Reputation Lab: thought leadership and profile building

Reputation Lab: Thought Leadership and Profile Building  

Everyone in defence says they want to be a thought leader. Almost nobody does the work to become one. Over four weeks, this virtual programme helps you identify the narrative territory your organisation should own, build a 90-day credibility plan to establish authority in it, and produce a flagship content piece ready to publish. You will also leave with an internal business case that gets leadership to commit, because most thought leadership programmes do not fail for lack of ideas. They fail for lack of organisational backing. Ten CIPR CPD points included. 

Four-week virtual programme

• Thursday 14 January
• Thursday 21 January
• Thursday 28 January
• Thursday 4 February

Week 1 - What thought leadership actually means in defence (2 hours) 

The opening session cuts through the noise on what thought leadership in defence and security actually is, and isn't. The first hour covers the principles: why most attempts fall flat, what genuine authority looks like in defence, and the relationship between visibility, credibility and commercial outcomes. Case studies drawn from defence and security illustrate what works and what fails. The second hour moves into Discovery, where participants begin mapping the landscape in their own area of expertise: who is saying what, where the white space is, and where they have a credible right to lead. They leave with a draft narrative territory and a clear brief for their first homework exercise. 

Homework: Refine your narrative territory using the session frameworks.  Come prepared to defend your choice of territory in Week 2.

Week 2 - Find your territory (2 hours) 

Participants arrive having refined their narrative territory. The session opens with a brief group review of the submissions, identifying common patterns and challenges, before moving into structured peer feedback in breakout rooms. Each participant presents their chosen territory, explains why it is distinctive and defensible, and receives honest feedback from peers and the expert facilitator. The second hour focuses on first moves: identifying the three to five activities that will establish authority in each participant's chosen territory, and building a realistic 90-day credibility plan. Participants leave with a defined narrative territory and a 90-day plan ready to pressure-test further. 

Homework: Draft your 90-day credibility plan in full, specifying platforms, publications, events and relationships.  Submit before Week 3.

Week 3 - Build your flagship content and make the internal case (2 hours) 

This session tackles the two things that most thought leadership programmes fail on: producing something worth publishing, and getting organisational buy-in to sustain the effort. The first hour is dedicated to drafting a flagship content piece, whether an article, a talk outline or a position paper, with expert editorial guidance on structure, argument, evidence and tone. Breakout rooms give participants space to workshop their drafts with peer feedback. The second hour focuses on the internal business case: why thought leadership matters commercially, what it costs, what it returns, and how to get sign-off from leadership who think PR is just press releases. Participants leave with a draft content piece and a draft internal business case. 

Homework: Complete your flagship content draft and internal business case ready for expert review in Week 4.

Week 4 - The Clinic and your Lab Report (2 hours) 

The final session is where the hardest challenges get solved. The first hour is The Clinic: participants bring their most difficult profile-building problem, whether a CEO who won't put their name to anything, a competitor dominating the conversation, or a platform strategy that isn't gaining traction. Breakout rooms give each participant direct expert input and honest peer perspectives. The second hour is dedicated to finalising the full Lab Report: defined narrative territory, 90-day credibility plan, flagship content draft, internal business case and personal rollout plan. The session closes with a group debrief. A group check-in call is scheduled for two weeks after completion.