Ladies, we salute you!

Happy International Women’s Day. And what better way to mark the occasion than to salute the women who inspire, innovate and genuinely contribute to the business of marketing, media and communications. Here are my heroes of the day:

Joanna Shields and Elisabeth Murdoch

Watch out. Joanna and Elisabeth have joined forces and are on a mission.  Their venture, under Elisabeth Murdoch’s Shine umbrella, sets out to produce content across online and offline platforms, with a focus on social engagement.  During Joanna’s time heading Bebo (and eventually engineering the sale of it to AOL for $850 million) she showed the world that she not only had her finger firmly on the pulse of social media’s relevance to content production (think Kate Modern) but that she could bring business value from it too.  Always engaging, completely relevant and super-smart, she’s a hero. And that, combined with the drive, ambition and media credentials of Elisabeth Murdoch, will be exciting to follow.

Arianna Huffington

Founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Huffington Post, one of the most powerful online media brands – bringing news and blogging together, and now one of the most linked-to news sites.  Arianna has revolutionised news, especially the way in which US political issues are covered. The Huff Post is now 5 years old and that that’s a long time in the online world. Then, and now, it provides something pretty great: quality content, speed to report, opinion and  – most vitally – serious stuff delivered with a light touch, making it truly accessible and engaging. Arianna herself is the visionary who clearly understands what we want from online news content.  With an incredible business network, sharp intellect and obvious drive, she’s a powerhouse.

Jane Bown

Photographer extraordinaire. Jane has provided The Observer with quite incredible black and white photography since 1949 and continues to delight with her ability to tell a story with a captured moment. Her skill is quite simply extraordinary: no gimmicks, no effects – just Jane and her 40-year-old camera creating something honest and enduring. Photography is a vital part of communications, helping us tell a story, evoke and illustrate. For me, there’s none better than Jane Bown.

Kathryn Bigelow

Hot on the heels of her Best Director (first woman ever, in 82 years!) Oscar win, Kathryn deserves a mention. In directing The Hurt Locker to Oscar and box-office success, she’s a woman who reigns supreme in a male-dominated oeuvre. Point Break excepted, she’s a star.

Who’s inspiring you today?

Related Links

http://www.shine.tv/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/JaneBown/JaneBown_gallery.swf

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/oscars/article7053577.ece

Thought Leadership: The Real Deal

Thought Leadership is a pretty well-used phrase these days and I fear its true meaning may be getting a little lost. Content alone does not equal thought leadership and many businesses would do well to remind themselves of what makes their content genuinely thought-leading.

I’m a big believer in the power of well-conceived and brilliantly orchestrated thought leadership. For the corporate world especially, it’s an excellent way of sharing collective wisdom, making superstars of their subject matter experts, and wrapping value and credibility around their brands.

But it’s no easy task. For an organisation to maintain a coherent message and gather momentum in the thought leadership stakes, they need a plan. What they want to say, when, by whom and how. And that should, of course, reflect the genuine wants, needs and interests of their target audience.

That’s not to say organisations should play lip-service: thought leadership should inform but also provoke and encourage debate. It’s fine to ask questions, even if you can’t give a definitive answer to them yet – the potential for dialogue is key. Great thought leadership inspires, generates ideas and develops a concept further.

What’s the difference? Thought Leadership v. Content

Thought Leadership IS:

• A blend of knowledge, wisdom, ideas and interpretation
• A different take on a subject – suggests new perspectives
• An invitation for discussion
• Attached to a person or people – it’s a human activity, not a ‘corporate’ one
• Being curious, thought provoking and considered
• Accessible, agile and current

Thought Leadership IS NOT:

• …necessarily directed from the top
• Unsynthesised facts and figures
• A one-way street: it’s a basis for discussion and sharing
• A sales pitch, disguised thinly or otherwise

I hope that the above might serve as a useful checklist for thought leadership development.  But that’s just the start.  Once you’ve got something thought-leading to say, make sure you say it!

Make the most of the channels available – thought leadership can and does exist on micro-blogging platforms as well as on the speaker podium and in print. Share the best of your thought-leading ideas with your clients by bringing them together in a roundtable debate. Integrate it in your media relations planning. Make sure you have passionate and articulate thought leaders ready and willing to enter into the debate.

Take your wisdom to a new level by applying about some thought leadership rigour – the business world will be a richer place for it.

Related link: http://www.webwire.com/ViewPressRel.asp?aId=111853

Kate Spiers is founder and director of Wisdom London.  (And a thought leadership freak.)