Undisputed Authority

Roger L. Martin

Roger L. Martin is one of the most influential thinkers on business strategy. He has advised the CEOs of companies like Procter & Gamble, Lego and Ford. In 2017, Thinkers50 named him the world's number one management thinker, and he has appeared in every one of their rankings since 2009. Aside from HBR editorial staff, he has written more articles for Harvard Business Review than anyone this century. And he co-wrote Playing to Win, a Wall Street Journal and Washington Post bestseller, one of his 13 books. But by 1998, almost none of the thinking that would make him renowned was public. Before his 42nd birthday, he had published just four articles. So how does someone get that far into the first half of their career, relatively unknown outside their network, and then become one of the highest-profile figures in their field? That's the story I'm telling in Episode 14 of Undisputed Authority. Get the 10 Patterns of Disruptive Wisdom There are 10 specific behavioural patterns that consistently separate authorities from equally talented experts who remain invisible. Get the free 10-part email series where I break down those 10 patterns → liamcurley.co.uk/subscribe Resources: Website: rogerlmartin.com Substack: Playing to Win Practitioner Insights Books: The Opposable Mind, The Design of Business, Playing to Win Sources used in this episode: Wisdom From The Top with Guy Raz The CEO Series with Karl Moore Talk About Talk with Andrea Wojnicki HBR IdeaCast — Malcolm Gladwell BE GOOD! Podcast — Joe Henrich PBS NewsHour — Jerry Seinfeld Ira Glass on Storytelling — This American Life Consulting Success with Michael Zipursky The Knowledge Project with Shane Parrish Roger Martin's Transformational Legacy — Poets & Quants Getting to Know Me I — Roger L. Martin, Medium Getting to Know Me III — Roger L. Martin, Medium Getting to Know Me IV — Roger L. Martin, Medium The Origins of Playing to Win — Roger L. Martin, Medium Being Fired Repeatedly — Roger L. Martin, Medium Being 'Too Busy' Means Your Personal Strategy Sucks — Roger L. Martin, Medium How I Do Strategy, Part One — Roger L. Martin, Medium Undisputed Authority with Rory Sutherland About Liam Curley Liam Curley works with leaders who sell their expertise, helping them articulate the insights that get them recognised as authorities in their field. Work with Liam: liamcurley.co.uk LinkedIn: linkedin.com/liamcurley33

Michael Zipursky

Michael Zipursky is the co-founder of Consulting Success, a coaching business that turns over multiple seven figures by helping consultants build and grow their own consulting firms. The business is driven by publishing insight. They have a weekly newsletter with more than 45,000 subscribers, a podcast with more than 400 episodes, and several books. Some time ago, a listener said to me, "All these authorities you study went to a prestigious university, or have Google or Apple on their CV. I don't have that. Is it even possible for someone like me, without an impressive CV, to become an authority?" Michael Zipursky had none of that. No elite degree or famous employer. He’s not even had a proper job. So, when you have none of the traditional credentials associated with being an authority, how do you become one? That's the story I'm telling in Episode 13 of Undisputed Authority. Get the 10 Patterns of Disruptive Wisdom There are 10 specific behavioural patterns that consistently separate authorities from equally talented experts who remain invisible. Get the free 10-part email series where I break down those 10 patterns → liamcurley.co.uk/subscribe Resources: Website: consultingsuccess.com Podcast: Consulting Success Podcast Books: Consulting Success Books Sources used in this episode: Bacon Wrapped Business Forecast with Ahmad Munawar GSD Podcast Your First Thousand Clients On The Brink with Andi Simon Red Cedar Marketing Undisputed Authority with Ryan Deiss About Liam Curley Liam Curley works with leaders who sell their expertise, helping them articulate the insights that get them recognised as authorities in their field. Work with Liam: liamcurley.co.uk LinkedIn: linkedin.com/liamcurley33

