Eight original thought leadership frameworks by Bill Sherman. Each defines a different dimension of practice: what to evaluate, how to measure impact, who you are as a practitioner, what to reuse, how to organize a business, where to publish, what formats serve you, and how to build the work inside an organization.
Maps a thought leader’s body of work into core ideas, content library, market offerings, and platform identity. Your weakest element sets the ceiling.
A multiplicative model of thought leadership impact: idea simplicity × audience relevance × velocity × audience share. The factors multiply, not add — any factor approaching zero collapses total impact.
Classifies thought leaders by their why, not their how — the Growth-Minded CEO, the Impact and Legacy Executive, the Thought Leader on the Run, the In-House Expert, and the Hall of Fame Thinker.
Organizes a thought leader’s content library into three layers by reusability and stability: bedrock (frameworks, lasts decades), clay (stories, lasts years), soil (single-use, compost after).
Classifies practices into Hobbyist, Practice Owner, and Business Builder — distinguished by the six-month sabbatical test: how much keeps running when the thought leader steps away.
Names three modes for earning an audience, each trading reach for precision. Narrowcasting is the recommended heart of thought leadership outreach.
Plots each format onto a 2×2 — your comfort creating × your audience’s comfort consuming. Shine before stretch before think before avoid.
A 15-cell canvas in three columns — Your Organization, Targeted Audience, and The Bridge — for organizations building thought leadership practices. Fifteen cells, three columns, one order.