How can you spot a good idea? What must be done to make it appeal to an audience? These are just two questions we examine with our guest Ward Kampf.  Ward is the President of Northwood Retail which leases, manages, and markets a portfolio of over five million square feet of mixed use and community properties. With retail facing constant changes from technology and what consumers want you’ll need to be trying to discover the next frontier, much like thought leaders are.  Ward shares with us how thinking about content and context needs to come together to impact the potential consumer.  Part of creating that impact involved staying relevant, fresh, and often first to market. Searching for the next frontier means having to constantly examine new ideas, even if it is not something you’ve heard of or understand.  Ward explains why we need to step back, absorb the idea, and learn about it.  Only then can you create a vision, strategy, and execution that can bring success. We also discuss building relationships.  Again, retail and thought leadership involve creating relationships based on trust, which means not always seeking to make a sale.  Ward shares how some of his best relationships took years to develop before any business transactions took place, but that time invested has paid off in the long run. Today’s episode is a great example of how thought leadership can have an impact on an industry that might not typically employ such measures. Three Key Takeaways: ·         You have to have an open mind and a want to listen and learn. It's an evolve-or-die environment.  You can’t afford to become irrelevant or stale.   ·         Financial and human resources are not infinite.  Go where you can be your most productive with the resources you have. ·         It can take years to develop a business partnership.  Investing time can pay off down the road when you are trying to sell a better experience and partnership instead of just a product.