Debbie Millman

Debbie Millman is one of the world's leading authorities on branding. For two decades she was President of Sterling Brands, where she had a hand in around 20% of the brands on the US grocery aisle. She has built her career on an understanding of how and why brands work, and at the centre of that understanding is the concept of deliberate differentiation. That branding is the act of attaching meaning to an object, idea, or movement. So when people ask her how to build a personal brand, her answer is surprising: don't. She thinks it's a trap. So how did the world's foremost branding expert build her own authority without ever branding herself? That's the story I'm telling in Episode 12 of Undisputed Authority. Get the 10 Patterns of Disruptive Wisdom There are 10 specific behavioural patterns that consistently separate authorities from equally talented experts who remain invisible. Get the free 10-part email series where I break down those 10 patterns → liamcurley.co.uk/subscribe Resources: Website: debbiemillman.com Podcast: Design Matters Books: Books & Writing Sources used in this episode: The Tim Ferriss Show Hello Monday Chase Jarvis The Great Discontent Good Life Project Unlocking Us Creative Boom TED - How symbols and brands shape our humanity 99U Wayne's World Sandra Bullock — 2010 Oscars Undisputed Authority with Rory Sutherland Undisputed Authority with Chris Do Undisputed Authority with Nancy Duarte Undisputed Authority with Blair Enns Undisputed Authority with David C. Baker About Liam Curley Liam Curley helps experts identify what makes them uniquely valuable, then develop the positioning, frameworks, and insights that differentiate them from everyone else in their field. These are people who lead businesses where their expertise is the product. Work with Liam: liamcurley.co.uk LinkedIn: linkedin.com/liamcurley33

Chris Do

Chris Do is the founder of The Futur, an education business with 2.79 million YouTube subscribers. But he didn't start there. He spent two decades running Blind, an Emmy-winning motion graphics studio working with Nike, Google, Microsoft and the NFL. At its peak, Blind was the kind of business most designers spend their careers trying to build. So why did he walk away from it? And once he made the call, why did it take five years before the new business worked? That's the story I'm telling in Episode 11 of Undisputed Authority. Get the 10 Patterns of Disruptive Wisdom There are 10 specific behavioural patterns that consistently separate authorities from equally talented experts who remain invisible. Get the free 10-part email series where I break down those 10 patterns → liamcurley.co.uk/subscribe Resources: Website: https://thefutur.com/ YouTube: The Futur LinkedIn: Chris Do Sources used in this episode: The Right Questions with James Victore Marc Gutman on Baby Got Backstory Hao Tran on Vietnam Innovators Chris Do on The Futur Jay Clouse on Creator Science Morgan Housel on Quiet Compounding Undisputed Authority with Ryan Hawk Undisputed Authority with Rory Sutherland Undisputed Authority with Marty Neumeier Undisputed Authority with Ryan Deiss About Liam Curley Liam Curley helps experts identify what makes them uniquely valuable, then develop the positioning, frameworks, and insights that differentiate them from everyone else in their field. These are people who lead businesses where their expertise is the product. Work with Liam: liamcurley.co.uk LinkedIn: linkedin.com/liamcurley33

• Chapters

Jonathan Baker

Jonathan Baker co-founded Monday Night Brewing in 2011, then spent almost a decade building it into an award-winning Atlanta craft brewery with taprooms across four states. But at the height of that success, he stepped away to join his father David, who runs a 7-figure, one-person advisory firm in the creative services industry. David's a high-profile authority in the niche, working under the personal brand of "David C. Baker". When Jonathan joins David, it's not as an employee. He's coming in as an equal. So how does a son build his own authority inside a niche where his father already owns the name? That's the story I'm telling in Episode 10 of Undisputed Authority. Get the 10 Patterns of Disruptive Wisdom There are 10 specific behavioural patterns that consistently separate authorities from equally talented experts who remain invisible. Get the free 10-part email series where I break down those 10 patterns → liamcurley.co.uk/subscribe Chapters: [00:00] Intro [01:07] Chapter 1 - Monday Night Brewing [14:23] Chapter 2 - The menu of projects [30:10] Chapter 3 - Scaling the operation Resources: Website: https://punctuation.com/ Sources used in this episode: Creative Mornings Live Mighty Roar The Emma Stratton Show Undisputed Authority - David C. Baker Undisputed Authority - Carl Richards About Liam Curley Liam Curley helps experts identify what makes them uniquely valuable, then develop the positioning, frameworks, and insights that differentiate them from everyone else in their field. These are people who lead businesses where their expertise is the product. Work with Liam: liamcurley.co.uk LinkedIn: linkedin.com/liamcurley33

