thought through, or more like random acts of publishing?Less
Earlier this month, I was standing at the front of a seminar room in Vancouver, co-leading a masterclass on thought leadership program design with Peter Evans, the co-founder of ExpertFile. It was one of those rare mornings when the energy in the room was both anticipatory and open—participants were hungry for something more than another “how to write a white paper” session.
Early on, Peter turned to the group and said something that caught me completely off guard: “You have to avoid random acts of thought leadership.”
I’ve worked closely with Peter for several years now, exchanging frameworks and refining our approaches, but I’d never heard him say it in quite those words before. It landed with the kind of force that only a simple truth can have. In that moment, I realized how often this warning goes unheeded—how frequently, both in organizations and among individuals, I see flashes of brilliance never amounting to more than just that: flashes that are fleeting, untethered, and random.
The longer I’ve worked in thought leadership, the more convinced I’ve become that if you want to move from noise to influence—from serendipity to sustained impact—you need something far more intentional than one-off acts of publishing – those random acts of thought leadership. You need a conscious design. That was the core of what we taught in Vancouver. And it’s what I want to share here.
The Trap of Random Acts of Thought Leadership
Let’s be honest: Almost everyone falls into this trap at first. It’s easier than ever to publish a blog, put out a report, release a podcast episode, maybe even write a book. These “one-off” efforts feel productive—and they can be, in the sense that they scratch the itch to share something urgent, something important.
But here’s the problem. Random acts of thought leadership do not accumulate. They don’t build trust, shape a reputation, or establish a meaningful conversation with your audience.
We’re now flooded by content and overwhelmed by AI-generated noise. A single flash of insight is barely a blip. Even a book—if it stands alone—may not move the needle if it isn’t part of a bigger design.
I’ve seen it before: Organizations launch a research study, then return to business as usual. A senior partner pens an op-ed, only for it to be forgotten by the time the next campaign cycle rolls around. What’s missing is the connective tissue—a messaging strategy and a strategy that ensures each act is part of a longer narrative and a deeper journey.
From Random to Rigorous: A Blueprint for Real Thought Leadership
So, what does it take to move from random to rigorous?
In our masterclass, we worked closely with participants to dissect this process, step by step. I shared what I’ve learned over years of writing, coaching and delivering thought leadership incubators in organizations large and small.
At the heart of it is a shift in mindset: You have to see thought leadership as a discipline, not a lottery. Real thought leadership isn’t a lucky streak; it’s a practice you design and refine, fueled by habit, not just inspiration.
For me, the breakthrough came when I started thinking about “well-building.” Each of us, and every company, needs a personal or institutional well of insight—a renewable source you can draw from, day after day, year after year. That “well” is built through conscious ideation, not by waiting for the muse to strike.
For organizations, this means designing a thought-leadership strategy, not just a series of publications. It means setting up a system where insights are regularly surfaced, tested, and developed.
This could start with a writing incubator for your experts, for instance. And the ideas harvested from the incubator can be shared, rated and developed on an ideas dashboard. In my own work, and with organizations I consult for, the difference is night and day: People who build these habits create a steady stream of ideas, not a series of one-hit wonders.
The Challenger Thought Leadership Model I Created
Let me get specific about what I call the Challenger Thought Leadership Model, which I developed recently.
The premise is simple, but radical: True thought leaders are not just sharing what’s known. They are challenging the status quo, asking uncomfortable questions, and framing problems in ways that force others to see differently.
Challenger thought leadership means you’re not just another voice in the chorus. You are staking out new territory, making a clear case for why something needs to change, and guiding your audience through the implications. That requires courage, yes—but even more, it requires design.
The Challenger Model rests on a few essential practices:
First, you start by identifying not just what you know, but what needs to be challenged in your industry or field. Where are the blind spots? What assumptions are holding people back? This isn’t about being contrarian for the sake of it; it’s about rigorously surfacing what’s missing, what’s broken, or what’s unexamined.
Next, you consciously frame your insights as provocations, not just explanations. In my writing incubators, I encourage experts to ask: “What truth is not being spoken?” or “What’s the elephant in the room that everyone is tiptoeing around?” The most powerful thought leadership starts with a challenge.
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Then, you build a system to nurture these challenges into publishable ideas.
That’s where the habit of ideation comes in—keeping a running ideas dashboard, making space for regular ideation sessions, and sharing early drafts with trusted peers to hone and pressure-test your thinking.
Finally, you execute. Not by publishing randomly, but by following a deliberate editorial calendar, revisiting your core challenges, and ensuring each new piece of content connects to the larger arc of your thought leadership story.
The difference here is sustainability. When you act as a challenger and are guided by a program and not a whim, you become known not just for your output but for the distinct perspective you bring. That’s when you start to influence the agenda, set the terms of debate, and earn the kind of trust that outlasts any single piece of content.
The Role of Inspiration and the Habit of Ideation
But even the most disciplined system needs fuel: inspiration. This is where many would-be thought leaders falter. They run dry because they haven’t built the habit of regularly drawing from their own well. The secret, I’ve found, is to make ideation a ritual—a part of your week, your month, your organizational culture.
For me, that means regular “harvesting” sessions, jotting down observations, framing questions, and talking with people outside my immediate field. For organizations, it means creating a safe space—often outside the daily grind—where experts can explore and shape ideas before they see the light of day.
If you wait for inspiration to strike, you’ll publish randomly. But if you cultivate a habit of ideation, your well will never run dry.
Why This Matters More in the Age of AI
In Vancouver, we also spent time discussing the role of AI and the deluge of information it brings. AI can summarize, draft, remix. But AI can’t supply the courage to challenge orthodoxy.
Now, more than ever, your ability to curate, frame, and sustain a point of view is the true differentiator. When every competitor has access to the same tools and platforms, only those who design and nurture a real thought leadership program will stand out and build long-term trust.
The Payoff: From One-Offs to Enduring Impact With Your Thought Leadership
Let’s bring it back to the masterclass and Peter’s warning.
One-off publications—even a book—can open doors, but they rarely build the reputation or trust that a sustained program delivers. The organizations and individuals I see winning are those who embrace conscious program design, form habits of ideation, and build their well of inspiration intentionally.
So if you or your company are writing one-off articles and impulsive LinkedIn posts, pause and ask: Does this connect to the core problem I’m solving for others? Is it moving the bigger conversation forward? Am I adding to my well, or just dipping a bucket in someone else’s?
Thought leadership is a journey, not a lottery ticket. The future belongs to those who choose design over randomness, habit over happenstance, and challenge over comfort. That’s how you build something that lasts.
And that’s exactly the story we told in Vancouver—one I’ll keep telling, until random acts of thought leadership are finally a thing of the past.
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