A POV Requires Courage

Being a thought leader takes a tremendous amount of courage. As marketers or editorial leaders, we must remember that we’re asking our people to put themselves out on a limb. And we have to ensure they’re confident the limb won’t get cut off.?

Hey, it’s Just Content, Right??

A lot of B2B marketers came to the world of thought leadership through the content marketing movement. The two concepts are often used interchangeably. But there are distinct and important differences.?

Content marketing educates clients on issues that matter to them. At its apex it manifests as a “State of…” report that describe what’s going on in an industry or around an issue.?

It doesn’t take a position.??

Thought leadership takes things one step further. It adds meaning and perspective. It tells clients what’s going on. It offers them advice on how to think about it. And what to do about it.?

All of that requires courage.?

Being Bold: Cuts through the Noise?

A distinct POV, clearly articulated, always upsets someone. It rejects clients. And attracts others. Usually in that order.?

But that doesn’t mean a firm shouldn’t publish it.?

Content without a POV is like throwing a giant fishing net into the ocean, dragging it across the wave, and hoping to scoop up anything crawling along the sea floor.?

Thought leadership with a distinct POV drives to the heart of a big, sticky issue like a spear piercing the side of a prized 600-pound tuna.?

The former puts us in the market. The latter enables us to shape the market.?

A recent article, from my good friend Dev Patnaik of Jump Associates, is a case in point. In his weekly, Future Focused Letter, Dev staked out a clear position on diversity in the workplace. In the face of a culture war from the left and the right on DEI, Dev had the courage to write a piece that spoke to the moderate middle. He took a stance on corporate diversity that was grounded in both data and stories. Of course, he took some heat from both sides. And he received kind appreciation from many of his best, like-minded clients.?

Regardless of what you (or I) think about Dev’s position on the topic, we can learn from his courage to take a position on something that matters to him and his clients.??

This is exactly the type of behavior we want to reward in our organizations.?

Three Ways to Build Courage?

First and foremost, our job as marketers or editorial leaders is to help our subject matter experts make compelling arguments. We can’t just pick a topic and ask them for 2k words by Friday. It’s our job to push their thinking, force them to substantiate their opinions, and help them develop the story that makes their case. If we don’t do those things, we’re setting them up to fail before we even start.??

Second, we must create guardrails. Agree on what’s acceptable (and what’s not) for your firm. What topics must we own? What topics would we prefer to stay away from? What language is acceptable? What’s not? Make it clear to everyone where you choose to compete in the marketplace of ideas by establishing a thought leadership strategy for the firm, for each practice, and for each “elevated expert.”?

Finally, we must make it okay for experts to fail. Even a substantiated and well-researched POV can blow up on us. It can upset the wrong person at the wrong time. And leave the firm feeling like it has “some egg on its face.” We start by recognizing that this can happen. But, as long we stay in our chosen lanes and we stick to the seven fundamentals of a POV -- attacking concepts, not people and substantiating our positions with data and stories, it will be okay. Part of our job is giving our experts the time and space to find their voice. And the confidence that going out on the occasional limb won’t leave them cut off from the organization unexpectedly.?

Happy “nearly Spring.” If we can be a resource in helping to develop your firm’s thought leaders, please reach out.?

This article was first published in my weekly note to clients and friends, Momentum, on generating demand for professional services firms. Visit our website to subscribe.