Guest Column: So, what you do know?
By Betsy Jordyn
Becoming a thought leader and Million Dollar consultant is like climbing a very tall mountain. You can’t rush to the top; you have to spend time at various plateaus along the way. On your journey to becoming a thought leader, there is a common challenge at every plateau: developing intellectual property. As you begin your climb, the challenge might be to come up with a value proposition and content for a website. As you progress upward, you could find yourself creating articles, booklets, podcasts, and teleconferences. At the higher plateaus you might publish a book and develop workshops and/or seminars. In other words, a consultant’s success at climbing this mountain is in direct proportion to his or her ability to generate intellectual property.
What is intellectual property? Simply put, it is the material result of transforming what you know into concepts or skills that are transferable to others.
To create intellectual property, you must first discover what is in your head. This means you must define your beliefs/core mental models and key techniques. Next, you must get your ideas onto paper. Finally, you have to present your idea to others in such a way that their conditions are improved and, as Alan has done, create a group of people who have grown as a result of your involvement and can come together in a community.
Developing intellectual property is a challenge for many of us who are bravely climbing this mountain. One reason we are challenged is that we generally start at the wrong place. By that, I mean we skip the first step, thinking, and begin creating material before we have discovered and defined our thoughts and ideas. With this in mind, here are some tips to help you become much more aware of what is in your head, so when you want to put it on paper the result is natural and flowing, rather than forced.
First, look at the problems your clients typically ask you to solve. Do they want you to alleviate pain (e.g., they no longer enjoy the business results they once did; their leaders are floundering; they must cut costs, etc.)? Or do they need help in maximizing opportunities (e.g., they want to be market leaders, but don’t know where to start; they want to publicize their assets but are having no success at doing so; etc.)? Now, consider this: The reason that a client calls you in is a clue to what your expertise is.
Second, analyze how you think about the problems or opportunities facing you. A simple way to analyze any worldview or perspective is to define the following: What is the ideal state, what went wrong and what is the solution. As an organization development consultant, I firmly believe that the ideal state for any organization is to have a strong alignment between its business strategy and organization and people strategies. What often goes wrong is that a misalignment develops. So I focus my intervention on reestablishing the proper alignment. Not everyone will agree with me. Some might feel that the ideal for an organization is to have cultures that foster commitment. In other words, we all have a theory that undergirds why we do what we do. Becoming aware of that theory is the key to moving forward.
Third, you probably already have core techniques that you use with your clients, so now you need to pay attention to them. What steps do you usually take from problem to implemented solution? Maybe you help healthcare organizations become market leaders. If so, how do you make that happen? What are the steps you have them take between where they are today and market leadership? Also take a look at how you typically engage a client. What steps do you use? For example, do you generally establish a partnership first, then do some analysis, make recommendations, implement a solution and evaluate the results? If so, that is a core technique which is transferable to others. I have a friend who calls these “scripts.” All of us have them, but all of us don’t put them on paper.
Fourth, learn to think more deeply. For example, I recently spoke with a colleague who had snapped a picture of a turtle’s nest on the beach. I asked him why the turtle’s nest was interesting to him. As we discussed the subject in depth, the turtle became a metaphor for business leaders who face incredible odds in trying to leave a legacy, and have to replace old strategies that no longer work in a hostile economic environment. Fascinating stuff! Just thinking more deeply about the turtle’s nest and applying the reasons why it interested him to real-life business situations helped this individual to come up with several different ways he can use this metaphor to help his clients.
Fifth, capture your intellectual property with the right process visual. The shapes that you choose are how you tell your story. For example, A Venn diagram is designed to demonstrate the intersection between multiple elements; a 2×2 matrix demonstrates the relationship between two variables; and a see-saw is all about balance.
When you climb a mountain, the air you breathe becomes thinner, which increases the challenge. But the good news is that you don’t have to go it alone. If you have a hard time accessing your thoughts, find a thinking partner to help you with the process. If you have an easy time accessing your thoughts but find it hard to refine and improve your ideas, find a thinking partner to help you do that. Being in a community is about more than just having help on your climb to the top; it’s also about having others who can carry your burden and make the trip more enjoyable. After all, the process of discovering individual and shared intellectual property can be as valuable as reaching the summit.
© 2010 Betsy Jordyn
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Betsy Jordyn, President of Accelera Consulting Group, is viewed by her clients as the ultimate think partner for growth-oriented leaders. Betsy, a consultant, leadership/career coach and one of Alan’s Mentor Masters, can be reached at 407.376.8522 and via her website www.acceleraconsultinggroup.com.
