How to Sharpen Your Thought Leadership | Everett Harper | 359

Today's guest is Everett Harper, the Founder and CEO of Truss. Truss is a software company that works with teams to design, build, and scale software and tech infrastructure to give them the tools they need to excel. Everett is also the author of Move to the Edge, and Declare it Center, a book that helps people lead organizations, solve problems, and sustain company growth with effective practices for complex, uncertain, and unpredictable environments. Many CEO's want to write a book about their experiences, but doing so can be an expensive and time-consuming process. How do you know it's the right time to write a book? What insights and experiences should you share? In Move to the Edge, and Declare it Center, Everett discusses a moment of disquiet in 2020 that compelled him to write - and how that moment has gone on to inspire others through his book. Everett also describes the process Truss uses with their clients, interviewing not only the leaders of a project but also software operators, end-users, and partners, in order to gain the widest view of complex problems. With that information in hand, they create an infrastructure to help the designers of a software system understand the needs of its end users, and keep both involved throughout the entire entire development cycle. Three Key Takeaways: Nobody knows everything, and not knowing can feel frustrating. Great thought leaders manage that feeling and find a way forward. Complex problems don't always have linear solutions. Thought Leaders can make amazing discoveries by keeping an experimental mindset. A good thought leadership book can get you recognized, and bring your insights respect - giving you an edge on the competition.