1. Presentation for the Communicatie Congres
Thursday November 15th 2012
Dr. Mignon van Halderen
Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University
Independent (research-based) consultant
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
@Mignondelicia

2. Extracted from just a few company websites
“Our thought leadership”
“…access our latest thought leadership”
“We are active thought leaders”
“We pride ourselves on the caliber, breadth
and scope of our thought leadership”
“…our thought leadership magazine”
“Browse our growing library of
mobile thought leadership pieces..”
“.. we are thought leaders and experts”
© Dr. Mignon van Halderen

3. Thought leadership is overused to a
point that it is becoming
meaningless.
© Dr. Mignon van Halderen

4. “Twelvis” effect:
“We must do something with thought leadership!”
© Dr. Mignon van Halderen

5. © Dr. Mignon van Halderen

6. The thought leadership frameworkTM
Thought Business
Diagnosis Implementation
leadership results
Analyze market-or Novelty
Articulate Novel Stakeholders are
societal trends
Point of View attracted to
company
Review alignment with Preferred partner to
because of its
identity and firm’s work with
Openly share novel insights
expertise
knowledge & into for them
relevant issues Reflected in company-unique
Assess opportunity for expertise metrics, e.g. brand value,
Novel Point of View on brand preference, active
these trends business leads, sales,
Initiate network Trust employee engagement,
Assess commitment platform(s) Stakeholders invites to influential
and available resources regard company platforms etc.
as a trusted voice
Act in line
Act in line with
and partner on
Go / No Go these relevant
with NPoV
Novel Point of View issues
Developed by Mignon van Halderen & Kym Kettler-Paddock (2010). Presented in their forthcoming e-book (with Craig Badings)
“How to differentiate your company and stand out from the crowd: Thought Leadership”.
© Dr. Mignon van Halderen

7. WHAT IS THOUGHT LEADERSHIP?
© Dr. Mignon van Halderen

8. Thought leadership defined
The action of promoting thought-
provoking viewpoints that reframe the
way stakeholders think about their key
issues, helping them toward new
insights and solutions.
Mignon van Halderen , Kym Kettler-Paddock , Craig Badings
(2012)
© Dr. Mignon van Halderen

9. What does the “thought” exactly relate to?
Thought
Novel Point of View Intellect
(NPOV)
Inspiration Disrupting “AHA”
Research Knowledge Expertise
Meaning status quo impact
© Dr. Mignon van Halderen

10. WHY IS THOUGHT LEADERSHIP AN
ATTRACTIVE POSITIONING STRATEGY?
© Dr. Mignon van Halderen

11. It gives “refreshing” meaning; drives and mobilizes people.
Unifying
thought
© Dr. Mignon van Halderen

12. It is a logical part of our “zeitgeist”
Thought
Leadership
CSR Branding
Corporate Identity
Product/Price
1850 1980 1990+ 2010
© Dr. Mignon van Halderen

13. It benefits the company in different ways
Meaning, inspiring, mobilizing Strengthening positioning
 Offering meaning that goes  Safeguarding the role of the
beyond the product/service organization for the future
 Inspiring and mobilizing  Strengthening the reputation or
employees and stakeholders brand
 Building mutual rewarding  Generating leads; new business
relationships
 Pushing forward agenda of the
industry
© Dr. Mignon van Halderen

14. HOW TO IMPLEMENT THOUGHT LEADERSHIP?
© Dr. Mignon van Halderen

15. The most elegant forms of thought
leadership are not claimed, but are
the outcome of strategies driven by
thought provoking viewpoints
© Dr. Mignon van Halderen

16. The thought leadership frameworkTM
Thought Business
Diagnosis Implementation
leadership results
Analyze market-or Novelty
Articulate Novel Stakeholders are
societal trends
Point of View attracted to
company
Review alignment with Preferred partner to
because of its
identity and firm’s work with
Openly share novel insights
expertise
knowledge & into for them
relevant issues Reflected in company-unique
Assess opportunity for expertise metrics, e.g. brand value,
Novel Point of View on brand preference, active
these trends business leads, sales,
Initiate network Trust employee engagement,
Assess commitment platform(s) Stakeholders invites to influential
and available resources regard company platforms etc.
as a trusted voice
Act in line
Act in line with
and partner on
Go / No Go these relevant
with NPoV
Novel Point of View issues
Developed by Mignon van Halderen & Kym Kettler-Paddock (2010). Presented in their forthcoming e-book (with Craig Badings)
“How to differentiate your company and stand out from the crowd: Thought Leadership”.
© Dr. Mignon van Halderen

17. Diagnosis phase: what is the “thought” that drives us as an
organization of people?
C
Societal Market
trends Novel point trends
of View
(NPOV) O
The company’s
P “leading thought”
(the NPOV)
History provokes,
Identity inspires,
mobilizes
Strategy
Soil for good
C E thoughts
C
E
M Unleash employees
I most creative
thoughts!
© Dr. Mignon van Halderen

18. Articulate Novel Point of View (NPOV)
Implementation
Articulate Novel
Point of View
Openly share
knowledge &
expertise
Let’s us see the world differently…
Initiate network
platform(s) …re-conceptualizes our thinking…
…gives new insight…
Act in line with …elicits AHA moments…
Novel Point of View
…provides clarity of sight…
All important for realizing meaning, progress or change!
© Dr. Mignon van Halderen

19. “Smarter Planet” : a systems perspective..
IBM is trying to get the world to look at itself
from a systems perspective. If enough data
can be collected and analyzed, IBM believes
that it can improve the efficiency in the
delivery of energy to homes, reduce traffic
congestion……basically tackle and solve many
of the world’s most serious sustainability and
other issues.
“IBM would commit itself not to selling servers
and software through depicting humorous
office scenes (a convention IBM had
successfully used in the past), but to
advocating a thoughtful and serious point of
view on how technology could make the
world work better.” (Source: Effie Award Case,
2010).
© Dr. Mignon van Halderen

