THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

Session 1 - 2
GRE-248 for eMBA Program – Class of Exec Mar 2014

Alexander Cyrus
Introduction

• Name
• Company, Business Line
• Functional Area(s)
• Total Years of Working Experience
• Learning Expectation
• Something your classmates don’t know
about you

2
Course Objectives
• Understand what is thought leadership and
the characteristics of a thought leader, as
well as the importance and benefits it
brings to business and society
• Identify thought leadership process and
challenges, and apply them in individual and
organizational / business setting
• Explore the impact of thought leadership –
return of Thought Leadership “investment”
• Develop thought leadership capability and
motivation to become a thought leader

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Course Modules

 Module 1 : About Thought Leadership

 Module 2 : Thought Leadership Process
 Module 3 : TL Impact and Return on TL “Investment”
 Module 4 : Becoming a Thought Leader

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Modules Description

Module 1: ABOUT THOUGHT Module 2: THOUGHT

LEADERSHIP LEADERSHIP PROCESS
 What is Thought Leadership?  Scan the marketplace, develop

 Characteristics of a Thought vision, identify audience

Leader  Generate ideas, innovate.
 Why TL is important  Promote and share ideas, listen to
stakeholders, build community
 Passionately committed, improve

Mod 3: GETTTING IMPACT, Module 4: BECOMING A

RETURN ON TL’s THOUGHT LEADER
“INVESTMENT”  Preparing yourself

 Individual, family, organization/  Preparing organization readiness

community, industry, region,  Mastering the skill
country, humanity, world  Opening network, use tools

 Recognition, Position, Financial  Increase persistence, perseverance

 Stay current, connect to audience

5
Course Approach & Materials
• Cases
– Various sources
– Classic and new
– Different industries, scale, region
• Readings
– Articles from business journals, news magazines
– Excerpts from thought leadership books
• Videos
• Thought leadership news update
– Taken from news media (magazine, newspaper, e-zine)
– One Indonesian individual thought leader, and one Indonesian
organization thought leader
– Max in the past 1 year (from Nov 2014 till now)
• Individual Final Exam Paper
– Apply knowledge and skills acquired in the course
– Plan to become a Thought Leader

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Performance Evaluation

 30% Class Participation (individual)

 10% Individual Assignment
 30% Group Assignment
 30% Term Project (individual)
 Minimum attendance follows IPMI rule

7
Class Participation
• Preparation:
– Answer preparatory questions of case to be discussed
– Read the case, understand key points – mentally get the big picture; identify issues –
content, context, relevant facts; generate and test solutions; answer prep. questions
– Think strategically, position yourself as a thought leader
– Group discussion prior to class
• In-Class participation:
– Quantity as well as quality
– Raise hands, wait to be called, THEN speak (not in reverse order)
– Provide facts or opinion with argument, be specific
– Different opinion is encouraged
– Prepare for cold calls
– Check your class participation ranking with me!
• Applying to real world (in-class or in team discussion)
– Share your experience at your company, family, community
– Share knowledge from what you heard or read
– Try to apply learning points to Indonesian situation – does it work in Indonesia?

8
Individual Assignment

 Impromptu Quiz
 Write-up of Case, Reading materials, or
other topics (optional)

Individual assignment means it’s done by an

individual – alone. I trust your integrity as
professionals NOT to share your work, and
NOT to discuss with your classmates

9
Group Assignment

 Indonesian Thought Leaders news update

 Case presentation & challenge

The essence of group is TEAMWORK. As

professionals, you need to build a high-
performance team climate where everyone
contributes and nobody selfishly push his/her
own opinion and objective, nor just piggyback
as free riders

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Course Norms
• Participate … participate … participate (push yourself to
participate, don’t worry about quality at first)
• Serious but have fun 
• Discipline but creative
• Avoid being late 
• Let me know when you can’t attend class
• Use laptop only for current-session purpose
• Cell phones – SILENT mode, take your important calls
outside
• Keep your mind in the class, not doing something else (e.g.
SMS/BBM/WA-ing, web-surfing, googling, chatting,
tweeting, facebooking, doodling, day-dreaming, sleeping
and especially…..snoring) 

11
Communication

• Office hours between classes, or e-mail

<[email protected]> (preferred). If
urgent, SMS or call <0812-90-444-70>
• Any news, changes, or assignments will be
communicated through email

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 MODULE 1
ABOUT THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

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What is the Characteristics of a
Thought Leader?
INNOVATIVE RELEVANT (CURRENT/ ACTIONABLE
New, unique* PERCEIVED FUTURE Clear
Visionary Sensitive on issues and problems, Specific
Invention address audience and stakeholder Promotable
Discovery needs & potential needs Engaging

