Thought Leadership for Innovators and Intrapreneurs

Are you an “ideas person” employed in a company?

Or an “intrapreneur” – an entrepreneurial employee?

Have you been striving to make a difference in your workplace and searching for satisfaction in your career, only to encounter frustration when your initiatives get blocked or fail to get traction?

Then Thought Leadership is for you.

Why is it so hard to turn your great ideas into reality? It’s easy to talk about innovation, but it’s even easier for people to keep on doing the same old things. Lots of potentially great ideas are squandered, destined to moulder away in someone’s head, as if in a locked box.

A good idea may fail to get off the ground for a variety of reasons. Perhaps the idea is not fully developed. Perhaps you are not deeply committed to it, so you don’t seem excited by it. Or maybe you don’t have a sufficient “buy-in” from the people whose support you need to turn that idea into reality.

The quality of your thought leadership is what makes the difference between successful implementation of an idea and that same idea sinking without trace.

Become a thought leader!

How I can help

As a Thought Leaders Mentor, I’m passionate about encouraging original thinking in organizations, and helping original thinkers to succeed in making a difference. The status quo has no magical status - it happened by accident! You should make your contribution and believe in the value you have to offer.

Thought leadership will help you have a more satisfying career.

About me

My experience as a recruiter and career mentor has given me unique insight into the importance of being able to express your originality and make your mark in an organization. The Thought Leadership Development program will help you build the skills and the courage to extend your influence at work.

You’ll learn how to:

• communicate your ideas to bring them alive

• “join the dots” to show the bigger picture

• shift perspectives and reframe a situation

• turn fear into confidence

• create clarity from confusion

• overcome inertia and gain commitment

• mobilize people in pursuit of a better future

You’ll gain insight into your unique strengths and how to use them to achieve your goals. In short, how to use what you’ve got, to get what you want!

What it’s like to work with me

I find that many people cannot see what makes them different from others in their category. As a Thought Leaders Mentor I’m like a mirror to help you see what makes you unique, and how you can leverage that to your advantage. You may feel challenged at first, but if you invest the effort, you will discover new opportunities to elevate your career and achieve greater career satisfaction.

Why I’ve chosen to do this work

I passionately believe that every individual has something special to offer and that you can bring more of yourself to the work you do. I’m fascinated with the infinite variety of ideas and perspectives that are possible when people allow themselves to exercise their originality.

How does it work?

Thought Leadership Development is a unique program that can be delivered by group presentation, individual mentoring, or a combination of both.

The program consists of:

• Introduction to Thought Leadership presentation

• Nine modules

• Individual mentoring to help you achieve your individual goals.

This program can be delivered in your company, or you can attend my public workshops.

The nine modules are as follows:

1. Foresight. What is going on around you? What are the trends that will affect your business? How does your idea fit in with these?

2. Communication. How can you share your ideas more effectively? Select from “telling”, “asking” and “showing”, and be flexible by selecting the most appropriate role for the given circumstances. Use the most suitable method to get your point across in a meaningful, effective and engaging way.

3. Comprehension. How do others process information? By understanding and responding to this, you can get the attention of more of the people, more of the time. For example, you may focus on visual, aural or kinaesthetic methods, use case studies or draw attention to the higher level context.

4. Uniqueness. Who are you? We are all the product of our particular upbringing, education and experience. When you are clear on your personal value proposition, the people around you will come to know what you stand for, what to expect from you, and why they should follow you.

5. Expertise. What do you know? You’d be surprised how much knowledge you take for granted. Learn to unpack what you know and share it in an engaging way. Layering your idea, using points, models, metaphors and supporting material makes it much more likely that your idea will “stick”.

6. When someone asks “What do you do?”, how do you respond? Everyone in business has a job title, but it’s the (sometimes unwritten) job description behind it that defines what you do. Know how to position yourself and your organisation so that people know exactly what you do and why.

7. Pitching. How do you get it out? Sell the benefits of your idea. How can implementation of your decision help them get what they want?

8. Commitment. How do you sell the vision? Strive for simplicity, clarity, focus and results. These are the things that help people bring real commitment to your proposal. Learn how to influence others so they engage with your ideas.

9. Execution. How do you launch a concept? Be productive, not perfect. Recognise and remove the barriers. Use action to gain the clarity you need.

To have the Thought Leadership Development program presented in your organization, please call Shelley Dunstone on 8407 3532

"It was a truly engaging workshop and I appreciate the practical examples you provided and the opportunity to interact with both the content and the participants. What a wonderful example of how to engage all learners, and for this reason, I'm sure everyone in the room woudl have gained benefit." - Bree Downs-Woolley, Senior Consultant, Entree Recruitment