Stop chasing industry best practices. Start creating them. 

Here’s something nobody talks about enough: most industry best practices didn’t come from some industry body handing down rules. They came from individual leaders who saw something differently, had the credibility to back it up, and convinced their markets to follow. 

Think about the frameworks and standards your industry relies on now. Someone championed each one. Usually, it was someone who’d spent enough time in the trenches to recognize what works, and who had the platform to share it. 

Best practices are the strategies and processes that make a lasting impression in your space. They’re the benchmarks organizations measure themselves against. They’re the frameworks that influence how decisions get made. 

The thing is, these aren’t permanent. What works today gets questioned tomorrow. New leaders emerge. New research challenges old assumptions. Markets evolve. The organizations that end up shaping this evolution are typically the ones doing the serious thinking about it and publishing their findings publicly. 

Decision-makers have become skeptical of corporate marketing. They trust insights from real people who’ve done the work over polished brand messaging. 

LinkedIn changed everything. Your CEO can publish research or insights and reach thousands instantly. Industry analysts will cite your work. Competitors will respond to it. The friction for getting your ideas into the market has basically disappeared. 

But everyone has access to the same platforms. So, the real differentiation comes from having something worth saying. That’s where research comes in. 

When you publish findings about emerging market trends, you’re not just contributing to conversations. You’re shaping what people think about the future. You’re making certain problems visible that were previously overlooked. 

The best research often contradicts what people assume is true. It shows gaps in their thinking, gains attention, and changes minds. 

Opinions don’t move markets. Evidence does. 

Benchmark reports work particularly well. When you publish research annually about how your market is performing, you become the reference point. Analysts cite your data. Competitors react to your findings. Your organization defines how people understand performance in your space. 

Market intelligence reveals things competitors are missing entirely. When you share those gaps publicly, you’re educating your market and positioning your organization as the one paying attention. 

How to influence best practices 

There are several approaches that consistently work. Original research defines new benchmarks. When you uncover something meaningful about your market, you’ve literally changed what people know. 

Executive insights shape how organizations think strategically. When recognized leaders articulate perspectives backed by actual experience and data, markets listen. 

Industry reports become reference materials. Annual publications get cited for years. They become the standard everyone compares themselves to. 

Speaking engagements expand reach. Every presentation is an opportunity to position your thinking and educate markets about problems they need to be solving. 

The barriers to influence  

Most executives never build influence because they’re sharing perspectives everyone already has. Without original research backing you up, you’re competing on charm alone, and there’s no shortage of charming people. But charm doesn’t shape industry standards. 

Then there’s the visibility factor. You can’t influence best practices with occasional contributions. Markets need to see consistent presence from you over time. Sporadic thought leadership kills credibility faster than no thought leadership at all. 

And finally, there’s the promotional trap. Executives who only talk about their own solutions aren’t shaping industry standards—they’re marketing. Markets recognize that distinction immediately and tune out accordingly. Real influence requires you to think beyond your own product and contribute to how the industry should operate. 

How to help leaders become market shapers 

We help executives move from industry participant to someone markets listen to. That’s different work than most agencies do. 

It starts with figuring out where your unique thinking can move markets. What can your team see that competitors aren’t seeing yet? 

Then we develop original research that reveals something the market needs to know. That becomes the foundation for everything else. All the content, all the speaking opportunities, all the visibility—it flows from that core research. 

The storytelling matters. Raw data doesn’t move anyone. Stories built on that data change minds. 

Distribution is crucial. Your insights need to reach decision-makers through channels they trust. That multiplies the impact of everything you’ve invested. 

Proof that your influence is working 

Real influence shows up in specific ways: 

• Journalists start citing your research 

• Speaking invitations increase 

• You’re getting asked to participate in industry conversations 

• Other organizations adopt your frameworks and recommendations 

When you see your thinking getting replicated across your industry, you’ve moved from having a platform to shaping practice. 

This matters most when entering new markets or launching something genuinely innovative. Building real category leadership requires sustained effort and original thinking. It’s the only way to move industry standards.