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11.14.25
Be a Specialist, Not a Generalist: Why Your Brand Depends on Focus
In a market where clients are under pressure to do more with less, they won’t gamble on generalists. The firms and advisors who thrive are those who carve out a niche and lead it.HEADLINES expressing how AI is reshaping knowledge work are everywhere. From legal research to tax prep, technology is automating the rote tasks that used to justify armies of junior staff. Clients are noticing. A 2025 Bloomberg survey of corporate general councils found that 61 percent expect to experiment with AI-powered tools this year, and more than half say they’re scrutinizing external providers to ensure “specialized value” that machines can’t replace. This is the crux for professional experts. Delivering the work is no longer enough. To grow, you must also sell — and in a climate where clients are questioning every hour billed, they gravitate to advisors they trust with proven authority in a narrow domain. Generalists, by contrast, are interchangeable. And in the emerging era of AI, they’re not only interchangeable with each other — they’re the first targets for agentic AI. If your value is defined by routine analysis, drafting, or process execution, you are competing with tools that promise to do the same work faster and cheaper. Specialists, on the other hand, offer judgment, nuance, and pattern recognition that machines can’t as easily replicate. Why Clients Bet on Specialists When the stakes are high, buyers want the safest option. That means they look for specialists who solve complex, high-value problems every day. An Am Law 200 firm recently noted that its food and beverage practice doubled in five years because clients trusted the lawyers’ niche expertise in regulatory matters. Similar stories play out in consulting, accounting, and litigation support: specialists are sought after, while generalists are easy to swap out. Specialization sends a signal. It tells clients you have depth in their world, you have a nuanced understanding of their challenges, and your unique experience allows you to anticipate what’s coming next. That reduces their risk — and increases your value. How to Carve Out a Niche Not sure where to start? Here are three proven steps to build specialist positioning: 1. Audit your past successes. Look at your client list and identify patterns. Which industries, company sizes, or problem types have you consistently excelled in? Your track record reveals where your authority is already strongest and where you have the most credibility. 2. Align with market demand. Specialization works best when it intersects with growth sectors or pressing client needs. For example, firms serving healthcare are seeing a surge in demand as regulations tighten and mergers and acquisitions activity accelerates. If you can navigate that complexity, you’ll not just win work, you’ll become indispensable. 3. Test and refine your message. Start small — publish an insight, lead a roundtable, or host a webinar targeted to your chosen niche. Notice the response. If prospects lean in and connectors echo your positioning, you’re on the right path. You Can’t Boil the Ocean Here’s the truth: a generalist must cast a wider net, chasing volume to find opportunity. A specialist has a far better chance of cornering a market. By narrowing the scope of your outreach, you increase your odds of dominating a space rather than being an interchangeable player in a crowded one. For doer sellers, this matters. With billable hour demands and client work taking priority, you can’t afford random acts of networking. You only have the capacity to maintain a “short list” of 9 to 35 relationships (based on analysis of professional services CRM user data). If your positioning is too broad, you’ll waste those limited slots on relationships that never compound. The Branding Payoff Becoming a specialist isn’t just about internal clarity. It’s about external differentiation. The professionals who lead with niche authority are invited to speak at industry events, quoted in trade press, and referred more often. They become the go-to experts in their lane. Contrast that with the generalist brand: difficult to market, hard to defend, and easy for buyers to replace. If your website or LinkedIn profile lists 12 practice areas or industries served, you’re not signaling focus. You’re signaling “jack of all trades, master of none.” Practical Moves to Specialize Here are a few tactical steps to reinforce your specialist brand:
In today’s professional services marketplace, being broad isn’t safe — it’s risky. Focus doesn’t limit you. It frees you. By claiming a niche, you differentiate your brand, elevate your value, and make every minute of business development count. ![]() ![]()
Posted by Michael McKinney at 10:49 AM
11.13.25
Leading Thoughts for November 13, 2025
IDEAS shared have the power to expand perspectives, change thinking, and move lives. Here are two ideas for the curious mind to engage with: Anne-Laura Le Cunff on life as an experiment: “No matter how good your tool or deliberative your thought process, one thing never changes: There is no right choice. If you’re used to zero-sum thinking, that point of view may frustrate you. But it’s almost impossible to fail when you see everything as an experiment. In a life of experimentation, there is no wrong choice, either. A pact isn’t a destination. It’s a path you want to discover more about yourself and the world. Success and failure are fluid constructs, not fixed labels. If you simply keep going as is, it means you found an ideal groove—amazing! If you decide to stop, it means this direction didn’t feel good—now you know! Source: Tiny Experiments: How to Live Freely in a Goal-Obsessed World Nick Bare on consistency: “Showing up and being consistently good creates results. Source: Go One More: Find the Clarity to Make Intentional, Life-Changing Choices Look for these ideas every Thursday on the Leading Blog. Find more ideas on the LeadingThoughts index.
