Business Development Strategy: Do you have the Right Mix of Brains and Brawn?  

In my work with authors, speakers, and thought leaders the dominant trait I see is their intellect; however, there’s a down side to this. As a business or enterprise they tend to rely on their pure intellectual torque and not enough on the raw horsepower needed to effectively leverage and monetize their content. On the other end of this spectrum I see a lot of “gurus” that are heavy on the brawn and leave a bit to be desired in the brains department. They have a well-oiled marketing machine that squeezes every last dime out of every list, link, tweet and post. Like it or not, many of these “brawny gurus” are making good money. No one said life is fair, right? Brains are great, brawn is great, but a business development strategy that pairs both together, now we’re talking.

So what’s a smart thought leader, author, or speaker to do? Brains alone will not get you there, you need to put the effort into developing the brawn. You need a viable strategy and you need the discipline and focus to consistently and effectively execute it. But, you don’t need to do it all on your own. Identify where you need the help and go get it. Build strategic partnerships with the folks you need, hire resources that have the skills you’re missing. Intelligence is no doubt important, but you don’t want to be a brilliant infant that organizationally lacks the strength to support the massive head on its shoulders.

Fortunately, if you are truly a thought leader, a smart insightful individual with a model, process, and sharp methodology — you can develop or partner with the brawn to leverage your work. Muscles are easier to develop than ideas. In the long run, I’d put my money on the sharp guy that’s developed the strategic muscle as opposed to the muscle-head that makes feeble attempts to be brainy.