Jim’s mowing, Dick Smith, Harvey accreditation we spent some time
understand the difference Norman, Myer and Charles analysing the logo and why it If you’re a clever person it is always
between our business and the Schwab. properly represented the Thought commercially smart to Proprietise!
technical work of that business. Leaders mission of helping make
The idea of proprietisation I recently participated in the clever people commercially smart.
addresses with the fact that we Mentor Accreditation Program As in the case of the Thought
may not always be as passionate where we were given a graduation Leaders logo, it is important that
tomorrow about what we are jacket embroidered with the the look and feel of your business
doing today. As infoproneurs we Thought Leader’s logo. Various properly reflects your mission
become vulnerable when we lose other items that sported the logo statement.
SEPT OCT 2010
#tlmag -3-

5. the power of positioning
Location, Location, Location! $10,000 per day with the same
For thought leaders in-residence, Positioning can be used as a client? The fast track is positioning.
our mantra should borrow from this strategy at any time but for it to
intent, but the purpose should be work best, you must have an idea of How to use positioning to
different: Position, Position, Position. what you do and can demonstrate advance your business
That’s what I say! you can do it. Positioning can be achieved
through a number of channels or In your favour is within the Thought MC the conference etc. It helps if
Let me unpack that last sentence: The second key term in my opening mediums, such as advertising, press Leaders network we are blessed to you are physically positioned as
You will notice I have used the term, was the catchcry of Position, etc, but I believe the simplest and have a group of talented Mentors much as intellectually.
thought leaders in-residence and by Position, Position, used to most effective form of positioning who know ‘the code’ of positioning.
this I mean thought leaders who are emphasise the key strategy that too that actually makes you money That is, Mentors position you back, 3. Use the time wisely. By bringing
already operating an established many thought leaders forget early in rather than costs you money, is what big time. The net result is your in an established thought leader
practice where business is coming in their practices. If you want to move I call ‘Thought Leadership existing client is impressed at the into your space, spend as much time
the door. Perhaps you are out of the 70 hour weeks, earn more Partnering’. people you know, but more so with with them! It is the cheapest form of
generating between $80k-250k and money, and specialise or ‘niche’ the great regard in which you are mentoring you will find. The lessons
working hard and wondering how further, you need to re-position Thought Leadership Partnering is held. you learn will be worth more than
do I make $500k or even $1,000,000 yourself. I mean how else can you go where you take an existing client the gig.
each year. If that’s you, then read on. from $1,500-2,500 per day to you have had individual success 5 Tips for Thought Leadership
with, and introduce ‘talent’ to them Partnering 4. Work with your positioning
that will rock their world. Quite 1. Choose an established thought partner to leverage more
Darren Hill is a Thought Leaders simply, you bring an established leader who complements, but offers investment. If your client has had a
Mentor based in Darwin, who brings thought leader into their business, something different to your work. great experience, they probably
something different to the table. A The Thought Leaders Mentor group want more. If you don’t offer, you
and watch them strut their stuff,
behavioural scientist, entrepreneur is the best place to start with miss out, but more importantly the
and highly sought after speaker, and rub shoulders with them the
whole way; in effect, bringing great demonstrated experience , and an client misses out!
Darren assists organisations in putting
people first at work. expertise to your client, bringing intricate working knowledge of ‘the
work to a fellow thought leader, and code’. 5. Enjoy the experience! Sometimes
Contact details: working on your own gets tough.
bringing yourself the power of
W: www.changeworksnt.com positioning all whilst being paid! 2. Always introduce and close. Working in collaboration with
Now obviously you need to broker a Whilst you have brought in the someone is great fun and you will
E: darren@changeworksweb.com match of thought leader to the talent, never give away the space have a blast.