Posted by Michael McKinney at 01:17 PM
11.12.25
The Power of Edges: Why the Overlap Between Teams and Disciplines Drives Innovation
THE most biodiverse place on Earth isn’t found deep in the Amazon rainforest or in the heart of the ocean. It’s at the edges–where forest meets water, where mountain slopes transition to valley floors, where different ecosystems intersect and create something neither could achieve alone. These “edge effects” generate extraordinary abundance through the dynamic interaction of different systems. The same principle applies to our organizations, yet most businesses are designed to minimize exactly these kinds of productive intersections. We organize into departments, create clear reporting lines, and establish distinct territories of responsibility. While this structure provides clarity, it also eliminates the spaces where innovation most naturally occurs. Picture your organization’s structure as a diagram. It likely shows neat boxes connected by clean lines: marketing here, engineering there, sales over here. These artificial boundaries create “innovation dead zones” where potentially transformative interactions simply never happen. When teams operate exclusively within their designated boxes, customer problems get bounced between departments, resources get duplicated, and breakthrough solutions remain undiscovered. The cumulative effect drains organizational energy. Instead of generating value, rigid boundaries create tension points where good work goes to die. Three Strategies to Harness Your Organization’s Edge Effects
Companies that master edge effects consistently outperform their competitors. 3 M’s innovation pipeline thrived because they’ve institutionalized cross-pollination; their famous Post-it Notes emerged from the intersection of adhesive technology and office products. Commonly referred Toyota, they achieved higher quality and faster improvement cycles than competitors because they’ve eliminated rigid departmental separations in favor of integrated problem-solving. These organizations recognize that their greatest untapped resource isn’t hidden within existing departments—it’s waiting to emerge in the spaces between them. Inspect & Adapt It’s worth mentioning that common metrics often miss the value created at organizational edges because they’re designed to measure individual departmental performance. Organizations serious about edge effects need new approaches: track communication patterns across boundaries, identify which breakthrough ideas emerged from cross-functional collaboration, measure customer experience across entire journeys rather than individual touchpoints, and survey how energized employees feel when working on cross-functional versus departmental projects. “The future is not to be predicted nor forecasted but firstly imagined so that it can be created.” As customer expectations span multiple disciplines, as technology blurs industry boundaries, and as global challenges require integrated solutions, organizational edges become competitive advantages. The companies that will thrive in an increasingly complex world won’t be those with the most efficient departments; they’ll be those with the most productive intersections. REvolution The evolution begins with recognizing that the spaces in between on your organizational chart items aren’t empty space to be ignored–it’s innovation space to be cultivated. Nature has spent billions of years demonstrating that abundance flourishes at edges. Organizations ready to learn from this fine-tuned R&D will discover their greatest opportunities in the spaces we have been overlooking all along. ![]() ![]()
Posted by Michael McKinney at 08:17 AM
11.07.25
Don’t Be Yourself
THE groundwork for the modern cult of authenticity was laid in our era by philosophers like Rousseau and others of his mindset who followed him. Their idea that any constraints laid on us or attempts to conform us by society make us inauthentic. But the fact is, we find out who we are in relation to other people and the communities in which we interact. Our uninhibited self is rarely our best self. In Don’t Be Yourself: Why Authenticity Is Overrated (and What to Do Instead) published by Harvard Business Review Press, author Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic asks, “What if chasing authenticity was an actual trap—one that oversimplifies human complexity, disregards the necessity of compromise, and leaves us ill-equipped to navigate the nuanced realities of modern life, which include focusing not just on ourselves and how we feel, but also on others?”` Our uninhibited, authentic self can hold us back from the potential we have. Contrary to what the authenticity cult predicates, success is rarely attained through radical honesty or by always showing every single side of ourselves. Instead, it’s a function of carefully managing your self-presentation—adapting to situations and showcasing the qualities that are best appreciated by others—while making an effort to conceal negative, undesirable, and irrelevant aspects of your personality. Chamorro-Premuzic presents us with four authenticity traps that encourage us to be our unfiltered selves regardless of the situation and refuse to compromise. The Four Authenticity Traps
Instead… You will be more successful if you keep these thoughts in mind:
