Public thinking

The world of tech is messy and noisy. Trends come so fast and disappear so quickly that it’s hard to understand what’s really going on, which trends matter (and why), and most importantly, what will happen next.

Benedict Evans does the hard work for us. He digs deep so we don’t have to and explains his findings in a weekly newsletter which goes out to more than 170,000 subscribers.

Although the newsletter is basically like a mini magazine, his marketing couldn’t be more different from magazines. No flashy ads and no espresso machine for subscribing. Evans markets by making his thinking public.

On Twitter and in his blog, he tells true stories about what he’s currently thinking about. People know exactly what they subscribe to. Which is precisely what makes them subscribe. Evans trusts them with that decision.

This makes him a role model for the Leaders Light the Path approach. Here’s the manifesto if you want to become one, too.

Leaders who light the path

Leaders who light the path care for their cause – not the applause.

They care for better – as opposed to more.

They strive to get it right rather than to be right.

They speak with clarity – not ambiguity.

They figure it out so we don’t have to.

They start with empathy.

And make change happen.

Will you light us the path?

How great communicators make change happen

When you want us to see something, you need us to look. You need our attention.

Poor communicators fail to get our attention. So, we can’t see what they want us to see. Change can’t happen – even if we care. We don’t see it.

Good communicators make us see the things they care about. They serve us their cause as something we should care about. And probably we do, but probably we don’t. Change might happen or not depending on whether we do.

Great communicators are different.

Rather than to speak so that we get them, leaders who light the path get us and speak about it.

They make us see a path forward that we care for. A path we want to take.

One we choose to take.

And that’s why change happens.

PS: This is an excerpt from the “Leaders Light the Path Manifesto”. Read the full text here: https://LeadersLightThePath.com and share it with everyone who needs to read it.

The Leaders Light the Path Manifesto

Every change start with someone who sees a better future.
Change happens when you make others see what you see.

Introducing the “Leaders Light the Path Manifesto”.

Whether in tiny ways or affecting the world at large, great communicators make change happen by helping us see what they see, a future that matters and that we strive for. Through their communication, they light us a path that brings us there.

In the past 14 years, I’ve had the honor to work with many of those leaders. On top of that I’ve spent an enormous time analyzing even more of them, some well known, others not so much.

What’s common to all of them is that they don’t persuade harder, but resonate stronger. They start with empathy, honesty, and trust. They do work that matters and tell true stories about it.

The Leaders Light the Path Manifesto captures the essence of that approach: https://LeadersLightThePath.com

I hope that you take it as an inspiration to follow their example. Please spread it far and wide if you find it useful.

Keep lighting the path!

Spread the Word

Picture of Dr. Michael Gerharz

Dr. Michael Gerharz