David C. Baker

Across three decades, David C. Baker has become the leading authority on positioning and lead generation in the creative services space. That stature is driven by a phenomenal body of work. He has several books, one of which, The Business of Expertise, is in my opinion the best book you'll find on positioning. And his podcast with Blair Enns, 2 Bobs, is the most listened to podcast in the space. But he built that body of work at a time when there was less competing content. People were more likely to read emails, and readers determined what showed up in their feed rather than social media companies. If David was starting today, would his deep and thoughtful content style rise to the top in a crowded marketplace of, mostly, shallow, easy-to-consume clickbait? That's the question I'm asking in Episode 9 of Undisputed Authority. Get the 10 Patterns of Disruptive Wisdom There are 10 specific behavioural patterns that consistently separate authorities from equally talented experts who remain invisible. Get the free 10-part email series where I break down those 10 patterns → liamcurley.co.uk/subscribe Chapters: [00:00] Intro [00:54] Chapter 1 - Borrow [17:07] Chapter 2 - Insight, not content [30:29] Chapter 3 - Mind Your Own Business Resources: Website: https://punctuation.com/ Books: Financial Management of a Marketing Firm, The Business of Expertise, Secret Tradecraft of Elite Advisors, Selling your Professional Service Firm Podcast: 2Bobs Sources used in this episode: 2Bobs Recognised Authority Podcast Consulting Success SharpSpring The Visible Expert The Soloist Life About Liam Curley Liam Curley helps experts identify what makes them uniquely valuable, then develop the positioning, frameworks, and insights that differentiate them from everyone else in their field. These are people who lead businesses where their expertise is the product. Work with Liam: liamcurley.co.uk LinkedIn: linkedin.com/liamcurley33

Marty Neumeier

Marty Neumeier is one of the world's most influential voices on brand. His book 'The Brand Gap' has sold more than 500,000 copies, and when Google wanted to create the Dictionary of Brand, they commissioned Marty. But before he worked in brand, Marty ran an award-winning software packaging design agency. At the peak of its success, he launched a magazine called Critique and poured his agency's resources into funding it. After 5 years of losing money, he had to shut it down. And when a recession hit in the early 2000s, he had to close down his agency, too. And yet, launching the magazine was the best business decision that Marty ever made. Get the 10 Patterns of Disruptive Wisdom There are 10 specific behavioural patterns that consistently separate authorities from equally talented experts who remain invisible. Get the free 10-part email series where I break down those 10 patterns → liamcurley.co.uk/subscribe Chapters: [00:00] Intro [01:11] Chapter 1 - Where The Money Is [10:10] Chapter 2 - Not Specialised Enough [26:30] Chapter 3 - Critique Resources: Website: https://www.martyneumeier.com/ Books mentioned: The Brand Gap, Zag, Brand A-Z LinkedIn: Marty Neumeier Sources used in the episode: The Creative Shit Show The Futur with Chris Do Brand Design Masters with Philip VanDusen Everyone Hates Marketers with Louis Grenier Behind The Brand The Sleeping Barber Marketing Podcast The 2pt5 Just a Chat With About Liam Curley Liam Curley helps experts identify what makes them uniquely valuable, then develop the positioning, frameworks, and insights that differentiate them from everyone else in their field. These are people who lead businesses where their expertise is the product. Work with Liam: liamcurley.co.uk LinkedIn: linkedin.com/liamcurley33

