Peter Winick of Thought Leadership Leverage: 5 Things You Should Do To Become a Thought Leader In Your Industry
An Interview With Dina Aletras
Develop and define your platform. Do not be a generalist. Go deep! Integrate academic research as well as qualitative research into your work. A solid platform defines who you are and what your work is and why you’re best in class at what you do. It requires models, methods and frameworks to bring it to life.
As part of our series about how to become known as a thought leader in your industry, I had the pleasure of interviewing Peter Winick.
Peter Winick is the founder and CEO of Thought Leadership Leverage. For the past two decades he has helped individuals and organizations build and grow revenue streams through designing and growing their thought leadership platforms as well as acting as a guide and advisor for increasing business to business sales of thought leadership products.
Thank you for taking the time to speak with us! Our readers are eager to learn more about you. Could you provide some background information about yourself?
I’ve been in the thought leadership space for over 20 years. I’m the founder and CEO of Thought Leadership Leverage, a consulting firm that works with authors, speakers, thought leaders, academics, consulting firms as well as C Level Execs and Founders of public and privately held companies. I’m also the host of the podcast Leveraging Thought Leadership.
What establishes you as an authority on thought leadership? Could you briefly share your expertise with our readers?
Sure — I’ve worked with hundred of thought leaders from around the world. I develop and execute on the strategy that enables their work to have greater impact and generate more income and value for the thought leader.
Can you recall a funny mistake you made when you were first starting out? What lesson did you learn from it?
I was back stage at an event at Radio City Music Hall and was directed to a room to get some coffee. Given my lousy sense of direction I went into the wrong room and crashed Richard Branson’s green room. I was mortified but figured I’d make the best of it. He said hello and I shook his hand and introduced myself and blurted out something like “it must be really f-ing cool to be Richard Branson” to which he responded “it really f-ing is mate”.
What are the most significant disruptions you foresee in your industry over the next five years, and how can businesses adapt to these changes?
I think AI is going to bring challenges but more importantly opportunity to the thought leadership industry. We will see creative and innovative uses of it that we can’t even fathom today. I think it will actually raise the bar.
Can you explain the benefits of becoming a thought leader? Why is it valuable to invest time and resources into this?
There are both intrinsic and extrinsic benefits. Intrinsically it’s rewarding to know your ideas are changing or have the potential to change the way people think, act, believe and behave. Extrinsically it can be very lucrative.
Can you share an example of a significant challenge you faced in your career and how you leveraged innovative thinking to overcome it?
Prior to covid we did all of our initial work with our clients face to face. Once covid hit that obviously wasn’t an option (for a while at least) so we had to figure out how to deliver the value our clients expect via Zoom. We made some adjustements, updated some processes and I believe it’s a better solution (our strategy development work) today than it was pre covid.
Now that we have covered that, we’d love to hear your advice on becoming a thought leader. Can you share five strategies that someone should follow to gain recognition as a thought leader in their industry? Please include examples or stories from your own experience for each strategy.
1 . Develop and define your platform. Do not be a generalist. Go deep! Integrate academic research as well as qualitative research into your work. A solid platform defines who you are and what your work is and why you’re best in class at what you do. It requires models, methods and frameworks to bring it to life.
2 . Understand your target audience. Develop and define avatars that have both traditional demographic attributes as well as psychographic attributes. Everything you put out should be of value to your avatars. Everything should be relevant to them and relatable to them.
3 . Understand the impact and economic benefit your work can have to your clients and speak to those outcomes often. Clients will come to you for the thought leadership alone. They’ll stay with you only if your work creates value in excess of what they are investing in it.
4 . Figure out how to democratize your work. What are the modalities and formats you can port your work into that will create the most value and impact at the lowest per capita price possible. This is how you scale inside of an enterprise. Most thought leaders think the higher their personal fee is to advise, speak or consult the better of they are. That’s only partially true. The combination of high fee high touch offerings with low cost low touch offerings is actually the optimal strategy.
5 . Build the brand beyond your personal brand. If it’s only about you it wont’ scale. The work and the intellectual property should be the “star” of the show.
How do you foster a culture of innovation within your organization, and what practices have you found most effective in encouraging creative thinking among your team?
You have to allow people to experiment with new ideas, new formats and new ways of thinking so they need the time to do that. You also need to not punish but actually celebrate failures.
Who do you think is an outstanding example of a thought leader? What specific qualities impress you about this person?
There are so many. As a general rule folks who’s work have become part of the business vernacular (think Trusted Advisor, Situational Leader, etc)
How do you stay informed about the latest trends and developments in your field, and how do you incorporate this knowledge into your strategic planning?
I am a lifelong learner and a voracious reader. Being up to date on what’s going on in the world, your industry and the economy as a whole are a necessity today not an optional activity.
Some people feel that the term “thought leader” is overused and has lost its impact. What are your thoughts on this?
It is when folks call themselves thought leaders or throw the term around willy nilly. To me it’s a term of respect to be bestowed onto you from those you admire.
How do you balance short-term business goals with long-term strategic vision, especially in a rapidly changing market?
If the short term goals aren’t clearly aligned with the long term objectives then your strategy is out of alignment.
Can you share your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? How has it been relevant in your life?
You won’t find your future following someone else’s roadmap.
Many influential figures in business and entertainment follow this column. Is there someone you’d love to have lunch or breakfast with? They might notice if we tag them.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
They can go to our site www.thoughtleadershipleverage.com or find me on Linked In www.linkedin.com/peterwinick
Thank you so much for your insights. This was very insightful and meaningful.
About the Interviewer: Dina Aletras boasts over 20 years of expertise in the corporate media industry. She possesses an in-depth understanding of growth, strategy, and leadership, having held significant roles at some of the UK’s largest media organizations. At Reach PLC, the UK’s largest tabloid publisher, she served in various director capacities. Additionally, she held leadership roles at The Independent Magazine Group and DMGT. Her extensive knowledge spans editorial, digital, revenue, sales, and advertising.
Upon relocating to Switzerland, Dina took on the responsibility of managing and promoting the international section of Corriere del Ticino — CdT.ch pioneering the English page “onthespot.” She also was the Co-Editor of Southern Switzerland’s first official Italian and English bilingual magazine.
Peter Winick of Thought Leadership Leverage: 5 Things You Should Do To Become a Thought Leader In… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.