Nine behavioral economics principles from Rory Sutherland that explain why CEO visibility and thought leadership actually work—beyond the fluffy "personal brand" stuff.
About Rory Sutherland
Vice-Chairman of Ogilvy UK
Author of Alchemy: The Surprising Power of Ideas That Don't Make Sense
TED speaker with millions of views
Spectator columnist
Core insight: Most business problems are problems of perception, not reality
Recommended: Watch Sutherland debate Scott Galloway on the Uncensored CMO podcast
The Nine Principles
1. The Flower and the Weed
"A flower is simply a weed with an advertising budget." Being good is useless if you're not noticed.
2. The Barber's Paradox
You can't cut the back of your own hair. The Curse of Knowledge makes experts terrible at explaining their own expertise.
3. The Red Bull Paradox
The opposite of a good idea can also be a good idea. Red Bull won by being smaller, pricier, and worse-tasting. Counterintuitive positioning breaks through.
4. The Peacock's Tail (Costly Signaling Theory)
Wasteful signals are credible signals. Consistent, substantive thought leadership demonstrates you're on top of your game.
5. The Frederick the Great Potato Strategy
Persuasion beats compulsion. The best thought leadership doesn't feel like marketing—it feels like thinking.
6. The Rogue Bee Strategy
Increase your surface area for luck. Every piece of content is a signal into the unknown.
The Luck Formula: L = C × R × D^T
L = Luck (opportunities that find you)
C = Content (ideas you put out)
R = Reach (who sees them)
D = Differentiation (how memorable you are)
T = Time (the compounding exponent)
7. The Uber Map Insight
Most problems are problems of perception, not reality. Thought leadership changes how people perceive what you do.
8. The Diamond Shreddies Principle
Reframe existing value. The best content helps people see what they hadn't noticed before.
9. The Doorman Fallacy
You are the human signal that makes everything else feel more valuable. Investors buy people, not companies.
Key Takeaway
The value of thought leadership cannot be measured in conventional terms—and that's why it's valuable. If it were easy to measure, everyone would do it.
"Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts." — Sign in Einstein's office
