Why IP and Research Must Be the Foundation of Your Thought Leadership Program

Ideas matter. They spark conversations, guide decisions, and set businesses apart in competitive markets. For knowledge-based companies, where expertise is the core product, ideas aren’t just nice to have—they’re essential assets.

But how do you ensure your thought leadership program consistently generates the kind of ideas that lead markets rather than follow them?

The answer lies in creating intellectual property (IP) backed by rigorous research. This isn’t about throwing out half-formed thoughts or trend-chasing. It’s about mining the expertise within your organization, shaping it into valuable insights, and delivering it to your audience with clarity and purpose.

Begin With Your Expertise 

Creating IP starts with a deceptively simple exercise: unpacking what you know. As an individual, this means asking yourself two foundational questions:

• What do I know deeply that matters to my audience?
• Why am I passionate about this knowledge?

These questions go beyond identifying a niche. They are an invitation to reconnect with the expertise you’ve built over years, filtered through the lens of what your audience cares about.

From here, the work begins. Brainstorm a list of questions your audience might ask about your area of expertise. Frame these as clear, open-ended questions—like “What are the future trends in this field?” or “How can businesses solve this specific challenge?”

This step grounds your IP in relevance. Your audience doesn’t just want information; they want guidance that feels directly applicable to their challenges.

From Questions to Answers 

Once you’ve identified the key questions, draft answers in clear, simple bullet points. These answers are the foundation of your IP. They don’t need to be polished essays or complete frameworks yet—they just need to convey insight.

Here’s where the magic starts to happen. As you work through this process, patterns and themes will emerge. Maybe you realize your expertise aligns with solving a recurring industry problem, or perhaps you uncover a new way to think about an old issue.

Shape Your Ideas 

Great ideas don’t just appear fully formed—they’re shaped into formats that make them easier to communicate and act upon. In his book Think, Matt Church describes how most ideas fit into recognizable shapes such as Venn diagrams, ladders, or matrices.

• Venn Diagrams: These are perfect for showing overlaps or intersections between related concepts, helping your audience see where ideas connect.
• Ladders: Use this shape to present a step-by-step progression, such as stages of growth or levels of mastery.
• Matrices: Ideal for comparing and contrasting multiple variables or options, giving clarity to complex decisions.

Choosing the right shape helps transform abstract concepts into actionable insights, making your ideas more accessible and impactful.

It also helps you articulate your idea and positions it for maximum impact. Visualization is often the final step in this shaping process. Whether it’s a quadrant model, a flowchart, or a simple list, the right visual can transform a concept from abstract to actionable.

Scaling IP Creation Across a Firm 

It’s one thing for an individual to generate IP. Scaling that process across a firm is another challenge entirely. Many organizations turn to hackathons or brainstorming sessions, hoping to tap into collective creativity. These efforts, while well-intentioned, often produce ideas that lack focus or practical application.

A better approach is to start with individual ideation. Ask employees to work through the same process I’ve just described: unpacking their expertise, framing questions, and drafting answers. Once these individual contributions are documented, bring people together to refine the ideas.

This second step is collaborative and strategic. Teams can assess the most promising concepts and explore ways to turn them into actionable frameworks, business strategies, or client solutions. The goal isn’t to dilute individual insights but to amplify them through diverse perspectives.

Building a Culture of Ideas – Examples from McKinsey and IBM 

Scaling IP creation isn’t just about processes—it’s about culture. Organizations that excel at thought leadership often make ideation part of their DNA. McKinsey’s “Practice Olympics,” begun in roughly 1998, is a great example. Now renamed, the internal competition invited consultants to pitch their best ideas, with winners receiving resources to develop them further. IBM’s “Innovation Jam” does something similar on a global scale, turning ideas from employees into research-backed strategies.

Smaller firms can adopt these principles in their own way. A simple “Ideas Jam” or “Ideas Slam” can encourage employees to share their expertise in structured formats. With the right guidance, even small teams can generate ideas that are relevant, valuable, and actionable.

Thought Leadership Starts With a Solid Foundation 

The process of creating IP isn’t just about generating content. It’s about building a well of insights that will sustain your thought leadership program for years to come. Ideas don’t run out; they flow faster the more you create. And by anchoring your program in IP and research, you ensure your ideas are grounded, relevant, and ready to lead.

I believe IP isn’t just a tool for thought leadership—it’s the foundation that will fuel your business and make your firm a great place to work.

After all, seeing a good idea come to fruition is a joy for all who took part in its birth and shaping.

Written by Rhea Wessel.
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