Rory Sutherland

Rory Sutherland is one of the most influential voices in advertising. He's a best-selling author, a sought after keynote speaker, and his views on advertising psychology regularly find an audience of millions. For almost 40 years, Rory has worked at Ogilvy, one of the world's most prestigious advertising agencies. But it wasn't his status at Ogilvy that turned a respected ad man into an undisputed authority. It's his method of finding and articulating ideas that others overlook. And that method is available to anyone. So how did he do it? That's the story I'm telling in Episode 7 of Undisputed Authority. Get the 10 Patterns of Disruptive Wisdom There are 10 specific behavioural patterns that consistently separate authorities from equally talented experts who remain invisible. Get the free 10-part email series where I break down those 10 patterns → liamcurley.co.uk/subscribe Chapters: [00:00] Intro [00:58] Chapter 1 - The R&D Lab [15:40] Chapter 2 - Fat Tailed [29:28] Chapter 3 - Noticing what others only see Resources: Book: Alchemy: The Surprising Power of Ideas That Don't Make Sense Sources used in the episode: Jake Humphreys on The Room Where it Happened Scratch: CMO Interviews Patrick O’Shaughnessy on Invest Like The Best The Louis Theroux Podcast Darren Lee TED Talk, Life Lessons of an Ad Man Infinite Loops Podcast One One One ContentUK About Undisputed Authority Each episode tells the story of how one expert became THE voice in their field – through deep research, conversation, and a three-chapter narrative structure. Not hacks. Strategies and patterns you can apply to your expertise-driven business. About Liam Curley Liam Curley helps experts identify what makes them uniquely valuable, then develop the positioning, frameworks, and insights that differentiate them from everyone else in their field. These are people who lead businesses where their expertise is the product. Work with Liam: liamcurley.co.uk LinkedIn: linkedin.com/liamcurley33

Dorie Clark

In 2006, Dorie Clark was a consultant working with local clients in the Boston area. She didn't have a national platform, unfair advantages, or, to start with, differentiated positioning. Fast forward to today, Dorie runs a high-margin 7-figure, 1-person business. She's also a best-selling author, a writer for Harvard Business Review, and has taught at Duke and Columbia for over a decade. So, how did she do it? Dorie figured out how to navigate 'the Dip'. When she wasn't making progress, when other people weren't noticing her work, and other consultants would have quit - she figured out a way to get through. That's the story I'm telling in Episode 6 of Undisputed Authority. Get the 10 Patterns of Disruptive Wisdom There are 10 specific behavioural patterns that consistently separate authorities from equally talented experts who remain invisible. Get the free 10-part email series where I break down those 10 patterns → liamcurley.co.uk/subscribe Chapters: [00:00] Intro [01:03] Chapter 1 - 500 Articles [17:16] Chapter 2 - The Dip [25:33] Chapter 3 - The Academic Edge Resources: Website: https://dorieclark.com/ Books: https://dorieclark.com/books/ Sources used in the episode: The Nathan Barry Show Terry Rice The Anxious Achiever with Morra Aarons-Mele Suswati Basu Free Time with Jenny Blake How to be a Better Human Dorie at the Alan Weiss Million Dollar Convention About Undisputed Authority Each episode tells the story of how one expert became THE voice in their field – through deep research, conversation, and a three-chapter narrative structure. Not hacks. Strategies and patterns you can apply to your expertise-driven business. About Liam Curley Liam Curley helps experts identify what makes them uniquely valuable, then develop the positioning, frameworks, and insights that differentiate them from everyone else in their field. These are people who lead businesses where their expertise is the product. Work with Liam: liamcurley.co.uk LinkedIn: linkedin.com/liamcurley33

Ryan Hawk

Ryan Hawk launched The Learning Leader Show in 2015, an interview style podcast with no social media presence, email list, or prior podcasting experience. Today, that show is the basis for a phenomenal business, best-selling books, and a leadership development programme delivered to Fortune 500 companies. What exactly did Ryan do so differently that led to these outcomes? He conducted his professional development in public. Get the 10 Patterns of Disruptive Wisdom There are 10 specific behavioural patterns that consistently separate authorities from equally talented experts who remain invisible. Get the free 10-part email series where I break down those 10 patterns → liamcurley.co.uk/subscribe Chapters: [00:00] Intro [01:00] Chapter 1 - Cold Start [13:44] Chapter 2 - Doors Open [24:23] Chapter 3 - Optimising for cool things Resources: Website: https://learningleader.com/ Books: Welcome to Management, The Pursuit of Excellence, and The Score that Matters. Podcast: The Learning Leader Show Sources used in the episode: Game Changers podcast with Molly Fletcher The Learning Leader Show with Ryan Hawk Creator Science How to be awesome at your job podcast Uncensored CMO Charlie Munger’s USC Law Commencement Speech About Undisputed Authority Each episode tells the story of how one expert became THE voice in their field – through deep research, conversation, and a three-chapter narrative structure. Not hacks. Strategies and patterns you can apply to your expertise-driven business. About Liam Curley Liam Curley helps experts identify what makes them uniquely valuable, then develop the positioning, frameworks, and insights that differentiate them from everyone else in their field. These are people who lead businesses where their expertise is the product. Work with Liam: liamcurley.co.uk LinkedIn: linkedin.com/liamcurley33

