Everything Thought Leadership

"Why is it so darn hard to make our businesses perform better?" Dr. Michael Hammer once asked this question, and back in the 1980s, there wasn't a good answer. Then Hammer and the firm he partnered with, CSC Index, found one. They called it "business reengineering,” and it became a blockbuster management concept that companies used to dramatically reduce costs, cut cycle times and increase revenue.Born from Hammer and CSC Index’s thought leadership research program (PRISM), it fueled a $5 billion-a-year global market for reengineering consulting services by the mid-1990s. Then by 2000, CSC Index fully dissolved into its parent company. What happened? In this first episode of Inside the Game Changers, we dive into the story of business reengineering with the people who were there.(00:00) – The 1990s’ Embrace of Business Reengineering(03:04) – The Research Program Behind the Concept (05:00) - Turning Reengineering into a Consulting Service(06:51) – The Genesis of the PRISM Program(10:01) – The Guru at the Center: Michael Hammer(13:27) – PRISM’s Magic Research Formula (19:38) - Getting Research Sponsors to Reveal: How the Team Built Trust(25:42) – Research Shift: From IT Management to Business Process Change(28:21) – Global Adoption: Marketing Business Reengineering(32:49) – Consulting Market Competitors Catch Up(34:12) – Fall of CSC Index & Remembering Michael Hammer(36:14) – Reengineering’s Biggest LessonsCertain archival materials: Courtesy of the Estate of Dr. Michael Hammer.WIKIMEDIA COMMONS CREDIT (all modified):1. “Sap-wdf” — MichaelBr90; CC BY-SA 3.0. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sap-wdf.jpg2. “ITB2016 Oracle (1) Travelarz” — Travelarz; CC BY-SA 3.0 PL. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ITB2016_Oracle_(1)_Travelarz.jpg3. “Great Dome, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Aug 2019” — Mys 721tx; CC BY-SA 3.0. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Great_Dome,_Massachusetts_Institute_of_Technology,_Aug_2019.jpg4. “FordGlassHouse” — Dave Parker; CC BY 3.0. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:FordGlassHouse.jpg5. “MIT - Department of Mathematics (54960639561)” — ajay_suresh; CC BY 4.0. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MIT_-_Department_of_Mathematics_(54960639561).jpg6. “Hype-Cycle-General” — Olga Tarkovskiy; CC BY-SA 3.0. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hype-Cycle-General.png7. “Accenture Argentina” — Roberto Fiadone; CC BY-SA 4.0. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Accenture_Argentina.jpg8. “2025-07-31 Heinz Nixdorf Forum 108” — Ziko van Dijk; CC BY-SA 4.0. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2025-07-31_Heinz_Nixdorf_Forum_108.jpgLICENSES:CC BY-SA 3.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/CC BY-SA 3.0 PL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/pl/CC BY 3.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/CC BY 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/This documentary includes excerpts from third-party works—including articles, webpages, photos, charts, and other archival materials—for purposes such as commentary, historical analysis, criticism, reporting and research. These excerpts are incorporated into original narration and analysis and are presented in context. We have sought to use only the portions reasonably necessary to identify, document or examine the subjects discussed, rather than to reproduce or substitute for the original works or their authorized markets.ETL believes that these particular uses qualify as fair use under Section 107 of the United States Copyright Act. Copyrights in third-party materials remain with their respective owners. Third-party names, trademarks and logos are displayed solely for identification, commentary and historical reference—they do not imply affiliation with, sponsorship of or endorsement.https://www.copyright.gov/fair-use/#:~:text=Section%20107%20of%20the%20Copyright,may%20qualify%20as%20fair%20use.

Why did Spotify's head of global brand strategy push for thought leadership? Jenny Haggard has been with the music streaming juggernaut for over 12 years, and since 2023, has overseen the development of research and marketing campaigns that attract advertisers to the platform. The research includes The Sound-On Era, a study on the rise of digital audio as an advertising channel, and how AI is poised to propel it.Spotify demonstrates that even streaming companies have embraced thought leadership research and marketing, and Jenny's here to show us why and how. In this episode of Everything Thought Leadership (ETL), she dives into her current role, the thought leadership mindset at the core of Spotify, and her advice for anyone looking to make a career in thought leadership.(00:00) – Introducing Jenny Haggard(00:53) – Interview Starts(04:34) – Taking a Risk on an Unknown(07:34) – Spotify’s Thought Leadership Goals(10:01) – The Rise of ‘Active Audio’(13:23) – How Spotify’s Thought Leadership Team Works(16:11) – Advocating for Thought Leadership(18:04) – The Thrill of Storytelling(19:43) – Why Sound is Making a Comeback(21:30) – Seeing Around the Corner(25:23) – The 3 Rs of Authentic Thought Leadership(28:04) – The Impact of AI on the Profession(30:54) – Best Career Advice(34:09) – The Power of a Great Attitude(36:36) – Staying Positive as AI Transforms Jobs(41:02) – Qualities of a Great Thought Leadership Professional(43:44) – From Thought Leadership to Sales GrowthEverything Thought Leadership is a video and podcast series from Buday TLP for thought leaders and thought leadership professionals; the people who help experts get recognized as thought leaders. Episodes release monthly, preceded by trailers and followed with short snippets of wisdom from the interviews.