The common thread here is humility and an other-focus. As leaders, the more you focus on yourself, the less you will care about the needs of those you lead. Your leadership becomes narcissistic. Focusing on being nice, ethical, and competent, and being perceived as trustworthy by others, especially followers, leaders often view authenticity as an end goal, as if it was a critical enabler of their success. However, focusing too much on authenticity—in this case, adhering too closely to the “just be yourself” mantra—will foster a narcissistic mindset that is not conducive to leadership effectiveness. Instead, leaders would be better off if they focused on being other-oriented, so as to understand how other people think and feel in order to enable them to work together. The question is, how can we best display our character and humanity in a way that is most beneficial to our goals and objectives? By shifting our perspective, beyond the assumption that others value our unfiltered or genuine self per se, we can unlock more effective strategies for navigating the complexities and cultural nuances of work and life. This approach, while less self-serving, comforting, or self-obsessed, empowers us to be more intentional about how we present ourselves, communicate, and connect with others. It allows us to balance sincerity with adaptability, personal values with professional demands, and emotional truth with strategic thinking. In doing so, we can become more effective, better performers who rise to challenges with an awareness of our limitations, better leaders who inspire trust and collaboration, and better coworkers who contribute meaningfully to shared goals. ![]()
Posted by Michael McKinney at 08:22 AM
11.06.25
Leading Thoughts for November 6, 2025
IDEAS shared have the power to expand perspectives, change thinking, and move lives. Here are two ideas for the curious mind to engage with: Nick Huber on responsibility: “This might hurt. This is likely hard to swallow. Source: The Sweaty Startup: How to Get Rich Doing Boring Things Adam Grant on discomfort: “Becoming a creature of discomfort can unlock hidden potential in many different types of learning. Summoning the nerve to face discomfort is a character skill—an especially important form of determination. It takes three kinds of courage: to abandon your tried-and-true methods, to put yourself in the ring before you feel ready, and to make more mistakes than others make attempts. The best way to accelerate growth is to embrace, seek, and amplify discomfort.” Source: Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things Look for these ideas every Thursday on the Leading Blog. Find more ideas on the LeadingThoughts index.
Posted by Michael McKinney at 02:27 PM
11.05.25
To Achieve the Extraordinary, Focus on the Game Changers
IN a world of constant change, leaders face relentless pressure to deliver results. Yet the greatest leaders know that true success is not measured only by outcomes, but also by their ability to create conditions for others to thrive and achieve the extraordinary. Of course, everyone in your organization plays an important role. But there are the very select few who show a truly exceptional talent. They are the ones who have the potential to achieve extraordinary things, who push the whole team further, under the most pressing conditions. They are the ones who are not just satisfied with the status quo on a high level. They are going the furthest, taking the risks that pay off, delivering outstanding performance as a baseline, creating innovative solutions, and inspiring others to level up. It’s these special individuals that make you think: If they quit, we’ve got a real problem! I call these individuals Game Changers. In my experience, you’ll find only a very small percentage among your people. They don’t just exceed predetermined targets or goals. They have the potential to deliver consistently exceptional, game-changing performance. However, to reach that level, they need to be recognized, understood, and most of all, led to fully develop. I describe the relationship between a leader and the Game-Changer as a Winning Match. Here are three essential strategies for leaders when building a Winning Match with Game Changers:
When you establish these regular leadership sparring sessions - where you share your knowledge, offer guidance, and open your network, Game Changers begin to see more than a leader. They see your genuine commitment to the overall success, your belief in their role within the organization, and your investment in bringing out the best in them. They recognize your clear ambition to help them reach their full potential. And then, something remarkable happens: a certain magic emerges in these conversations. That dynamic of trust, challenge, and inspiration becomes the foundation for a true Winning Match. All in all, a Winning Match represents the ideal combination between a driven individual with game-changer potential and their leader, who acts as their Leadership Champion – engaging in regular, challenging, honest, and deeply supportive interactions. This partnership becomes the cornerstone for creating extraordinary results through your Game Changers. ![]() ![]()
Posted by Michael McKinney at 05:02 PM
11.01.25
First Look: Leadership Books for November 2025
HERE'S A LOOK at some of the best leadership books to be released in November 2025 curated just for you. Be sure to check out the other great titles being offered this month.
