By Rhea Wessel
In a recent interview with Bob Buday of Buday Thought Leadership Partners, Brent Adamson talked about disagreement research. It’s the process of finding a strong and viable opinion to build on by digging into those areas of thought where experts disagree.
I had never heard the process called disagreement research. For me, this is a perfect example of what thought leaders do—articulate the as-yet-unarticulated for others. Or give a best practice a clever name.
By calling the practice disagreement research, it’s easier to keep in mind what companies and individuals need to do early on the thought-leadership creation process: They need to have a strong opinion to represent, and that is likely to be excavated from the gray zones of debate happening among the experts within your organization.
Without a strong opinion in the content you create, it just won’t stand up.
The key ingredients for thought-leadership content are that it should be NOT, or Novel, Opinionated, and Timely. Novel and opinionated are the two hardest criteria to fulfill.
Let’s take a closer look.
N for Novel
Novelty is not just about presenting new information; it’s about framing a story in a fresh, unexpected way. This is where journalistic instincts come into play. The right framing is crucial because it keeps you from stating the obvious.
We’re not here to regurgitate tired narratives like "AI is here to stay, and your company needs an AI strategy." That story has been told a thousand times over already. The key is to find a new angle, a unique lens through which to view the subject. This is how you avoid redundancy and keep your audience engaged.
O for Opinionated
But novelty alone isn't enough. The "O" for Opinionated is where disagreement research becomes indispensable.
To create truly thought-provoking content, you need to dig into the standard consensus within your subject-matter niche to then begin looking outside that consensus. Here’s where the real work begins. A member of your writing team should be in daily conversation with your subject matter experts, asking questions like: "What are the most interesting disagreements that have arisen lately in your team?" Then set up a time and place to hear out the disagreement.
These conversations are more than just interviews. They’re intellectual duels where ideas are tested, challenged, and refined. It’s in this process that the strongest ideas emerge—ones that can help your company stand out in a crowded field.
T for Timely
The final piece of the puzzle is Timeliness. Timely content links your insights to the broader conversation happening now. Again, the journalistic approach is key. What news pegs or recent research can you connect your ideas to? How can you make your content relevant to what’s happening in the niche today? This is where you ensure your thought leadership is not just interesting but also impactful.
Disagreement research as a daily exercise
In my experience, unearthing strong opinions—particularly in firms where consensus is prized—can be one of the hardest parts of the thought-leadership creation process.
But it’s also where the magic happens.
When you commit to disagreement research as a regular practice, you create the space for insights to emerge organically. These insights then become the building blocks for robust, opinionated thought-leadership content.
I’ve always believed that the best ideas don’t just appear—they’re forged with critical thinking and refined through challenge.
By making disagreement research a daily habit, firms can ensure their thought leadership isn’t just adding to the noise but truly shaping the conversation.
And that, in the end, is what thought leadership is all about.
-Rhea Wessel is a writer and founder of The Institute for Thought Leadership. Her new book on using AI to boost your thought leadership is due out in 2025.
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