Using the four pillars of Source’s trusted thought leadership quality methodology, here’s how the fundamentals of the two are closely aligned: 

Differentiation: A very clear focus on the reader 

A children’s author knows their audience and understands what scares, excites, worries, or confuses a child of a particular age. They make sure each part of the story is written with that child in mind, guiding them through and helping them clarify their questions along the way.  

In thought leadership, understanding the audience is equally crucial. Thought leaders must fully understand their readers’ challenges and aspirations and use this knowledge to drive home the message, provide answers to their questions, and leave them feeling like they have a solution. 

Writing in a way that the particular audience will understand is also key. In children’s books, irrespective of how creative, engaging, or imaginative the story, the underpinning narrative must be simple enough for the child reading it to understand. Similarly, in thought leadership, authors are frequently very knowledgeable in their field, so they must take extra care to convey that knowledge clearly and concisely without losing credibility.  

 

Appeal: Engaging the audience’s imagination 

One of the key goals of a children’s book is to inspire imagination. Beautiful, unique illustrations, colourful descriptions, and whimsical characters are designed to spark creativity in the minds of the young reader. And while thought leadership may not need colourful pictures or talking animals, it does need to be able to take a familiar concept and present it in a fresh, thought-provoking way. Engaging an audience with different formats to attract their attention in a way that appeals to them personally is key to thought leadership success.  

Storytelling lies at the heart of both children’s literature and effective thought leadership. For children, stories are how they learn to understand the world, and they do so through relatable characters and imaginative narratives. Effective thought leadership content often introduces new topics or new ways of approaching the challenges facing its audience. Storytelling, such as personal anecdotes or case studies, help to bring the ideas to life and make them relatable.  

Whether you are inspiring a child to dream about faraway lands or encouraging professionals to embrace disruptive innovation, both forms of writing ask the audience to step outside their current perspective and engage their imagination. 

Resilience: Clarity, consistency, and trust 

Both children’s authors and thought leaders build relationships based on trust. Young readers return to their favourite children’s author because they know what to expect. Their stories cover imaginative topics, they guide them through life lessons or challenges, or the writing simply speaks to them and resonates.  

Similarly, a thought leader earns trust (and as a result, so too does the firm or brand that they work for) by consistently providing valuable, insightful content. They become a go-to source for information because their audience knows that their work will deliver credible, thoughtful advice based on reliable research and evidence.  

Where children turn to familiar stories that make them feel safe, professionals turn to trusted voices that consistently provide clarity amidst a clamour of other noise. 

Prompting action: Delivering a key message or takeaway 

Every great children’s book leaves its readers with a lasting lesson or moral. I’m sure anyone reading this can remember a story they read or had read to them as a child. The most memorable stories are those that offer guidance in a way that resonates with the child long after the last page has been read.  

Thought leadership works in a similar way. The goal is to offer actionable advice or introduce a game-changing idea that sticks with the reader and encourages them to take action in their own business. Whatever topic or challenge you are discussing, the takeaway should be as clear and impactful as possible. 

 

Connecting two different worlds with innovation 

While it may seem that writing children’s books and writing thought leadership are very different, they share a common goal: communicating ideas in a clear, engaging, and effective way that will leave a lasting impression on their reader. Whether you are helping a child navigate the world through a character’s adventures or are guiding professionals through industry challenges, the principles of understanding your audience, clarity of message, creative execution, and providing logical takeaways remain the same. 

So, next time you’re digesting the latest from your favourite professional services insights team, consider how the fundamentals might just mirror those of either a children’s book you read recently, or perhaps one you read when you were a child. Does it inspire you through creativity and innovation? And, most importantly, does it leave a lasting impression?   

 

In our recent White Space report ‘The Innovation Challenge’, we spoke to the leading producers of professional services thought leadership from Accenture, EY, IBM, and PwC. These interviews dive into the innovative tools and techniques they’ve been employing in a bid to stand out from their competition and engage their audiences in more creative ways.

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