TLA 1: getting started

Congratulations! You have been given the go-ahead to launch a thought leadership programme. 

Before you start, though, there are a few things that you need to consider.

First, revisit your objectives. Remind yourself again why you need this programme. Take time to really get to the bottom of your objectives, and explore what you, your organisation and your thought leaders want to get out of it.

Second, consider what success will look like.  Is it, for example, ensuring that your peers respect your team, or that prospective customers want to do business with you? Success is very individual, so you and your thought leaders may have different views. Your success criteria must, however, be linked to your objectives. There is more about this here.

Third, once you have defined success, you need to decide what metrics you will use. These flow from your success criteria. For each one, consider whether you have a baseline, or you need to establish one.

Fourth, how will you communicate targets and progress? Your thought leaders will need to know how they are getting on, and senior managers will also want progress updates. Internal collaboration platforms like Yammer can be good ways to share information like this. You can find out more about these here.

Don’t be tempted to rush these four steps. They are crucial to ensuring that your thought leadership programme delivers value for all stakeholders. Time spent now will save trouble later.