Written by: Vickie Sullivan | June 02, 2016
How Thought Leaders Can Change the Game
One of my favorite things about TED: You hear about stuff first. Exhibit A: Parag Khanna’s talk on how power has shifted from countries to corporations.
Fast Company ran an excerpt of his latest book Connectography. Let’s see what we can borrow to change the game in our space.
• Make sense out of crazy. Like many of us, Khanna is a great explainer. The marketplace demands that we raise that bar, though. What sought-after thought leaders must do now: advocate a different point of reference. By shifting the focus from countries to corporations and “megacities,” crazy times start to make sense. And that making sense is where our value lies.
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• Navigation. Creating a new point of reference is not enough. Now you have to help others navigate the new world. Khanna does this with a new structure of solutions. He gives the big idea first—the most connected will win—then he sets out a framework and mindset. And, of course, his examples give us hope.
Also check out his articulation. The title—Connectography—goes beyond the cliché of word combinations by being accurate. The alliteration—from countries to corporations—is sticky, too. Folks, we can do this, even at a smaller scale.
A side note for you authors out there: Keep in mind this is Khanna’s third book. His first two gave him the momentum to write this signature work. If your first book busts, remember that its role might be to lay the groundwork for your future bestseller.
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