Point of View (POV)

What most people mean

“Thought leadership.” Publish articles. Share opinions on LinkedIn. Have a “hot take.” Be visible.

The bolder version: be contrarian. Disagree loudly. Play devil’s advocate. Start arguments. “If you’re not pissing people off, you’re not saying anything worth hearing.”

Where the definition breaks

Sharing a POV is not the same as sharing your opinion or being controversial just to stir the pot so people notice you.

I learned this when I was 15. I had this weird obsession with contradicting people. Teachers, friends, family. Nobody was safe. I was desperate for attention, and playing the devil’s advocate was my go-to move. One day my history teacher yelled, “You’re an intellectual terrorist!”

I got noticed, of course. But I lost the class representative election by a landslide. Disruption gets attention for all the wrong reasons at the expense of trust.

Most brands are the opposite problem. They’re like hermit crabs, staying in the comfort of their shell where everything is safe and peaceful. They believe sharing their thoughts means being super divisive, behaving like the intellectual terrorist I once was. So they say nothing. Or they say everything, without coherence.

Both extremes fail. Random opinions without a framework are noise. Silence is invisible.

How we define it at STFO

A point of view is a collection of consistent messages woven into everything you do, signaling to the people in your segment that you’re there to protect them and earning their trust. This creates a sense of coherence and control, which tells them: “We’ve got you, little boo; we’re here for a reason, and that reason is you.”

Those messages are there to protect your segment from harm by the monster. No matter where you share them, no matter the format, no matter with whom, those signals must link back to the monster you’ve identified.

Structure your first POV using the CHIPS framework:

• Common belief. What others tend to think or do
• Happen. What the consequence is as a result
• Impact. The direct effect on your segment
• Proof. Why others should believe you (logic, personal anecdotes, stories, stats)
• Solution. What should be done instead

The key is to break down a POV into different components, like slicing an avocado into small cubes. Then sprinkle it naturally into whatever messages you share. Your POV must always be present. But it shouldn’t be the main ingredient. It’s there to support whatever you’re putting out into the world.

Having a POV is not about being a French contrarian. It’s about taking a stand on what matters most to your segment, even if it makes some people uncomfortable. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve received backlash for sharing my POV over the last decade. If you speak to your segment with a relatable POV without insulting others, you have nothing to worry about.

What it is NOT

• Not “thought leadership” (the phrase itself is a red flag)
• Not random opinions shouted into the void
• Not being contrarian for the sake of it
• Not a single blog post or LinkedIn hot take (it’s a consistent collection of messages)
• Not optional (without a POV, your brand is a hermit crab hiding in its shell)