The TLC Top 10™ Thought Leadership Lists

Excellent discussion of B2B thought leadership by Forrester Principal Analysts: You don’t need to look far to find so-called “thought leadership” content. Yet more often than not, it’s a dressed-up marketing pitch. B2B marketing leaders tend to get trapped inside a sales cycle in the way they execute. That’s not the kind of thinking generates good thought leadership. Thought leadership is a long-term strategic investment and journey. The podcast is free to access; no registration required. 

Thought Leadership Strategy is a well-done e-book from FT Longitude (part of Financial Times Group). Step-by-step guide on planning and building a thought leadership strategy and avoiding common pitfalls. While you're at it, consider subscribing to their FT Longitude newsletter on B2B thought leadership trends and best practices. 

Interesting insights from nearly 3,500 management-level B2B professionals and decision-makers, produced annually (at least for now) by LinkedIn and Edelman, the global PR consultancy firm. Sure, it's a bit self-serving for Edelman and LinkedIn, but the results are valid and shed light on key issues facing B2B thought leaders today. Updated yearly. Access it free here. 

Thought leadership can differentiate and establish credibility in competitive markets. Yet there is continuous confusion about what’s necessary to be successful. Gartner has singled out 5 factors that will help you  evaluate readiness for, and execute on, effective thought leadership. Read or download the report PDF. 

It's not a resource specific to B2B thought leadership. But since "leadership" is the whole point, Keating's content is definitely a top go-to resource for B2B thought leaders seeking to hone their craft to the utmost. Steve (@Leadtoday) and stevekeating.me dispenses sage advice that can help take your thinking to the next level about what it really means to be a leader. 

TED has grown from a one-off conference in 1984 to a viral video phenomenon and worldwide community centered on thought leadership. TED covers a vast range of topics, globally, so it's not specifically a B2B resource either. BUT it's well worth the time to explore the essence of the ideas you'll in find in TED, how arguments and proof points are constructed, supporting data used, etc. You'll learn a lot about building your own powerful thought leadership. 

As conferences go, the ForbesLive event series tops the charts. ForbesLive brings together some of the world’s most influential leaders, policy-makers, entrepreneurs and artists to harness their collective knowledge, address today’s most critical issues and reveal innovative solutions. They offer a rich vein of valuable content and cutting-edge ideas to tap into for your own thought leadership initiatives. Yes, there's a price tag, but if you can swing it, go. 

Best book out there on thought leadership (and there are lots and lots of books!) especially if you're interested in the history behind how the industry got to where it is today, and who pioneered the way. Written by Robert Buday, a pioneer in the field himself. 

Produced by The Wall Street Journal, The Future of Everything Festival is a gathering of the most curious minds to explore bold ideas, investments and experiments that will shape the future. Consider attending this confab in NYC to explore what’s next by thinking lightyears ahead. 

Yep, okay, this is our own blog. But we think you'll find it valuable, especially if you subscribe to receive new articles as they're published. Check it out here. You can subscribe from any post page, like this one on "8 Ideas for Generating Thought Leadership Ideas" or this one "Thought Leadership is NOT Content Marketing." We're just getting this underway, so lots more to come!