My company's recent study of 1,000 thought leadership professionals (conducted March–April 2025) found that 97% of organizations report measurable business outcomes from their thought leadership efforts. And yet, after two decades of guiding organizations through thought leadership transformations, I've seen the same pattern repeat: most companies don't struggle with understanding the value of thought leadership —they struggle with operationalizing it. To bridge that gap, I developed what I call the thought leadership formula: Thought leadership is the result of combining customer-driven content, research-based insights and brand authority. The most resonant thought leadership is built on direct, ongoing feedback loops with the audience. By implementing the thought leadership formula: customer-driven content plus research-based insights plus brand authority, you move from passive commentary to market-shaping influence.