​SUSAN LAWSON ETHICAL THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
thought leadership holistic strategy ǀ authentic thought leadership concept ideation ǀ bespoke ghostwriting ǀ editorial & publishing strategy ǀ corporate/academic collaborations ǀ authentic IP maximisation ǀ ethical values & concepts clarification
THE READING ROOM
Welcome to the
Reading Room
​As Founder, I've always wanted this website to be more than 'just' a business site - I also want it to become a place where likeminded people can come to simply browse, read, get ideas and get cogitating regardless of whether you're currently interested in doing Thought Leadership.
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As such I thought it might be an idea to provide a central space where we can prompt ideas and recommend reading, and also from where you can access all our written materials and Resources. I hope you enjoy our material: feel free to download PDF versions for later, and either Subscribe for notifications on new material or just bookmark us here at The Reading Room for future visits.
In addition we will include links to other people/organisations that we feel are doing great things. This is a new feature but we'll ramp this up over time: firstly, I'd like to flag up Jack McElaney who is patiently and persistently doing increasingly invaluable work in the States on Diversity: see the Reading Diary for links to some of his work.​​​
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*COMING SOON* Thought Leadership Marketing: A Concise Guide.
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Also look out for the 2025 Revised Version of our White Paper Thought Leadership in the Age of AI, also coming this Spring.
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Subscribe to be alerted when all New Resources are available.
15/12/24 I just finished Mary Portas' book Rebuild: how to Thrive in the New Kindness Economy, which itself seems to be slightly influenced by the Kate Raworth book Doughnut Economics (which I took a closer look at in the last edition of the STOCKtake.) My thoughts?
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I'm obviously on board with the general idea which is very much in line with sustainable finance and values-driven or ethical branding. If I had a criticism is that the book feels a little fluffy to me - often I'll forget what specific points were made shortly after putting the book down and only retain a general impression - so I'd have preferred that she drill down a little more. That being said, the book was published in 2021 when these ideas were still slightly less prevalent, so perhaps had I read it then, I'd not have been craving more specifics.
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Still a good introductory read on cause driven or ethical business and branding and not only suitable for C2C / retailers despite that that's Portas' expertise. No doubt Portas would prefer you use a local bookshop to purchase this but if you can't, Rebuild is available here.
A call out to independent / small publishers: we're looking for books to review here at The Reading Room - particularly interested in books on ethical business and sustainable finance but all relevant non-fiction considered. Just email Susan direct at susan@susan-lawson.co.uk
the Reading Diary
As Founder & Ed-in-Chief I thought I'd make a point of sharing what I'm currently reading/thinking, and also making relevant Reading Recommends.
13/04/25
Big Shout Out to Jack McElaney for his quietly confident and persistent work on Diversity in the States, which is obviously increasingly critical right now. Also a massive fan of anybody who a) listens to Dolly Parton b) includes his actual playlist in his essay credits!
Key pieces to Look Out for:-
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https://www.microassist.com/digital-access/news/page/35/
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https://groups.google.com/g/techlunch/c/fApllCQill4?pli=1
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https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/mcelaney-what-is-inclusive-publishing-and-why-do-we-care-about-accessibility-defining-terms-establishing-rationale/277525748 (we need to step up on this - I am sure much of this website is not color-blind accessible)
07/04/25
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That was the Quarter from Hell, was it not? I wouldn't know where to begin if I got started on the global political situation(s). Aside from Mark Carney becoming PM of Canada and taking a very vocal platform (although I'm aware Carney may not be as truly sustainable as he seems - but more on that in April), it's not just not pretty, it's UGLY.
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So quite simply let's not. This is a Reading Room after all - so we can hopefully all expect a bit of peace here.
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Recently I've been going back into the earlier history of Environmentalism in my reading, which I'd missed, including attempting to trawl through Rachel Carlson's Silent Spring. It's an absolutely critical book but my Goodness it's bleak. So I had to stop halfway and cheer myself up with personal projects, such as photographing still-thriving nature in my favourite local park, where birds 'still do sing'. I also recently came across the book The Price of a Whale by Adrienne Buller, which is scathing to say the least about the Sustainable Finance movement. She hasn't put me off completely but she's certainly raised some concerns for me.
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Goal for April: find something more optimistic to read!
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​​​​​​​​​22/01/25
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I'm very interested this year in the thriving plant-based sector and also in global food distribution issues. I've been reading widely on these in Jan but its an incredibly complex issue in relation to environmentalism and world hunger and I frankly don't feel knowledgeable enough to go beyond 'don't eat beef because of cow farts' or 'it's not nice to kill cows'. I do however know that simplistic mindsets can be elitist: for example in Malawi goat-meat can contribute to combatting food poverty due to the ability to farm goats in smallholdings. So the fact that I'm a non-meat-eater should in no way be clouding my opinions.
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