organisation. you have worked hard for. Do the
P: 08 8945 3199 introduction for the day’s training,
SEPT OCT 2010
#tlmag -4-

6. awareness enhances attitude commitment - make a stand
The Thought Leaders community is chock-full of clever people who are passionate We all want our customers to be so in love with
Libby Sander is a
about changing the world one idea at a time! We have fabulous conversations us that they are prepared to line up for hours or
Thought Leaders Mentor
exploring these ideas and how to bring them into practical application in the days for our new products like they do at Apple. in Brisbane and is an
different arenas in which we operate. We also generally understand the importance Or to want to work for us so badly that a resume expert on organisational
of having the right attitude as we expand our thinking. Knowing the theory is one is sent every 25 seconds like they do at Google. design and performance.
thing, but knowing what to do on a daily basis to keep our spirits up is sometimes a The reality is that generating commitment in an
organisation over a long period of time is tough Contact details:
very different thing indeed.
to do. We hear how we need to be creating W: www.libbysander.com
As we work on developing our thought leadership including clarity of topic, movements and tribes of devoted followers, but E: libby@libbysander.com
offering and delivery modalities, just being positive is not going to cut it. We need some days it feels like an achievement if we can P: 0409 436 650
an ability to realistically assess our current situation then implement steps to just get people to show up.
identify & deliver ‘best possible’ results. As I explored in last month’s edition, I What is the magic that makes the difference? Institutions, organisations, tribes or movements that
believe that the key success criteria is the ability to maintain a sense of optimism in are able to sustain commitment from their people over time are generally successful at doing one of
our approach. two things – making a stand against something or fighting for a cause. There is a third option of
course – fear. And while some organisations and managers might still try to operate out of this
So, what does that take? The first of three vital elements to optimise our thought
paradigm, the reality is that it doesn’t work.
leadership journey is attitude awareness. This includes being alert to the triggers for
ups and downs in our mood, as well as having an ability to recognize cycles during Tribes from the bohemians of the early nineteenth century through to hippies and rock and roll were
the day/week/month. Scheduling “tough” work for peak attitude times and easing all founded on the magic of making a stand or fighting for a cause. Or both. It’s a more elegant way
off in the lulls can massively increase your effectiveness. of thinking about the idea of creating an enemy, mooted in the old leadership and organisational
theory literature.
Stay tuned next month for keys to I once worked for a plaintiff personal injuries law firm. As far as being a lawyer goes, this is a pretty
Helen Macdonald is
Australia’s Corporate boosting the optimism in your tough gig. The media and the public are not very enamoured of the practice area and the tag of
Optimist and a Thought Thought Leadership through ‘ambulance chaser’ is never far away. It’s hard to attract staff and hard to maintain enthusiasm
Leaders Mentor activity management. amongst a constant flow of negativity from media, colleagues, family and friends.
W: www.helenmac.com
The firm however had an amazing culture, every employee felt part of a fight for the cause of justice
E: helen@helenmac.com and individual rights. They recited speeches by the great US attorney Clarence Darrow. They were
P: 0419 930 864 phenomenal at building a culture of success around the stories of their work, of celebrating being in
David and Goliath battles. They fought some of the most high profile litigation in Australia. They
even formed an association with Erin Brokovich.
Is Apple making a stand for great design? Is Google fighting for the cause of instant information
access? Think about what your business does. And then re-think it. How are you making a stand or
fighting for a cause? Fear is not an option.
SEPT OCT 2010
#tlmag -5-

7. hidden value in organisational
Dr Andrew O’Brien is a Thought
Leaders Mentor based in Melbourne
whose focus is on Organisational
Thought Leadership and working with
thought leadership executive leaders to nurture Thought
Leadership for commercial advantage..