Nancy Duarte

Nancy and her husband Mark started their business in their apartment in 1988 with no formal business training, no design training, and no public presenting experience. And yet together, they built the world's leading firm specialising in strategic communication, Duarte Inc. Nancy became THE undisputed authority on storytelling and presentations. Her TED talk has 3.7 million views, and her books are foundational texts in the field. How did she achieve all this? She focused on the one thing that moved the needle, not the many that nudge it. Get the 10 Patterns of Disruptive Wisdom There are 10 specific behavioural patterns that consistently separate authorities from equally talented experts who remain invisible. Get the free 10-part email series where I break down those 10 patterns → liamcurley.co.uk/subscribe Chapters: [00:00] Intro [00:51] Chapter 1 - An 18 Month Window of Opportunity [14:39] Chapter 2 - Moving Upstream [22:23] Chapter 3 - G-Force Growth Resources: Duarte Inc. website: duarte.com Books: Slide:ology, Resonate, Illuminate, DataStory TED Talk: The Secret Structure of Great Talks Sources used in the episode: Alice Heiman Consulting Success Lenny's Newsletter Nancy's LinkedIn Amantha Imber Learning Leader Show Charlie Rose About Undisputed Authority Each episode tells the story of how one expert became THE voice in their field – through deep research, conversation, and a three-chapter narrative structure. Not hacks. Strategies and patterns you can apply to your expertise-driven business. About Liam Curley Liam Curley helps expert consultants and entrepreneurs build authority through content strategy and thought leadership. He identifies the unique, counterintuitive insights that set experts apart and helps them develop the defining body of work that cements their place at the top of their field. Work with Liam: liamcurley.co.uk LinkedIn: linkedin.com/liamcurley33

Ryan Deiss

Ryan Deiss is one of the godfathers of internet marketing. He co-founded DigitalMarketer, one of the largest marketing education platforms in the world, and used that platform to launch The Scalable Company. He launched The Scalable Company with an existing audience, a validated problem, and a solution people loved – and the business almost failed. Get the 10 Patterns of Disruptive Wisdom There are 10 specific behavioural patterns that consistently separate authorities from equally talented experts who remain invisible. Get the free 10-part email series where I break down those 10 patterns → liamcurley.co.uk/subscribe Chapters: [00:00] Intro [01:19] Chapter 1 - Good Marketing Is Everything, Until It's not. [07:39] Chapter 2 - The Idea Resonates, The Offer Does Not [17:44] Chapter 3 - Building The Machine Resources: The Scalable Company website: scalable.co Book: Get Scalable DigitalMarketer: digitalmarketer.com Sources used in the episode: Self-Publishing School podcast The Rise Up Kings Podcast Learning Leader Show with Ryan Hawk Billy Broas interview Smart Author with Chris Benetti About Undisputed Authority Each episode tells the story of how one expert became THE voice in their field – through deep research, conversation, and a three-chapter narrative structure. Not hacks. Strategies and patterns you can apply to your expertise-driven business. About Liam Curley Liam Curley helps expert consultants and entrepreneurs build authority through content strategy and thought leadership. He identifies the unique, counterintuitive insights that set experts apart and helps them develop the defining body of work that cements their place at the top of their field. Work with Liam: liamcurley.co.uk LinkedIn: linkedin.com/liamcurley33

