Have you ever heard the saying, “It’s not what you say but how you say it?”
In thought leadership, what you say is just as important as how you say it. When a piece feels off, it’s rarely the idea — it’s the structure.
Welcome — or welcome back — to The Thoughtful Executive!
So far, we’ve talked about how just about anything can be content, what thought leadership really looks like, how systems keep executive thought leadership programs running, how teams should come together to make strong drafts, and how to use AI without losing your voice. Today, I’ll talk about the building blocks — the actual copy — that make for a strong executive thought leadership piece.
Let’s start with more on that point about structure.
Why structure matters
Structure is a sign of discipline. It shows an executive understands what they want to say, who they’re saying it to, and why it matters now.
When the structure’s missing, you feel it. The piece wanders. The sentences drag. The reader loses patience. And when that happens, authority disappears with it.
Good structure is invisible. It doesn’t draw attention to itself; it gives ideas flow, direction, and weight.
How I structure executive writing
I don’t use a formula. Every piece starts with a vibe: what feels right for the moment and the message.
That said, most of the writing I do follows a simple flow:
Open with the “why now.” Give readers a reason to care. Anchor the piece in a current event, insight, or lived experience.
Set the scene. Use a detail or anecdote that pulls people in.
Share the main point early. Don’t bury the hook.
Build support. Back up your point with evidence, experience, or reflection.
End with direction. Leave readers smarter or ready to act.
The best pieces balance clarity and style. They flow like a conversation, not a corporate memo.
What structure reveals about a leader
When a piece flows, it reveals something about the person behind it. It says they’ve done the work to organize their thoughts. They’ve edited for clarity, not ego. They understand their topic and can translate complexity into something human.
When that’s missing, it shows too. Long sentences, tangents, jargon — all signs that someone’s thinking is still forming.
A strong structure doesn’t just make the message land. It makes the leader credible.
A real-world example: ‘My Quibble with Quibi’ by Tien Tzuo
One example I really like is “My Quibble with Quibi: Lessons from a Doomed Streaming Site” (LinkedIn article) by Tien Tzuo, founder and CEO of Zuora and author of Subscribed. He’s a leading voice on subscription economics, so when he writes about agility, pricing, and customer relationships, he’s writing from experience.
Quick note: I didn’t work on this piece — it published three-and-a-half years before my time at Zuora — but it’s a masterclass in how structure and storytelling can carry an argument.
It’s a quick read. Check it out and come back here.
Tien opens with a simple, high-stakes moment: the downfall of Quibi. Within a few paragraphs, he sets the scene, builds tension, and invites readers to ask the same question he’s answering: what went wrong?
He layers facts and humor to build context before landing his main idea: Quibi’s failure wasn’t about content, it was about agility. Then he contrasts that failure with companies that adapted fast — Foxtel, Resy, Fender — making his point tangible.
And he closes with a metaphor that captures it all: Bruce Lee’s “Be water, my friend.” It’s memorable, it’s human, and it ties the whole piece together.
That’s what strong thought leadership looks like. It starts with a real moment, builds meaning through contrast and evidence, and ends with a takeaway that feels earned — not forced.
I’ve learned similar lessons in my own work, especially when structure doesn’t land the first time.
How I’ve learned to fix structure issues
When I’ve had to restructure a piece, it’s almost always because we didn’t go deep enough early on. Once I go back and ask sharper questions, the rewrite gets easier — and the message gets clearer.
Once, an executive draft I worked on wandered because the examples didn’t match the thesis. We rewrote it around a single story and suddenly everything clicked.
Editing for structure is about alignment. If the piece drifts, return to the “why now.” If the points feel scattered, ask what the takeaway is. Most of the time, the clarity you’re missing is already in the conversation. You just need to surface it.
Using structure beyond writing
Structure isn’t just for written thought leadership. It’s how great speakers think too.
The same principles work for interviews, Q&As, or fireside chats. Start with why the topic matters now. Get to the main point fast. Support it with one strong story or example. Then close with something forward-looking or actionable.
When executives use structure to guide how they speak, they sound sharper and more human — not rehearsed, just prepared.