Contact details:
Commercialising intellectual property Thought leaders in organisations In my 20 years as a CEO, one of the
for strategic advantage and better come in many shapes and sizes and most effective development strategies W: www.andrewob.com
business results is a key role for one useful lens is to look at them as I used was to form project teams of E: andrew.obrien@orgsthatmatter.com
thought leaders within organisations either individual or group thought prospective thought leaders. By P: 0417 552 135
as it provides for strong brand leaders. Individual thought leaders see combining individual and collective
differentiation in the market place and the world differently and can be thought leaders with other staff we
enables the organisation to use the viewed as mavericks or misfits. were able to capture “what we do
thought leadership approach to However, when identified and around here” and “how we can do it
champion strategic initiatives. managed as thought leaders these better” and turn this knowledge into
people become strong advocates for models for implementation. As well as
Two often overlooked or hidden areas of strategic importance and making the most of our people we
benefits of Organisational Thought make a major contribution to gained a real performance boost for
“
Leadership are: organisational success. Alternatively, using “our service model” and the
1. Recruitment and retention of
talented staff; and,
group thought leaders are often
referred to as team players, yet their
process developed a passionate group
of thought leading advocates who Developing Thought
2. Converting existing knowledge
into systems and processes while
ability to facilitate group learning and
capture organisational knowledge is
took responsibility for implementing
change throughout the business. Leaders within
at the same time developing
shared vision and commitment.
overlooked and opportunities fall by
the wayside. Developing thought leaders in organisations is a win-
organisations is a win - win strategy as
win strategy...
”
Both these benefits are of significant When ignored or left untapped, not only does it provide a point of
value as they provide the foundation individual and group thought leaders difference in the market it also
for doing better business by reducing at best underperform and can often enables the hidden benefits of better
costs, increasing productivity and undermine performance or leave the performance in the existing business
delivering the ongoing improved organisation in search of a role that to become a reality.
performance that comes from a makes use of their special talents.
workforce with a shared commitment Identifying and harnessing the talents
to great results. of individual and group thought
leaders in organisations is a vital task
for CEO’s and executive leaders as they
seek to optimise business results.
SEPT OCT 2010
#tlmag -6-

8. develop an idea bank do you have a blue card?
Thought Leaders develop a bank of thoughts or ideas that can be accessed in a moment If you are not currently in possession of a Thought Leaders blue card, then what are
and can be instantly customised to any audience or situation. you waiting for? The Monthly Group Mentoring with a Thought Leaders Mentor is
extremely high value and should not be missed out on.
For this to work though, you need to capture the essence of an idea quickly and have a system for
depositing ideas, reviewing them and withdrawing them as required. Each and every month, Thought Leaders
blue card holders join a monthly group
I believe that you should never speak about something unless you have given it considerable mentoring session and spend an hour with a
thought. Even when faced with a spontaneous request to speak, you can still speak from a well Thought Leaders Mentor and other
considered space, assuming you have done some prep work on your Idea Bank. members of the community, specifically to
learn and share in Thought Leadership.
An Idea Bank is constantly being enhanced, re-worked and customised. It is a well organised,
chunked down catalogue of mini presentations. The IP snapshot system we teach in the Million The sessions are invaluable, and not only do
Dollar Expert Program allows for different people to deliver the same message and adjust it for you get to attend the sessions of the Mentor
their style and environment. you signed up with, but you can also attend
7 benefits of an Idea Bank ANY and ALL of the Thought Leaders Group
1. You can speedily prepare a great
Matt Church is the founder of Mentoring sessions on the planet!
speech
Thought Leaders Global and
continues to be the driving force 2. You are free to customise content So, for example, there is a high possibility that in
behind many of the country’s whilst preparing your nearest capital city, there are several
leading thinkers. 3. The message can be picked up and sessions each month, run by different Thought
www.mattchurch.com effectively delivered by others Leaders Mentors. The Monthly Group
mattchurch@thoughtleaders.com 4. You don't have to rehearse speeches Mentoring are held in locations and venues
word perfect of the Mentor’s Choice.
P: 02 8966 4700 5. You demonstrate your knowledge
impressively when asked to speak The mentors list out their Monthly Mentoring
6. Others can present the same message Sessions in the events calendar on Thought Leaders Central, so keep an eye
and adjust the content to suit their on the calendar, and get along to experience some time with a mentor and
personal style other members of the Thought Leader Community.