Blair Enns

Blair Enns is a consultant and author who helps creative firms win business without pitching. He's the founder of Win Without Pitching, author of The Win Without Pitching Manifesto, Pricing Creativity, The Four Conversations and co-host of The 2Bobs podcast. He's known for challenging the conventional sales process in the creative industry and building a luxury brand through scarce, high-quality work. In this episode, you'll discover: The meeting where Blair declined to pitch (with his boss sitting next to him) How he made the positioning claim before he had the methodology What "Oops" meant when David C. Baker emailed two days before his own seminar The blog post Blair was most nervous to publish—then people mounted it on their walls Why he got sick four times on three continents and what it forced him to change How a friend's offhand comment ("your clients will never read those books") led to a $1M product Why one book costs $320 and another costs $30 What Blair means by "the method you scale is the method you commodify" Why not being "so good" at most content types on the lead generation ladder is a strength Get the 10 Patterns of Disruptive Wisdom There are 10 specific behavioural patterns that consistently separate authorities from equally talented experts who remain invisible. Get the free 10-part email series where I break down those 10 patterns → liamcurley.co.uk/subscribe Chapters: [00:00] Intro [01:21] Chapter 1 - Win Without Pitching [09:34] Chapter 2 - Manifesto [22:32] Chapter 3 - Get Creative Resources: Win Without Pitching website: winwithoutpitching.com Books: The Four Conversations, Pricing Creativity, The Win Without Pitching Manifesto Podcast: 2Bobs Sources used in the episode: Kamp Vuur The Agency Collective Anneli Hansson Design Domination The Futur 2Bobs Consulting Success Modern Sales - B2B Selling Rise25 (Smart Business Revolution) Cal Newport, TedX Tyson Talk about Talk About Undisputed Authority Each episode tells the story of how one expert became THE voice in their field – through deep research, conversation, and a three-chapter narrative structure. Not hacks. Strategies and patterns you can apply to your expertise-driven business. About Liam Curley Liam Curley helps expert consultants and entrepreneurs build authority through content strategy and thought leadership. He identifies the unique, counterintuitive insights that set experts apart and helps them develop the defining body of work that cements their place at the top of their field. Work with Liam: liamcurley.co.uk LinkedIn: linkedin.com/liamcurley33

Carl Richards

Carl Richards is a certified financial planner, bestselling author, and creator of The Sketch Guy column which ran in the New York Times for 10 years. He's known for simplifying complex financial concepts through hand-drawn illustrations and is the founder of the Society of Advice. In this episode, you'll discover How two blank stares from smart clients led Carl to draw his first sketch Why he emailed weekly to "just my mom" and kept going anyway How a forwarded email reached a New York Times editor What Carl means by "playing in traffic" and why it compounds How he wrote his book by curating what already resonated with readers Why he scrapped his online course business even though it was profitable What the Society of Advice does differently (and why courses don't create outcomes) Get the 10 Patterns of Disruptive Wisdom There are 10 specific behavioural patterns that consistently separate authorities from equally talented experts who remain invisible. Get the free 10-part email series where I break down those 10 patterns → liamcurley.co.uk/subscribe Chapters: [00:00] Intro [00:58] Chapter 1 - A Problem You're Interested in Solving [12:55] Chapter 2 - Playing in Traffic [25:09] Chapter 3 - Consulting at Scale Resources: Carl's website: behaviorgap.com Books: The Behavior Gap, The One-Page Financial Plan, Your Money Society of Advice: societyofadvice.com Sources used in the episode: The Diamond Podcast for Financial Advisors The Society of Advice YouTube Channel Work Life Play with Aaron McHugh Breakthrough Advisor Podcast Advisor Marketing Made Simple Lex Friedman Podcast On Being with Krista Tippett Lex Writer's Series About Undisputed Authority Each episode tells the story of how one expert became THE voice in their field – through deep research, conversation, and three-chapter narrative storytelling. Not hacks. Strategies and patterns you can apply to your expertise-driven business. About Liam Curley Liam Curley helps expert consultants and entrepreneurs build authority through content strategy and thought leadership. He identifies the unique, counterintuitive insights that set experts apart and helps them develop the defining body of work that cements their place at the top of their field. Work with Liam: liamcurley.co.uk LinkedIn: linkedin.com/liamcurley33