React and Respond

Two of my favourite things are thinking and action.

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A well-thought-out concept is a waste without some implementation action and action without thought is often just plain dumb! Balancing thought and action is a challenge for many clever people who often suffer from perfectionism or ‘analysis paralysis’.

‘Impulsive and disruptive’ were two words constantly mentioned on all of my school reports. I could never (and still cannot) understand why these are considered negative! When I joined Thought Leaders back in 2015 and learnt about the Practice Model, a cash-funded, expert-based model that encouraged me to be constantly agile, I was finally made strong and not wrong for my desire to create and respond to change.

This has never been more useful than in the past two years, navigating such uncertain and turbulent times. The commercial success of the Thought Leaders Community shows a whopping 38% increase in our collective community turnover over the past 12 months. This proves the cleverness of the Cluster Strategy and the action being taken by our incredible community.

One of my favourite things about running a practice is how tactical it is. I love a good strategy but I have seen the impact and results that can be achieved from responsive and often reactive ways of working.

Reactive people often get a bad rap. Slow and steady has never won any races for me! Action, effort, and intuitive decision-making have got me where I am today.

Great thought leaders are constantly launching different programs to new or existing markets that they have identified will benefit from their expertise.

A reactive mindset opens you up for more creative and innovative work. When life is not set in stone, you are free to react to new ideas that come to you or make decisions on just-received information in a fluid and quick-thinking way.

You get really good at working under pressure and develop excellent problem-solving skills that are battle-tested. You become ridiculously comfortable with uncertainty and are curious about trying new things.

I am not encouraging scattered haphazard market responses. If you aren’t clear on your message and you do not understand who you help then you will be an opportunist that spins on every dime!

A successful thought leader knows what they do and who they can help. And with several folders of good well-thought-out IP, they are always ready to respond to a market’s needs.  

Lisa O’Neill
CEO