What would it take for you to be thorough?
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At the beginning of my Thought Leaders journey, I was obsessed with capturing my IP. I was desperate to ‘see’ my thinking, to prove to myself that I actually had IP that was worthwhile.
My first problem was Pink Sheets. Trying to make sense of the structure and getting all my thinking into order. I then became comfortable with Pink Sheets. I started to enjoy the process. I became prolific. I had Pink Sheets everywhere!
My second problem became finding my Pink Sheets - being able to retrieve my thinking. I found myself recreating and rewriting ideas because I couldn't quickly locate the thinking I had already done.
One of the most wonderful things that the Thought Leaders Curriculum has taught me is to think once and deliver often. Being commercially smart means that you are not wasting your time locating or recreating your ideas. It reduces your need to reinvent over and over.
It’s about taking the ideas in your head and making the most of them commercially. Building a bank of ideas helps you to generate more great ideas which you can sell to different markets in a variety of different ways. How commercially smart is that?
Once you have learnt the process and are comfortable with the three layers of a Pink Sheet, your goal is to build your intellectual property in a way that is able to deliver in multiple days.
In November 2017, I made a commitment to being a ‘thorough thought leader’. I had been in Business School for 2 years and decided I wanted to go next level.
My first goal was to have IP, my second was to organise it. The word thorough means ‘completely and carefully containing many details’. I wanted to have all my IP in one place, complete and carefully arranged so I could become more efficient. So that I could sell and deliver more - rather than wasting valuable time searching and reinventing my ideas.
My commitment to being thorough was similar to a commitment of being healthy. We have all gone out and bought lots of fresh vegetables, intending to eat large bowls of salads for summer. Despite many good intentions, having the veggies is not enough - the time involved in prepping the veggies trips me up.
The best hack for me to eat healthily is to have bowls of prepped ingredients ready to go. Taking the time to chop, dice, and slice things into containers so I can ‘whip up a salad’ with little effort. The preparation saves me time and helps me to be better.
It’s exactly the same as prepping my IP - having the ideas wasn’t enough - I needed them prepped and in a format that was ready to go.
Having three to seven containers full of IP is the best way to whip together any form of delivery.
For me, this is five spreadsheets - a container for each of my five main areas of expertise. Each spreadsheet contains each of my Pink Sheets that relate to that label. It’s the easiest way for me to find what I am looking for.
There are loads of software and apps that you can use to tag, store, and retrieve your IP. Find one that suits you. One that you will use and take the time to slice and chop your IP into ideas ready to be delivered and shared with the world.
If you want to learn more about Thought Leaders Business School, join us at our next discovery session.
Lisa O'Neill
CEO