Why did Spotify's head of global brand strategy push for thought leadership? Jenny Haggard has been with the music streaming juggernaut for over 12 years, and since 2023, has overseen the development of research and marketing campaigns that attract advertisers to the platform. The research includes The Sound-On Era, a study on the rise of digital audio as an advertising channel, and how AI is poised to propel it.Spotify demonstrates that even streaming companies have embraced thought leadership research and marketing, and Jenny's here to show us why and how. In this episode of Everything Thought Leadership (ETL), she dives into her current role, the thought leadership mindset at the core of Spotify, and her advice for anyone looking to make a career in thought leadership.(00:00) – Introducing Jenny Haggard(00:53) – Interview Starts(04:34) – Taking a Risk on an Unknown(07:34) – Spotify’s Thought Leadership Goals(10:01) – The Rise of ‘Active Audio’(13:23) – How Spotify’s Thought Leadership Team Works(16:11) – Advocating for Thought Leadership(18:04) – The Thrill of Storytelling(19:43) – Why Sound is Making a Comeback(21:30) – Seeing Around the Corner(25:23) – The 3 Rs of Authentic Thought Leadership(28:04) – The Impact of AI on the Profession(30:54) – Best Career Advice(34:09) – The Power of a Great Attitude(36:36) – Staying Positive as AI Transforms Jobs(41:02) – Qualities of a Great Thought Leadership Professional(43:44) – From Thought Leadership to Sales GrowthEverything Thought Leadership is a video and podcast series from Buday TLP for thought leaders and thought leadership professionals; the people who help experts get recognized as thought leaders. Episodes release monthly, preceded by trailers and followed with short snippets of wisdom from the interviews.

Since 2017, ServiceNow has increased revenue sixfold to $13 billion and become highly profitable. In rebranding the company from its IT help-desk roots to a cross-functional business platform, thought leadership has played a sizable role. On this episode of Everything Thought Leadership, we are joined by Richard McGill Murphy, who until January was head of research innovation at ServiceNow. He built the company's thought leadership and content programs starting in 2017, in part with publishing and research that present new trends in AI, workforce transformation, and organizational risk. He also created an award-winning online publication for C-suite executives called Workflow. Today, Richard discusses his biggest lessons from his work at ServiceNow, how the AI era affects the future of thought leadership, and his latest effort to reshape thought leadership for tech companies: Walled City Group. 00:00 – Introducing Richard 00:49 – Interview Starts 07:51 – Branding and Thought Leadership Everything Thought Leadership is a video and podcast series from Buday TLP for thought leaders and thought leadership professionals; the people who help experts get recognized as thought leaders. Episodes release monthly, preceded by trailers and followed with short snippets of wisdom from the interviews.

IT services has become the largest sector in the $5.4 trillion global IT industry. But it’s also become a highly competitive sector. In the U.S. alone, the number of IT services firms increased 37% between 2002 and 2022 (Census Bureau). The result? The companies that hire IT services firms have more trouble determining which ones to use. That's why many IT services firms are turning to thought leadership. They see the need to demonstrate their unique expertise. On this episode, Bob Buday, Alan Alper and Manish Bahl walk you through a study they conducted in 2025 that has huge implications for IT services firms that must differentiate themselves to grow faster. The trio discuss key findings from the research, which included a survey of 300 IT services firms, a survey of 200 executives who decide on which IT services firms to use, and 20 interviews with thought leadership professionals in the industry, their clients and others. Read the full study at: https://itthoughtleadership.com/ Alan is an affiliate of Buday Thought Leadership Partners, and Manish is founder and director of market researcher Curious Insights. Both worked in thought leadership at Cognizant, whose thought leadership and marketing investments helped increase revenue 7-fold between 2007 and 2021. Everything Thought Leadership is a video and podcast series from Buday TLP for thought leaders and thought leadership professionals; the people who help experts get recognized as thought leaders. Episodes release monthly, preceded by trailers and followed with short snippets of wisdom from the interviews.