Anne Woodbury is Partner and Managing Director of the TogoRun DC office.

This week, I will join approximately 4,000 people at the Davos of health care – TEDMED.

Everything about TEDMED is unconventional. Over the span of three days, The Kennedy Center Opera House plays host to the chief of CDC, the Director of the Institute of Medicine, Momix, a group of dance illusionists, and yes, even an appearance by a great health care thought leader, Cookie Monster.

Every TEDMED speaker poses a bold question. What would you decide if 311 million lives depended on it? (Peggy Hamburg, FDA Commissioner)

·         Was Einstein right about imagination? (E.O. Wilson, Famous Biologist)

·         When you finally find your voice, what do you most want to say? (Virginia Breen and Elizabeth Bonker)

Like those attending TEDMED, TogoRun believes the magic is in the bold question. The road to health innovation is paved by those smart enough and brave enough to pose the big questions and bring – bright minds together to uncover solutions.

At TogoRun, we do this by helping our clients reach the pinnacle of leadership—thought partnership.

What is thought partnership?

Thought partnership is TogoRun’s evolution of thought leadership. The difference is so much more than semantics. A thought leader is somebody with a strong position that advocates and leads the charge toward wide acceptance. A thought partner asks a big question and works with you to uncover the solution.  (Read my PR WEEK editorial on the difference between thought partnership and thought leadership).

It is only through thought partnership that companies build trusted third party relationships.

Thought partnership is a quest

Have you noticed the word “question” begins with “quest”? As consultants, we regularly find ourselves side-by-side with clients on what at first seems to be an impossible quest—whether the challenge presents itself as a steep timeline or a tight budget, we find ways to differentiate our clients in a very crowded space.

Nothing forges a stronger agency/client bond than being in the trenches together. Our most successful partnerships are marked with fidelity and endurance. We not only achieve success for our clients, but we form bonds that extend beyond the life of the project.

The quest is where connections are made and a brand affinity develops.  When thought partners joining your quest include grass tops leaders such as academics, consumer groups, medical societies or NGOs, you develop powerful brand advocates who care about the same things you do, seek to do the right thing and remain steadfast for the long haul.

To paraphrase my former boss Newt Gingrich, “… the difference between a Nobel Laureate and a non-acclaimed scientist is not their work ethic, their intelligence, or their passion. It is the size of the question they ask.”

What quest are you on? If you need some inspiration, start by looking at the 50 Great Challenges outlined by TEDMED and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.