7. You can extend or shorten the speech
duration as required Get along to the next session in your area!
In short, it's about creating a set of key ideas and messages that you draw upon at different times 1. Go to http://www.thoughtleaderscentral.com and click on the events tab.
and present in a different sequence depending on the outcome you are looking to achieve. The 2. Find the Monthly Mentoring events with a Thought Leaders Mentor.
ideas in your bank are all valued differently, some are big ideas, some lesser. A presentation may 3. If you don’t yet have a blue card, come along and attend a session with one of the mentors.
need a few smaller ideas to make the big ones work.
4. If you enjoy the monthly mentoring, sign up for 12 months and get your own blue card.
The more ideas you have in your bank the better, but only if you can access them easily. SEPT OCT 2010
#tlmag -7-

9. are you correctly valuing your different value to different people.
This may not always be possible,
thought leadership? but don’t rule out the option of
charging different amounts to
on businesses. This is often a different clients. This is particularly
Getting clear on your IP or unique Time – where you work out your they see the value, they are willing smokescreen for emotional blocks relevant when you are delivering
thoughts is one key step for your fees based on an estimate of to pay higher fees. What you need to being accountable for extended programs internally.
thought leadership. But it is only how many hours work you do (in to do is to "sell" the value you add outcomes. If you are serious about
stepping up into thought Another trap thought leaders fall
part of the story. Working out the effect, charge by the hour), or to the business. If you can't define
leadership, then there are always into when valuing their
commercial value, or what to the benefit of your thought
Market rates – where you work ways to measure the impact you knowledge, is their own "stuff"
charge clients and customers for leadership, then you will struggle
out what others in your industry make on businesses. If you collate around money. Don’t let price be a
this knowledge, is the other part to convince a buyer it is valuable.
are charging and do the same. detailed case studies, conduct judgement of yourself as a person.
of the equation.
“
To understand the value you add,
Both these approaches are
Many thought leaders struggle you need to look at your thought
with placing an economic value fundamentally flawed, and will see
you charging a lot less that you are
leadership through your If they see value, they
on their knowledge, and when
they do try to put numbers around worth.
customers’ eyes. Businesses buy
outcomes. They want to solve a
are willing to pay higher
fees...
”
their knowledge they fall back into problem, find solutions and make
You see, fees are all about the
approaches such as: more profit. Your job is to help
other person and the value they
them do that. As a thought leader,
place on the object or service. If
you are not selling ideas, but the
benefits of your ideas to the surveys or gather qualitative and So, as a thought leader, you need
bottom line of the business. quantitative data on the impact of to balance your knowledge with
Steve Major is a Thought
Leaders Mentor based in your thought leadership. It will your commercial success, and
Brisbane. He is an expert in Where you provide outcomes, you add a zero to what you charge. make some smart decisions about
helping thought leaders make are instantly worth more than a what you are truly worth. You are a
smarter decisions. simple wages employee who is And because ideas have a
thought leader – charge
paid by the hour, and more than different value to different people,
accordingly.
Contact details: the competition who merely there is no reason for your fees to
Web: www.decisionhq.com provide activities not solutions. be the same across the board. Your
fees can vary as you add
Email: steve@decisionhq.com I often hear thought leaders
Phone: 07 3298 6583 comment that they find it difficult
to measure the impact they have SEPT OCT 2010
#tlmag -8-

10. Going from White belt to Black belt fees up to $500 an hour. Then a
very strange thing happened.
as a Million Dollar Expert People paid me. It made me
realise that it was what was going
on between my ears that was
Part II - Yellow Belt to Green Belt keeping my income where it was,
not what other people were
“
willing to pay. Of course I then had
Matt Church has developed a I’ve actually got a black belt in the to deliver that much value.
great model for strategising and martial art that I study - Aikido.