What is the brand strategy Apple, Starbucks, and other market leaders have mastered for decades, yet never name? It’s not differentiation. It’s not purpose. It’s something far more powerful, and in today’s hyper-competitive business world, it’s the only strategy that consistently wins. It’s called De-Positioning, a method that turns your competitor’s strengths into liabilities while positioning your brand as the only solution your customer truly trusts. De-Positioning works by identifying the most critical problem your customer needs solved, exposing how your competitors fail to solve it, and making your brand the clear, inevitable choice. When applied with discipline, it renders competitors irrelevant.
What’s your Next Play? An elite performance coach reveals the life-changing two-word philosophy for simplifying success. It’s easy to become convinced that the secret to a great career, a high-performing team, or a fulfilled life must be hidden in a complex formula or framework. The truth about success is that it isn’t complicated. We just tend to make it that way. This book contains 34 powerfully simple strategies and 35 practical exercises designed to show how reaching the top of your game doesn’t require more. It requires less but better.
Strong cultures don't emerge by accident. They're built—with clarity, consistency, and design. This is your guide. Today's leaders are navigating a storm of competing demands: rising economic and social pressures, rapid technological disruption, and a workforce that expects greater purpose and accountability than ever before. In this unpredictable climate, a weak culture erodes trust, loyalty, and performance. A strong one, by contrast, makes the difference between clarity and confusion, resilience and fragility. It's time to get intentional about your company's culture.
Stop being someone who could succeed and become someone who predictably should succeed by using a revolutionary “probability hacking” framework to increase your odds of success. Every goal that you’re pursuing has two hidden numbers attached to it—a probability of success and a probability of failure. Whether you’re trying to start a business, run a marathon, get a promotion, earn a pilot’s license, grow a bumper crop of tomatoes, or sign an acting deal, these two percentages are always lurking in the shadows predicting what is going to happen. But most of us never think about them. We assume our odds are unknowable and unchangeable. This dangerous lie leads millions of people to fail at goals where they were perfectly capable of succeeding. You can choose a smarter path.
Quick Leadership by Selena Rezvani equips you with modern, people-first strategies for leading in today's fast-moving, fast-changing workplaces. Forget outdated, top-down management―this book is packed with real-world tips that help you build trust, boost performance, and bring out the best in your team (without burning yourself out). Selena Rezvani, a renowned leadership expert and coach, guides readers through simple, doable strategies that boost trust, inclusivity, and innovation - critical elements in a time when employees are demanding more purpose, autonomy, and respect in their work. In Quick Leadership, Rezvani offers a wealth of insights on how to cultivate a thriving work culture.
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“You can't think well without writing well, and you can't write well without reading well. And I mean that last "well" in both senses. You have to be good at reading, and read good things.” — Paul Graham, Y Combinator co-founder
Posted by Michael McKinney at 08:35 AM
10.31.25
LeadershipNow 140: October 2025 Compilation
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Posted by Michael McKinney at 08:33 AM
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BUILD YOUR KNOWLEDGE
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How to Do Your Start-Up Right STRAIGHT TALK FOR START-UPS
Grow Your Leadership Skills NEW AND UPCOMING LEADERSHIP BOOKS
Leadership Minute BITE-SIZE CONCEPTS YOU CAN CHEW ON
Classic Leadership Books BOOKS TO READ BEFORE YOU LEAD |