20. “No wonder our perception of beauty is biased”
Social mission:
To encourage all women and
girls to develop a positive
relationship with beauty,
helping to raise their
self-esteem, and thereby
enabling them to realize their
full potential.
NPoV:
Our perception of beauty is
distorted
© Dr. Mignon van Halderen

21. Sharing knowledge & expertise
Implementation
Articulate Novel
Point of View
www.jaumeplensa.com
Openly share
knowledge &
expertise
Not just any content BUT content that
links to the Novel Point of View
Initiate network
platform(s)
is thought-provoking
offers new insights
Act in line with is preferably evidence based
Novel Point of View
© Dr. Mignon van Halderen

22. Two types of content sharing
Content that reflects the
overarching viewpoint
Content marketing
© Dr. Mignon van Halderen

23. Philips took two themes: Liveable cities & ging
Livable Cities Aging Well
Upcoming Philips examples thanks to Katy Hartley, director of the Center for Health & Well Being
(http://www.philips-thecenter.org/)
© Dr. Mignon van Halderen

24. Gained more insight into each theme through research: what
drives people’s health perceptions (in 32 countries)?
Source:
Katy Hartley, Center for Health & Well Being
(http://www.philips-thecenter.org/)
© Dr. Mignon van Halderen

25. Shared their findings and insights through digital and social
media. No push, mostly looking for debate.
Source:
Katy Hartley, Center for Health & Well Being
(http://www.philips-thecenter.org/) © Dr. Mignon van Halderen

26. Recent content sharing partnerships
© Dr. Mignon van Halderen

27. Initiate network platforms
Implementation
Articulate Novel
Point of View
Openly share
knowledge &
expertise
Initiate network
platform(s)
Center stage in an ecosystem of influencers…
Seen as a trusted voice in these networks
Act in line with Enriching and extending relationships
Novel Point of View
Sensing external developments
Co-creation; sharpening NPoV and Ideas
© Dr. Mignon van Halderen

28. Philips think tanks on each team
Livable Cities Aging Well
© Dr. Mignon van Halderen

29. Acting in line with Novel Point of View (NPOV)
Implementation
Articulate Novel
Point of View
Openly share
knowledge &
expertise
Initiate network Demonstrating company is committed to NPOV; no
platform(s)
pretense or window-dressing
Act in line with
Showing that company has the competence,
Novel Point of View expertise to deliver positive outcomes related to
NPOV
© Dr. Mignon van Halderen

30. “Textbook advice”
Start in the diagnosis phase of
the Thought Leadership
FrameworkTM
Start internally, involve your
employees
Demonstrate substance
behind the NPOV
© Dr. Mignon van Halderen

31. But…reality is usually different
NPOV still an aspiration, not yet
operational reality
No obvious connection between
products and NPOV
Contradiction between
products, activities and NPOV
NPOV is not ‘real’ for employees
© Dr. Mignon van Halderen

32. So, how do you balance between real and ideal?
Reality Ideal
NPOV still an aspiration, not How do you prepare for NPOV fits with identity,
yet operational reality this stance? core expertise
No obvious connection Is our NPOV
between products and
Substance-proof?
NPOV
Future-proof?
Contradiction between Debate-proof?
products, activities and
NPVO
© Dr. Mignon van Halderen

33. Concluding remark
 Let’s not be too fixed on the “leadership” part of thought
leadership; the thought is what inspires and mobilizes!
 Keep authenticity but take a stance, have a viewpoint that
helps yours stakeholders to look at their relevant issues
differently!
 There is not one form of thought leadership: it comes in
all forms and sizes.
 Yet, the steps in our Thought Leadership FrameworkTM
may guide you in developing the thought leadership
strategy that fits your company!
© Dr. Mignon van Halderen

34. THANK YOU!
Mhalderen@rsm.nl
@Mignondelicia
“Our body is the home of the spirit. The
place in which ideas live. Our body is a
meeting place where our different
experiences converge, mix and grow,
creating a colossal archive.”
www.jaumeplensa.com
© Dr. Mignon van Halderen

35. Bio Mignon
• Mignon van Halderen (PhD) operates at the interface of
corporate advice, (academic or company) research and
(executive) teaching. She advises companies on thought
leadership, (re) building trust/legitimacy or enhancing the
impact of companies’ identity expressiveness efforts, e.g.,
through corporate language, symbolism, framing or
storytelling. She lectures and coaches students on the same
topics and works on academic papers to ground her knowledge
and expertise in solid academic theories and frameworks.
• Through her 10 years’ experience at the Corporate
Communication Centre (bit.ly/IUnfjX) of the Rotterdam School
of Management (Erasmus University), Mignon has become
Dr. Mignon (Delicia) van Halderen skilled in taking an evidence-based approach to business
Nationality: Dutch problems (both qualitatively and quantitatively) and makes
academic models useful for a business audience. Mignon loves
Home town: The Hague to constantly switch between academic thinking and intuitive
creativity and pragmatism.
+31 (0) 6 43 98 91 18
Mhalderen@rsm.nl • Mignon has further developed a 3-day Master Class on thought
@Mignondelicia leadership at the Rotterdam School of Management and
facilitates in-company thought leadership trainings (one day or
more) by using the Thought Leadership Framework™ as
described in her booklet with Kym Kettler-Paddock and Craig
Badings. Mignon has published several articles on the topic
(e.g., for RSMInsight, Communicatie, The Communication
Director, Building Business and for the book CommunicatieNU).
© Dr. Mignon van Halderen