achieving the growth of your There is a particular throw called have the
Also value your time. Green belt
practice. You can see the different
levels, and their associated belts in
koshi nage (translates as 'hip
throw') which can have you flying focus and It’s easy to get so caught up in
how far there is to go that we
means selling and delivering
$7500 a week - $1500 a day. You
”
the picture. Each additional $10k
per month income into your
through the air upside down and a
long way off the ground. It's not
take the forget how far we’ve come. If you are going to be busy, and it's time
to cut out any activity that is
have made it to yellow belt that is
practice gets you another belt, just
like progressing through the belts
something that a white belt
should try!
actions... a pretty cool achievement - give valued at less than that. It’s also
time to get some admin support
yourself a pat on the back.
in a martial art. to allow you to focus on your high
It’s the same in your practice. Yellow - Nice One! value activities.
OK - enough with the self
The key to the model is to have There are some things like writing If you have made it to yellow belt
congratulations - time to get to
the focus and take the actions that a book which are a bit like koshi in your practice, the first thing to Good luck!
work and earn that green belt!
are appropriate to your level. nage, you want to have at least a do is acknowledge how far you’ve
blue belt before you attempt it. come. The vast majority of writers, Focus - Value
speakers, coaches and trainers The focus for moving from yellow
never get to $20k a month. I read to green is value.
Peter Cook is a Melbourne based
that when I made it to white belt
Mentor and an expert in the White
Belt to Black Belt journey. in my practice and had generated Firstly, value your expertise and
a six figure income through my charge for it accordingly. I used to
Contact Details:
coaching, that put me in the top charge $150 an hour for my
W: www.petergcook.com 9% of coaches. In other words coaching. Just quietly that was
91% of professional coaches aren’t never going to get me to green
E: petercook@thoughtleaders.com.au even at white belt. belt (let alone black belt). I did the
maths. Almost overnight I put my
P: 0407 077 210
SEPT OCT 2010
#tlmag -9-

11. is anybody hearing your really Jenny Vickers is a lawyer expert in
helping businesses do compliance
differently and is a Thought Leaders
boring, important messages?
Mentor based in Auckland.
Contact details:
Web www.zeopard.com
Tom’s job was to read the dials on The tolerance of regulators of If you can find ways to
the equipment and to write down incidents and compliance communicate with “most of the Email jennie@zeopard.com
what it said, and so he came to be breaches is waning and now more people most of the time” you will
in the Dyes chemical plant on a than ever before, directors and be streets ahead of other leaders. Phone +64 9 529 1500
Sunday, when all other Yorkshire executives are being held
men were tucking into Sunday personally responsible for anti- In the Organisational Thought
roast. Luckily for Tom he was at the competitive activities, accidents, Leadership Programme we use a
other end of the site when the
“
Pfaudler reactor ruptured the people with intermediate Tom at least still had a job to do
and shot its lid through
the roof of the building
Consider others needs to knowledge who will be busy in
their minds arranging the
after the destruction of the plant:
cleaning the 300 local cars sprayed
like a rocket and landed
ignominiously against the wall of
receive, rather than yours to information, seeking patterns,
examples and looking for
with fluorescent dye particles
floating on the Yorkshire breeze.
”
my office. Luckily, for me I was
home eating Yorkshire pudding!
deliver... meaning and distinctions. Finally, But... will we keep ours, if our
there are those with an compliance messages float off in
The point of this tale was that incidents and deaths, understanding of the topic who the wind too?
either no one told Tom what to do many of which were avoidable. are seeking a deeper meaning
and why, or alternatively he did nine box model which builds on and context.
