Standing Out in a Crowd – Leadership

As we’ve mentioned in past newsletters, Michael and I started our careers in banking. We never heard the expression “thought leadership” until we moved into consulting. However, in retrospect, I now realize that the banking world has very established approaches to thought leadership.

Getting deals done in banking ultimately depended on your ability to get a proposed deal approved. Approval hinges on acceptance of a written presentation of the deal. This meant that when I was a banker, my ability to package the compelling aspects of a deal while still addressing all the potential risks was the critical real-time test of my thought leadership. Over time, I also found that as credit officers came to know the work that my peers and I did, our ability to get deals done was enhanced.

When I worked at Citicorp, expertise was recognized through an international register of credit approval authorities. Sign-off was often required from officers with special approval powers for specific industries or markets. They earned these powers through their experience but also through writing briefing memos, structuring guidelines or guidance documents that would be used throughout the huge international network that existed at the time in Citi.

Wherever you work, there probably is a similar dynamic going on. It may not be as formal as in banking or consulting; but in any job, you ultimately earn your credibility— and your ability to do business—through the development and packaging of your ideas. Read on for some ideas from Michael on how to accomplish this. -Mary Adams  2007