I have been working with business leaders in tech, business, and academia for almost thirty years. It is hard not to notice patterns. Not least because I am usually the one to point them out.

People have brilliant ideas. Sometimes the same people will rise, or drag themselves, into a leadership position and have yet more great ideas. Some will get noticed, applauded and executed. But, all too often, other ideas, opinions and innovations of equal value will be lost into notebooks, Otter.ai recordings, minutes of meetings and pitch decks. Never really used, these ideas are lost to the mists of time.

This sort of thing rarely happens to great writers. They obsessively hoard notebooks, be they paper or electronic. They go back, they cross reference, they dig. So many social media posts are talking about AI ‘second brains’ right now, but most top level writers and authors already have one. I like to think I am in that number. At least my pile of notebooks says that I am.

My background in journalism taught me to keep my notebooks for legal reasons, but it is a habit I did not give up as I transitioned into a role as a thought leadership consultant, corporate ghost-writer and media consultant. I know that something from an ‘Iain Aitch for the Financial Times’ byline could be rejigged later for a piece in the Daily Telegraph, or serve as research and clues to a piece for the Guardian. The same was true for my books, for publishers large and small.

As a ghost-writer who sometimes elbows my way into meetings, I see so many of these great ideas zooming by uncaptured. It is something I sometimes ask to do when I work for a founder or leader, so I can capture their character. But where most of my material comes from is interviews. I am an expert interviewer. I listen. I am quiet. But then interviewing isn’t all about machine-gunning questions at someone. I don’t like pulling teeth. I am great at extracting information gently, like a good pickpocket.

This is where I usually find these ideas. The ones that got away, but lingered and nagged at leaders. Or maybe they just come back in a ‘oh, hang on a minute…’ moment. It could be a regret about seeing that idea lost in a Friday morning stand-up turn out to be a $1 million idea for someone else five years later.

Sometimes those ‘ideas’ are opinions or perspectives. Disruptive or contrarian approaches that seemed too radical at the time that may just about be ready for now. It could also be ideas that entrepreneurs thought were too silly, radical, dangerous or controversial to express. Something that went against their own business or brand. What I do, is to take all of this and turn it into structured, publishable material, helping them to build authority around ideas, around personal brand and commercial position. It is a skill that has come from authoring two books of my own and appearing in a dozen more.

If you would like to find out how this might work for your, or your CEO, then contact me on iain@thisidea.co.uk for an informal chat.

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There is little doubt that the world of higher education is in turmoil. The big names are being knocked off their perch, others are plummeting down the various league tables while younger upstarts take their place.

Cuts are being made across departments, with the arts and social sciences often being impacted the most, as government ministers quote a singular trip to Stanford as a universal experience. Young people are being encouraged to become entrepreneurs, without being encouraged to think first about the wider world or the joy of learning.

Students are demanding more for their money, seeing the relationship as a transactional one, and AI is both saviour and destroyer of institutions and reputations. Never mind the problems it presents when grading work.

All of this is a problem for our universities. When rankings are in flux and the establishment is being usurped, young people will start to shop around, basing their decisions on value rather than academic rigour, location over reputation or history. We already have students who want to be close to the family home (and the bank of mum and dad) due to accommodation costs. Virtual learning and generational differences mean that even a trip to the library may be seen as an epic voyage.

Universities are going to have to think outside the box if they want to keep up. This sounds obvious for institutions that house our finest minds. But the wheels often turn slowly in academia.

For several years, I have been working with universities (very) old and new to examine ways in which they can stand out from the crowd. I collaborate with and consult with academics, marketers, Deans and PRs to explore the ways in which they and their institution can be front and centre when it comes to selection by students. I speak their language, as well as those who they want to buy their services, fund projects and leave legacies.

I cut through the REF and the footnotes to deliver ideas and words that will appeal to media, to young people or corporates. I have written keynotes that get press coverage, helped make research projects sing, showcased funding outcomes and explained just where funding will go and why that is so important. My work enhances the output of academics while making it understandable for those who do not have that same level of understanding.

I enjoy celebrating expertise, using my own to explain, enhance and embed in current thinking, be that in newspapers, journals or online. I ghost-write for leading thinkers, Deans, Principals and CEOS, as well as demystifying academic-speak for prospectuses and online explainers, working for universities and those who provide their research funding.

If you or your university needs to stand out from the rest then contact me on iain@thisidea.co.uk or browse thisidea.co.uk to see what I do, as well as the references from some of my satisfied consultancy clients.

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Being a premium ghostwriter in the UK can be a strange job. For a start, no one quite knows whether the correct term is ghostwriter, ghost-writer or ghost writer. But that is a minor detail.

I write in the name of other people – usually experts in their field – and others often find it a bit strange.

