10x Your Thought Leadership with the Insight Maturity Model
Most content that claims to be thought leadership isn’t.
It may explain, demonstrate, or compare, but it rarely changes how people think or act.
The difference isn’t effort or expertise - it’s the level of insight.
The Insight Maturity Model helps you develop valuable insights that shape decisions.
Defining Thought Leadership
Heidi Suutari from thoughtleadership.app gives a good definition:
Thought leadership: the measurable level of authority and influence a person or organization has earned in a specific domain through consistent sharing of original, valuable insights that demonstrably change how their audience thinks or acts.
It’s not just expertise, it’s influence over decisions, direction, and behaviour.
If it doesn’t change how someone thinks or acts, it isn’t thought leadership.
A Model for Developing Original, Valuable Insights
To make this more concrete, it helps to think of content as a progression of insight – from moving ideas, to applying them, to shaping decisions, to redefining problems.
I call this the Insight Maturity Model.
Each layer represents a different level of contribution and a different level of impact on how people think and act.
You can map almost any piece of thought leadership content to one of these layers – most never make it past Evaluation.
The 6 Layers of Insight
Layer 0 – Transmission: Moves Ideas
If the core idea originated elsewhere and is not materially transformed, it is Transmission.
Transmission is about accessibility and reach. It takes existing ideas and makes them easier to consume, understand, or discover.
This is valuable work – it spreads knowledge – but it does not create new insight.
Examples of Transmission layer are:
I call those who create Transmission content Curators.
Layer 1 – Execution: Applies Ideas
If the value derives from showing how to do something in a specific context, it is Execution.
Execution demonstrates that an idea can be applied successfully in the real world, while tied to a specific implementation or example.
This builds credibility and helps others replicate success, but it does not help you decide when this is the appropriate solution for your context.
Examples of the execution layer are:
I call those who create primarily Execution content Builders.
Layer 2 – Evaluation: Clarifies Decisions
If the content helps choose between options by making trade-offs explicit, it is Evaluation.
Evaluation makes trade-offs explicit and helps you understand when one approach is better than another.
As it operates within the existing landscape, it helps you decide when it’s appropriate to use a given approach; however, it does not introduce new ways of thinking.
Examples of the evaluation layer are:
I call those who create Evaluation content Analysts.
Layer 3 – Abstraction: Creates Models
If the content introduces a reusable way of thinking that applies across contexts, it is Abstraction.
Abstraction compresses complexity into mental models that generalise across many situations.
This changes how you see problems. Instead of choosing between known options, you now have a new lens for understanding them. However, it does not prescribe a specific course of action based on the models.
Examples of the Abstraction layer are:
I call those who create Abstraction content Theorists.
Layer 4 – Strategy: Guides Action
If the content applies a model to a context to recommend an action, it is Strategy.
Strategy connects a model to a specific context or moment in time to guide decisions.
Unlike Abstraction, Strategy commits to a direction and course of action, while still operating within an existing understanding of the problem.
Examples of the Strategy layer are:
I call those who create Strategy content Advisors.
Layer 5 – Paradigm: Reframes the Problem
If the content changes how problems are defined or what “good” looks like, it is Paradigm-level.
Paradigm-level ideas change the frame itself – how a field defines its problems, its goals, and its solutions. It introduces a new way to structure reality, which doesn’t just improve decisions – it changes what decisions even exist and what “good” means.
At this level, ideas become foundational. Other models, strategies, and practices are built on top of them.
Examples of the Paradigm layer are:
→ Domain-Driven Design (book)
I call those who create Paradigm content Founders.
Elevating Your Content Through the Layers
To understand how these layers build on each other, it helps to follow the evolution of a single idea.
Imagine you’re exploring a space that doesn’t yet have a clear name – something about building applications across multiple platforms more effectively.
Here’s how that idea might develop as you move up the layers:
Layer 0 – Transmission by the Curator
“Tools for Building Cross-Platform Applications”
An overview of existing technologies like React Native, Electron, and Next.js, explaining what they do and how they enable development across platforms.
At this level, you’re surfacing what already exists – making ideas accessible, but not transforming them.
Layer 1 – Execution by the Builder
“How We Built a Cross-Platform App with React Native and Next.js”
A walkthrough of a real project, showing how code was shared between mobile and web, the challenges faced, and how they were solved.
Here, you demonstrate that the idea works in practice – but it remains tied to a specific implementation. It’s useful for those who have already decided on a tech stack and want to see how to put it into practice.
Layer 2 – Evaluation by the Analyst
“React Native vs Electron vs Native: Choosing the Right Approach”
A comparison of different cross-platform strategies, outlining trade-offs in performance, developer experience, and scalability.
Now the content becomes decision-oriented – helping readers choose between existing options, but still within the same framing.
Layer 3 – Abstraction by the Theorist
“Rethinking Platforms: Shared Core, Platform-Specific Edges”
A model for structuring applications where business logic is decoupled from platform-specific concerns, allowing systems to be designed independently of where they run.
This introduces a reusable way of thinking – a lens that applies across tools and contexts.
Layer 4 – Strategy by the Advisor
“Why Teams Should Design for Cross-Platform from Day One”
An argument that, given current trends in tooling and product development, teams should prioritise architectures that maximise reuse and minimise platform divergence.
This applies the model to a context and makes a recommendation – guiding what teams should do.
Layer 5 – Paradigm by the Founder
“Universal Apps: Rethinking What It Means to Build Software”
A reframing of software development where applications are no longer tied to individual platforms, but treated as unified systems that can be distributed anywhere.
At this level, the problem itself has changed – from choosing platforms to designing systems that transcend them.
The Shift
At each step, the same underlying space is being explored – but the contribution evolves:
- From describing tools (Curator)
- To applying them (Builder)
- To comparing them (Analyst)
- To modelling the problem (Theorist)
- To recommending action (Advisor)
- To redefining the landscape (Founder)
By the time you reach the top, you haven’t just improved understanding – you’ve changed how others think about what’s possible.
The Real Insight
Most content lives in Transmission, Execution, and Evaluation.
It shows how to do things.
It helps people choose between options.
That’s useful – but it doesn’t change behaviour.
Thought leadership begins at Abstraction when you introduce new ways of thinking.
It becomes powerful at Strategy when those ways of thinking lead to action.
And it becomes transformative at Paradigm when it changes what problems people believe are worth solving.
The difference is the level at which you contribute.
Why Now
AI is collapsing the cost of content.
The value is no longer in producing more content – it’s in producing better insight.
Staying at Execution and Evaluation, you compete with everyone (including machines).
At Abstraction, Strategy, and Paradigm, you shape how others think, decide, and build.
That’s what elevates your thought leadership – not more content; better thinking.