not hear. Whatever the answer, The thought leadership and beyond the work of Howard
Tom duly recorded the increases competency of Mindsets is all Gardiner, to map out what is going I challenge you now, next
then carried on down the yard about ensuring messages hit on for your audience. time you are structuring an
while the chemicals ignited. home. In a one to one important boring
environment its all about finding To introduce you to this, there are communication piece, think
Organisations have to deliver ever people’s preferred way of effectively 3 levels in which your deliberately about these
increasing numbers of receiving information and audience is sitting. There are those groups of people and the
compliance, health and safety and targeting your communications who are fresh to the topic, the stages they are at,
regulatory messages but many that way, but in a group beginners who are going to be considering their needs to
continue to deliver these in a way environment, particularly with gathering information and trying receive, rather than yours to
that does not resonate with your critical messages, it is about to make sense of the information. deliver.
audiences and does not hit home. covering all the bases. At the next middle level there are
SEPT OCT 2010
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12. The biggest product mistake you can make
The major challenge of being a Four factors determine where A simple framework for choosing
Thought Leader is to leverage your you are on the product food the right product for your Thought
Geoff McDonald is the creator of
ideas. And, one way you can do chain: Leaders practice is the three Cs: the Bookrapper concept and is
this is to create a product. Capture, Create and Congregate. a Thought Leaders Mentor based
1. Your income and design budget, in Melbourne.
They allow us to express our ideas, 2. The depth and breadth of your 1. Capture
Contact Details:
earn more money and build our intellectual property, The first level of product creation is
reputations without us being there 3. The spread of your delivery to capture what you're already W: www.ideasarchitect.com.au
to deliver the benefits in person. modes, and doing. For instance, in Speaker
4 . The quality and size of your mode you can make an audio or E: geoff@ideasarchitect.com.au
When creating your products, client base/audience. video recording of you in action. P: 0407 830 902
choosing the right one at the right The beauty of 'capture' mode is
time is crucial. The key is to know The biggest mistake you can make that it’s affordable, takes very little
your place in the food chain. At the is to choose a product that doesn't time and builds upon your current
bottom are simple ideas with fit your food chain level. For activity.
simple designs. As you move up instance, when you start out you For example, a membership site on your Facebook fan page and
the food chain your products might love to have a custom 2. Create where you charge a monthly Twitter followers.
become more complex and so designed board game. And, this is The second level of product subscription fee filled with ebooks,
does the design cost plus the simply not going to work. You're creation is to combine a number of audio and video resources. This To avoid making a big product
leverage you receive. not realistically going to be able to your ideas into a single artifact. level requires a considerable mistake, review where you're at on
afford it, you won't have the For instance, a trainer may create a collection of intellectual property the food chain before deciding
quality and breadth of ideas to card or board game. The aim of and an existing pool of fans to whether to capture, create or
base it on and you won't have the 'create' mode is to take your draw upon. In the early days of congregate.
client base in place to take current activity to a new level. It your practice, this is too resource
advantage of the end result. builds a different level of service hungry to be effective plus you
and delivers it in a new format. won't have the numbers to make
your online space come alive.
3. Congregate Instead, you can build to this level
The third level of product creation by compiling email lists,
is to build your own community. connections on Linked In, friends
SEPT OCT 2010
#tlmag -11-

13. what’s your Mojo Manifesto?
Rapidly manifest great results by “Umm… err… well… I sort of... do But it did happen to a friend of liberating you from insecurity and
just being you in ways that some stuff… I’m really good at… mine once. Maybe one of your neediness.
others value! cough, splutter, sip your drink … friends had a similar experience
(change subject)“... It feels good, and is very attractive.
Ever been in this situation? So, what do you do?” Step 1: Creating your Mojo
Manifesto An example of a Mojo Manifesto products and even your consistency
You are keen to create more Or, is: with your message.
business or clients. Your Mojo Manifesto is a simple Thought Leaders: “Helping clever
You start to talk about what you four to ten word declarative people be commercially smart”. Level Three: Action – This is the
You are at an event such as a social “do” and three minutes later their statement which consists of two power zone of manifestation - the
event, a training course, a eyes glaze over, they politely stifle a elements: Step 2: Rapidly manifesting greater the action you take - the
networking event or a conference & yawn & start looking for great results faster results will manifest.