There are two questions that people often ask when I tell them that ghostwriting for CEOs, C-suites and well-known figures is a big part of my work. The first is ‘how do you know what to say?’ and the second is ‘how do you get inside their personality?’. The answer to both of these is talking and process.

Ghostwriting, whoever you are doing it for, is a relationship and a learning process. It starts with an informal chat, as both parties get the feel for the other and examine the question of whether they could work well together. It can then move on to more in-depth conversations and/or interviews.

What I write is usually thought leadership in some form, although it can include more personal first-person articles or think pieces. It can also be speeches, white papers, or ‘about us/me’ sections for websites

Initial conversations will be followed by regular or irregular meetings, either conversing about potential articles, reports and presentations, or meeting to work on a specific opinion article (or op-ed, if you are American). It is as collaborative (or not) as the client wants it to be. Some like to work in shared document and throw edits back and forth, while others like me to become them. Often it sits somewhere in the middle. I write, they suggest some changes, I re-write and they then approve.

I find that the work leans towards me doing more on my own as the relationship develops. Some clients have trusted me to write or respond without even running copy by them.

The best thing about ghostwriting is the learning. I learn twice on a new job. First I learn about the topic (be it AI, large language models, construction techniques, business style, finance, education or health products) and then I learn about the person I am ghosting for. This means picking up on cadence, regularly-used terms, definite no-nos and the lingual tics that even they don’t know that they possess.

Before long, I know that their grand-daughter has a kitten called Mr Miaowface and that their aunt invented the metal piece that holds rubbers on pencils. Often, we never even meet in person, although it is great when we do. I try to not finish their sentences for them.

I find that the skills to parse complex information, recreate that as original thought, maintain a relationship with CEOs/C-suite and another with editors is neither for the faint-hearted, large language models or junior agency staff. If you or a C-suite member at your business or non-profit would like to see how this could work for you, please contact me on iain@thisidea.co.uk.

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Using reports to enhance thought leadership is usually a great idea. A guaranteed win.

But, what most people see as the right way to create a report to grow your thought leadership is, most often, the wrong way.

Let’s say you decide that publishing a report on the widget marketplace will boost your brand’s reputation as a leader and boost profile. You’d be half right. Or even half wrong.

Unless you are already the leading widget brand and your report is a hotly-anticipated annual event then you could be barking up the wrong tree.

You need to think about the answer before you ask the question.

To speak in AI language, you need to provide an original prompt to ensure an interesting output.

You need to think about what the thought leadership angle and value is before you commission the report and/or the research.

So, why not produce a report on unexpected uses of the widget? Industry Y’s increasing reliance on widgets? On a trend you are noticing in sales, such as the huge growth in sales in the global south?

I am not saying you fudge the research or the findings, but you need to be looking for something that people are going to be interested in. Otherwise you are just left with an expensive doorstop.

I have been brought in to save and re-nose countless bland reports that would otherwise sink without trace. Maybe save yourself the time and expense and ensure you have thought leadership in mind BEFORE you begin.

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Thought leadership is a skill that is hard to pin down, whether you are a thought leader yourself or you are consulting for those who wish to use the skill as a platform to promote their work, their business and their brand.

As someone with a foot in both camps, I can speak with some experience and certainty about where it can go wrong, with the most common errors relating to seniority.

Thought leadership needs some level of gravitas, which is perhaps what distinguishes it from ‘influencing’ and ‘influencers’. The person showing their leadership needs to have reached a relatively senior level in their field and have something wise and original to share on the topic.

This certainly does not rule out relatively young founders and CEOs. But it does rule out those who are just starting out. The same rules apply to those tasked with creating or consulting on thought leadership journeys for leaders.

A leader in the field of thought leadership, whether working for PR agencies or communications companies should be able to hold their own with any C-suite, debate CEOs and be able to assure founders that their knowledge here is superior.

In the past week I have seen thought leadership writing roles advertised on what is effectively United Kingdom minimum wage. Those agencies are doing their clients a huge disservice, as well as the junior staff they expect to deliver copy or advice that is in any way acceptable.

No one who is financially better off cleaning the office they work in* is going to be able to correct a CEO or offer an “I think you’ll find…” to someone twice their age and on at least five-times their salary. Never mind the gulf in expertise and experience.

Being a senior journalist, copywriter, ghost-writer and thought leadership consultant, my fees are some way above minimum wage. I tend to be among the most expensive in the UK at what I do. Although, ironically, my rates are still far less than what an agency will charge out for a junior with ChatGPT on £11-per-hour. You decide which is the best value.

Some might say that my seniority and experience make me reassuringly expensive. I just like to think that it is reassuring, full stop.

Iain Aitch is a leading consultant on thought leadership, having worked with many leaders, founders and CEOs across tech, AI, education, non-profits, start-ups and blue-chips to secure coverage in national and trade press. You can contact him to set up a meeting on iain@thisidea.co.uk.

*nothing against cleaners! I was raised by one!

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