Our Deep Roots in Thought Leadership

Buday Thought Leadership Partners’ offerings are based on Bob Buday’s nearly 40 years of experience as a pioneer in the thought leadership profession. Human resources management guru Dave Ulrich calls Bob “the thought leader on thought leadership.”

Bob played key roles in marketing the blockbuster management concept of the 1990s, business reengineering, a consulting service that fueled a nearly $5 billion a year consulting market and accelerated an even bigger market for enterprise software packages. He co-led the first thought leadership consulting firm (Bloom Group) from 1998 to 2020, and founded Buday TLP in March 2020.

Since the early 2000s, Bob has regarded the work of making experts famous as an emerging discipline – a new profession. But improving the skills of people in a new profession requires research that documents leading practices. In addition, people in a new profession need to meet, exchange ideas and share experiences. What’s more, to rapidly advance their skills, they need training programs tailored to their jobs.

Bob has been a pioneer in all three areas. He spearheaded the first research on the thought leadership profession, the first U.S. seminars and conferences for thought leadership professionals, and the first training programs.

Pioneering Research on Thought Leadership

Bob and his two firms have also conducted more research on the practice of thought leadership than any other organization. He conducted the first study on the thought leadership profession in 2005 — 12 years before Edelman PR and LinkedIn launched their first studies on the topic. (They too have certainly raised the importance of thought leadership.) In all, Bob has led 11 studies on thought leadership.

He continues to research the topic. Bob, Alan Alper and Curious Insights are leading a 2025 study on thought leadership practices in the $1.5 trillion global technology services industry. To learn more about these 11 studies, go to this page.

The First U.S. Conferences on Thought Leadership

In 2014, Bob launched the first seminars on thought leadership, working with the Association of Management Consulting Firms. After AMCF shut down in 2016, Bob and Jason Mlicki launched the first annual U.S. conferences for thought leadership professionals across industries (“Profiting from Thought Leadership”) from 2016-2022.

Blazing the Trail in Training

The best training in any profession comes from its leading thinkers, researchers and practitioners. Buday TLP’s training programs are based on Bob Buday’s pioneering research, his nearly 40 years of work with clients, and his award-winning book, Competing on Thought Leadership.

Technology marketing guru Geoffrey Moore called the book “an essential guide to the engine that drives the early adoption of disruptive innovations.”

Bob is known in thought leadership circles for several concepts including the Problem/Solution narrative outline, the Demand and Supply Generation strategy for thought leadership, and the 9 Hallmarks of Outstanding Content.

Generative AI tool ChatGPT says Bob is the “only person who has codified thought leadership into a repeatable discipline for firms.” Buday TLP aims to continue building the best training products for the thought leadership profession.

See more on our training offerings here.