What if your next career move wasn’t about climbing the ladder—but making real progress toward a life of purpose?

In this episode of Leveraging Thought Leadership, host Peter Winick sits down with Michael Horn—author, speaker, and co-founder of the Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation —to explore how thought leadership can transform education, careers, and the way we make big life decisions.

Michael has spent decades applying the "Jobs to Be Done" framework—originally developed by Clayton Christensen—to help individuals and organizations rethink their goals. He’s worked alongside entrepreneurs, university presidents, and innovators who are reshaping the future of learning and work. His latest book, "Job Moves: 9 Steps for Making Progress in Your Career", takes this powerful research and makes it personal—helping people make smarter, more fulfilling choices.

We dig into how ideas evolve beyond their original intent. Christensen’s theory of disruptive innovation started with disk drives, yet found its way into steel mills, education, and now career design. Michael shares how “Jobs to Be Done” is following a similar path, expanding from product design into deeply human territory—helping people identify the real motivations driving their decisions.

We also tackle the big shifts in higher education. From universities facing demographic cliffs to the innovators thriving in the post-COVID landscape, Michael offers an unflinching look at what it takes for institutions to adapt—or be left behind. His insights bridge the gap between theory and practice, showing how thought leadership can both diagnose challenges and drive measurable change.

This conversation is a masterclass in taking a proven idea, reimagining its applications, and building influence by serving a market that’s ready for transformation. Whether you’re leading an organization, shaping public policy, or charting your own next move, Michael’s approach offers a blueprint for progress.

Three Key Takeaways:

• Decades of consulting experience can be distilled into a compelling book that captures proven strategies, lessons learned, and actionable insights for a targeted audience.

• Translating expertise into thought leadership requires transforming complex, insider knowledge into clear, engaging narratives that resonate beyond your immediate industry.

• A well-crafted book serves as a strategic asset, building credibility, expanding reach, and opening doors to new opportunities and revenue streams.

If you enjoyed hearing Michael Horn unpack how big ideas like Jobs to Be Done can move from theory into real-world impact, you’ll want to keep the momentum going with Liz Wiseman’s episode, Taking Thought Leadership from Page to Practice.

Both conversations dive into the art of translating deep expertise into actionable strategies that resonate beyond your immediate circle. Michael explored how to adapt proven frameworks to education, careers, and personal decisions. Liz builds on that by showing how to make your thought leadership stick—turning insights into tangible change within organizations.

By listening to both episodes, you’ll gain a powerful one-two punch: Michael’s perspective on expanding the reach of great ideas, and Liz’s blueprint for ensuring those ideas drive real, measurable results. Together, they’ll give you fresh tools to move your own thought leadership from inspiration to implementation.

What happens when world-class research escapes the ivory tower and takes root in the boardroom

In this episode of Leveraging Thought Leadership, Peter Winick sits down with Christopher Marquis — Professor of Chinese Management at the University of Cambridge and author of "Profiteers: How Business Privatizes Profits and Socializes Costs" — to explore the art of turning academic insight into practical, high-impact business thinking.

Chris is on a mission to bridge the gap between scholarship and the real world. He believes that ideas shouldn’t be trapped in academic journals read by only a handful of peers. Instead, they should spark change in boardrooms, inspire sustainable business practices, and help leaders tackle global challenges like climate change. His work blends rigorous research with compelling storytelling, translating complex theories into actionable strategies that resonate with executives, policymakers, and entrepreneurs alike.

From op-eds in The Washington Post to features in Harvard Business Review, Chris knows how to make ideas travel. He shares how brevity, boldness, and a clear thesis can elevate a message — and why writing 800 words for a newspaper can sometimes have more impact than publishing in the most prestigious academic journal. For Chris, thought leadership is about reach and relevance, not just citations and tenure points.

The conversation dives into the discipline of choosing which ideas deserve a book, the craft of finding evergreen principles that survive political and economic cycles, and the skill of meeting business leaders where they are — without losing academic rigor. Chris also offers practical advice for academics ready to step beyond their university walls, connect with executive audiences, and position their work at the intersection of insight and impact.

If you want to understand how to turn deep expertise into broad influence — without watering it down — this episode will show you how.


Three Key Takeaways:

• Academic credibility needs business reach — Groundbreaking research has little impact if it stays locked in academic journals. Translating ideas into accessible formats like op-eds, HBR articles, and books makes them actionable for business leaders.

• Evergreen principles drive lasting influence — Successful thought leadership balances timeless core ideas (like sustainability imperatives) with timely examples that connect to current cultural, political, or economic contexts.

• Storytelling bridges the gap — Data and theory matter, but real-world stories, case studies, and clear narratives are what resonate with executive audiences and create lasting engagement.

If you enjoyed Christopher’s episode, don’t miss our conversation with Mark Smith, who built SHRM’s thought leadership function from the ground up. Both share a passion for taking complex research and turning it into clear, actionable insights that reach the right audiences. Chris brings the global lens of sustainability; Mark offers the inside view of embedding thought leadership within an organization. Together, these episodes show you how to move ideas from theory to real-world influence.

Listen here: Discovering Thought Leadership – Mark Smith

What if your team—not just your leaders—held the key to breakthrough performance?

Today, Peter Winick sits down with long-time friend and bestselling author Keith Ferrazzi to explore why “leadership” alone isn’t enough anymore. Keith’s new work, "Never Lead Alone", moves beyond the individual and puts the spotlight on "teamship"—a powerful, often-overlooked force in organizational transformation.

Keith shares how he’s evolved from "Never Eat Alone"—a networking classic—into building high-performing teams inside Fortune 500 companies. But this isn’t just about motivation. It’s about methodology. Codified insights. Research-backed models. Keith reveals how he helps leaders double market cap by engineering behavior change at the team level, not just at the top.

You’ll learn why methodology beats storytelling, why collaboration is the new leadership, and how research—done with clients—can be both a content engine and a revenue stream. Keith also outlines how aspiring thought leaders can start by defining ten transformational takeaways, then refine and test them before writing a word.

This episode isn’t just for authors or coaches. It’s for anyone
serious about scaling their thought leadership into real impact.
Whether you're inside a $200B company or building your brand, Keith shows you how to package your ideas to create change—and monetize it.

Three Key Takeaways:

• Teamship Over Leadership
Keith introduces the concept of teamship—a shift from individual
leadership to empowering entire teams to take ownership of outcomes. He argues that in today’s complex environments, real transformation happens when everyone on the team steps up, not just the person at the top.

• Codify Your Methodology
Keith stresses that great thought leadership isn’t just about
storytelling—it’s about creating repeatable, scalable systems. He
encourages aspiring thought leaders to start by defining ten
transformational takeaways and building their intellectual property around those core ideas.

• Use Research as a Revenue Engine
Rather than treating research as a cost center, Keith explains how he partners with organizations to co-create studies that drive both insight and income. This approach not only funds his work but creates built-in audiences and credibility before a book or product even launches.

If Keith Ferrazzi’s insights on teamship and codifying leadership
resonated with you, don’t miss our episode with Julie Williamson.

Julie takes a deep dive into how aligned communication and leadership strategy can unlock the full potential of your teams—echoing Keith’s core message that transformation isn’t a solo act. Where Keith challenges leaders to move from authority to collaboration, Julie shows you how to create that alignment across teams to drive real results.

Listen to both episodes and walk away with a clearer understanding of how to lead through teams, build scalable methodologies, and create impact across an entire organization.

Listen to Julie Williamson’s episode now.