8. The Guru’s Guide to Creating Thought Leadership

H. JAMES WILSON

HOW DO YOU produce an idea that changes the way people think and work? This was one of the key questions that Tom Davenport, Larry Prusak, and I set out to answer a decade ago in our book, What’s the Big Idea? Creating and Capitalizing on the Best New Management Thinking (Harvard Business Review Press, 2023). Part of our initial response was to rank management gurus according to the measurable influence of their ideas; we were the first researchers to use scholarly methods to do so. We also analyzed the top 50 ranked HBR articles of all time (by reprint sales). Gurus adapt, build on, and reshuffle preexisting ideas into a package that appeals to managers today, but also sprinkle in new case examples that align with the current zeitgeist. The…

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Harvard Business Review Special Issues (Digital) - 1 Issue, Spring 2025

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