SENSITIVE-CURIOUS-CARE, VISIONARY, LEARNER, EXPLORER, THINK OUT-OF-THE-BOX,

PASSIONATE, GENEROUS, COMMUNITY-ORIENTED, NETWORKED, NEVER SATISFIED,
ACTION-ORIENTED, PERSISTENT, COMMUNICATOR

THINKING, OBSERVING, CHALLENGING, INSPIRING, PIONEERING, PROBLEM SOLVING,

ENGAGING, SHARING, PROMOTING, IMPLE-MENTING, NETWORKING, PERSUADING,
INFLUENCING, IMPROVING

RECOGNIZED, RESPECTED, TRUSTED, VALUABLE RESOURCE

What is Thought Leadership?
• “Thought leadership is about delivering new ideas and content
to your target based on deep insights into the relevant issues,
problems and challenges. Your thought leadership point of
view should differentiate you from others, establish you as the
‘go to’ expert and trusted advisor in the field”
• “Art of visionary leadership, more authentic than charismatic;
more influential and controlling, more thinking than talking;
perceiving, not just seeing”
• “The process of formulating big ideas an insightful points of
view, capturing those ideas in multiple content vehicles, and
sharing ideas with stakeholder to inspire, engage, which will
position yourself / your company as a trusted resource”
• “Thought leadership is trying to further knowledge by seeing
the current and perceiving the future, but more importantly it
further discussion that leads to action” 15
What is a Thought Leader?
“Experts who are recognized among their peers as an authority
on innovative ideas within a particular field or industry. Thought
leaders confidently promote their ideas, earned respect from
outside world for their deep understanding, and become the
most trusted advisor”
“A thought leader is a person or “A thought leader is an individual or
organization who identifies trends, firm that prospects, clients, referral
common themes and patterns sources, intermediaries and even
within a particular industry or competitors recognize as one of the
functional area of expertise within foremost authorities in selected areas
certain time to help others identify of specialization, resulting in its being
new opportunities or solving the go-to individual or organization
problems for growth” for said expertise”

“Thought leaders genuinely influence others by creating,

advancing and sharing ideas. Their objective is to help others.
In business, thought leaders revolutionize the way others, both
inside and outside their companies do business” 16
Who are the Thought Leaders?

Time Magazine Person of the Year?

World Most Powerful Woman?
Famous Figure / Celebrities?

NOT NECESSARILY !
LEADER ≠ THOUGHT LEADER
FAMOUS ≠ THOUGHT LEADER
GOOD & RELEVANT IDEA CONTRIBUTOR
WITHOUT ACTION ≠ THOUGHT LEADER
Who are the Thought Leaders?
Can You Become One?

OF COURSE !
YOU EVEN MUST ! 

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How Do You Apply in Organization /
Company Setting?

INTERNAL – BE A THOUGHT LEADER AMONG

MEMBER OF (WITHIN) YOUR ORGANIZATION

EXTERNAL – CHAMPION YOUR ORGANIZATION

TO BECOME A THOUGHT LEADER IN ITS
INDUSTRY / COMMUNITY

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Why Thought Leadership is Important?

IMPROVE, GROW, ADVANCE

If there is no thought leaders then the

world never become what it is today, it
will be stagnant going into the future
The End Result: Jody & Becky Case
So did Becky and Jody get there?

You bet – by 11 p.m. they crossed the $25,000 mark

which triggered a matching grant from TPRF. Over
500 individuals contributed.

The $50,000 they raised will create 100 jobs for

future well mechanics, bringing sustainable water to
nearly half a million people in rural India.

Great work and some wonderful lessons for aspiring

thought leaders.
Lessons Learned from Jody & Becky Case
• The four tips from the case 
– Provide your audience with a great solution
– Thought leadership thrives on simple messages
– Thought leaders know their audience
– Thought leaders provide the tools to share
• Thought leaders are sensitive to the problems of their audience, find
root cause of the problem, and come up with specific and compelling
idea to solve problem and influence and convince stakeholders
• The idea is innovative for target audience, even thought it may not be
new, unique, or different elsewhere
• Thought leaders take things personally (if individual) or commit the
organization into implementing the idea
• Thought leaders is creative in seeking effective but personal
communication channel to reach out their stakeholders, and maintain
communication from time to time
• First time “promotion” of idea is always difficult, but thought leaders
are persistent and passionate to get things through
Group Assignment for Saturday, Nov. 21
For individual thought leader of your choice, present the following
1) Which area do you think he/she is a thought leader in? What is his/her (new/unique) idea?
Who are the target audience/ community? Elaborate the relevance of the idea (e.g. problems
faced by the audience)
2) How did he/she test/implement the idea and perform action? What were the challenges
he/she faced and how he/she overcome them?
3) How did he/she promote the idea, invite more audience, and communicate with them (what
channels he/she used)? Estimate how long it took for the idea to get “accepted” by audience.
4) What are the characteristics of thought leader that he/she possesses?
5) Who recognize them as thought leader? What are the benefits he/she gets? The audience/
community get?
For organization thought leader of your choice, present the following:
1) Which area do you think the organization is a thought leader in? What is their (new/unique)
idea? Who are the audience/community? Elaborate the relevance of the idea (e.g. problems
faced by the audience)
2) How did they test/implement the idea and perform action? Give examples of of the challenges
they faced and how did they overcome them.
3) How did they promote the idea, invite more audience, and communicate with them (what
channels they use)? Estimate how long it took for the idea to get “accepted” by audience.
4) What are their strength (as organization) that makes them a thought leader? How do you think
the people/leaders within the organization work together in sharing the vision internally and
externally, and coordinate to perform action?
5) Who recognize them as thought leader? What are the benefits they get? The audience/
community get?