you meet someone new and they somewhere else to go. 1. It captures the essence of who
ask: you are, at your best, when you are The three levels of Manifestation: The irony of really nailing your Mojo
Of course, this has never happened in service of others and the planet. Manifesto is that your thoughts,
“So, what do you do?” to me and I’m sure wouldn’t have To create or bring into reality the how you communicate and your
happened to you! 2. It is one idea expressed in a way existence of something in our lives, actions will automatically align with
that creates your key message as a there are three levels of power in this statement because it is a
compelling benefit for others. which we operate. These things are natural expression of you.
going on constantly, and for us,
It is not a slogan or motivational mostly unconsciously, whether we Your professional life becomes a gift
Ivan Waters is a Thought Leaders
saying. It is not a way of trying to like it or not, or whether we like the and a source of fulfillment.
Mentor based in Melbourne and is an
expert in helping finding effective and get people to buy your ideas/ results or not.
sustainable ways to easily get results. services, it is an authentic way of
proudly communicating what you Level One: Thoughts - Thinking
Contact details:
are about in a way that is simple about it. Visualizing it. Getting
and relevant for others. emotional about it.
Web: www.loveyourbody.com
Email: ivan@loveyourbody.com The cool thing about capturing Level Two: Communication – How
your Mojo Manifesto is that it others hear and see you, through
expresses who you are as unique what/how you speak, listen, write,
Phone: 0408 625 907
and valuable to others while make requests, how you appear,
how you conduct yourself, your
SEPT OCT 2010
#tlmag -12-

14. a new way to share, meetings has been used in the
United Nations assembly
There are four principles of
Open Space...
puts responsibility for your own
actions on your own shoulders.
learn & meet discussions and in small regional
communities in the outback. It
works!
1. Whoever comes are the right
people
Bumblebees And Butterflies are
for those people who wish to use
their two feet and 'flit' from
It was Charlie Jones who said way you could really know this 2. Whatever happens is all that meeting to meeting. These people
that the key factors that make a was in the breaks. Those short could have can pollinate and cross-fertilize,
difference between who you are sessions where you duck to
today and who you will be in 5 the ‘loo’, grab a muffin, chat
years time are the books you to some new people briefly
read and the people you meet. and then, almost with regret,
have to break up the chat to go
We reckon he was right, but now,
back into the learning session.
the change can happen quicker,
and the ways you can learn are Well, what if the whole program
more diverse. was as good as the break? What if 3. Whenever it starts is the right lending richness and variety to the
you just had a whole event Of course time discussions.
We have been running meetings
dedicated to the mutual sharing of you have to 4. When it is over, it is over
for thought leaders for almost 10
ideas between some truly great take our word for it the first time. It’s elegant in its simplicity!
years. A Thought Leaders event is And, there are two laws...
thinkers and subject matter After a few minutes though, you
so unique. Not only do we not apologise for
experts? will come to see this as one of the
The Law Of Two Feet implies that the likelihood that you might just
Where else in the world would you most natural and effective ways for
The Summits are built around the if, after being part of a session you think differently when you finish
get to attend a program where the people to get together to share,
phenomenally successful Open are no longer interested in it, you the day - we hope that is exactly
audience is as stimulating as the learn and meet.
Spaces format. This structured have permission to leave. The law what happens. Indeed, that is the
presenters? In the past, the only
approach to unstructured 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
sydney brisbane melbourne auckland
locations. You can register by
Thursday 6 May 2010 Wednesday 2 June 2010 Wednesday 30 June 2010 Tuesday 18 May 2010 going to
Thursday 5 August 2010 Wednesday 1 September 2010 Tuesday 24 August 2010 Friday 27 August 2010 www.thoughtleaderssummits.com
Wednesday 20 October 2010 Wednesday 1 December 2010 Wednesday 27 October 2010 Friday 26 November 2010
And, come to the first one as our
VIP Guest!
SEPT OCT 2010
#tlmag -13-

15. 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