Is Thought Leadership a Joke?

How many times have you heard companies say they want to be a thought leader in their industry or lay claim to being such? How do you know when you are a thought leader (corporate or individual)? Is there any such thing or are we all "thought leaders?"

Thought leadership has come to define innovative organizations and individuals that appear to be on the cutting edge consistently challenging the status quo. The term is used to describe those that are out in front leading industries to create tomorrow's standards. I appreciate and attempt to practice this in my own life and business. However, the term "thought leadership" has become nothing more than meaningless jargon. Because of the increasing complexity of behavior and trends, teenagers, college students, and dropouts have created some of the most advanced technologies- rivaling companies with vast R&D divisions. But why don't we refer to them as thought leaders? Why don't you tell the tweenies (kids between 8-11) walking down the average shopping plaza that they are thought leaders if their hair is three different colors and their clothes are torn and do not match. Who's to say that's not thought leadership? It very well may be the fashion on London runways in ten years.

The point is that thought leadership truly is subjective. It is not a joke, but the term woefully fails to fully encompass the meaning of the phrase. It can be achieved systematically through processes as companies like Apple and Virgin have proven. One should also note that true thought leaders that embody the real definition of the term do not define themselves as a thought leader, they simply execute on their vision of the world. To them, thought leadership is not a destination. It is not something you become. It is who you are. The pursuit and passion of excellence, not the desire to be a thought leader, drives organizations and individuals to push the envelope of what is possible thus attaining the essence of thought leadership.

Tags: Leadership

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Comment by Rollan A. Roberts II on August 3, 2010 at 6:56am: Larry Cockerel • Thought Leadership, is this leaders taking their thoughts to the floor, then to the market? Or is it leaders like all of us who move our thoughts into action? Imagination + Action = ?
10 hours ago

Comment by Rollan A. Roberts II on August 2, 2010 at 5:13pm: Tom Mangini • Greig, How do you define "unique opinion?"
1 hour ago

Comment by Rollan A. Roberts II on August 2, 2010 at 12:53pm: Greig Wells • A thought leader gives a unique opinion on the topic.
19 minutes ago

Comment by Rollan A. Roberts II on August 2, 2010 at 7:42am: Sanjeev Kumar Gaur • It's definitely not a joke. As individuals or as a company we look at future and would like to align our efforts to reach where we want to be. This is why companies have 5 year, 10 year or even 20 year vision plans/roadmaps. Thought leadership is about the ability to visualise and to make conscious effort to stay ahead.
5 days ago

Comment by Rollan A. Roberts II on August 2, 2010 at 7:41am: Andrew Baker • Rollan,

You're a thought leader when people desire your thoughts on a topic or theme, and said thoughts influence their subsequent directions.

That said, we seem to be in an era where phrases get coined and abused very regularly. Everyone appears to want to be a "phrase leader" as well, so routine concepts are regularly repackaged via some abuse of the English language (I can't speak to issues in other languages), and then everyone else claims to be until the industry gets tired of it.

That is one of the hazards of easy communication, I guess.

-ASB: http://xeesm.com/AndrewBaker
4 days ago

Comment by Rollan A. Roberts II on August 2, 2010 at 7:41am: Lubna Kably • I agree that the term "thought leadership" has become a buzz word. Almost any report that is churned out bears the tag - thought leadership report.
5 days ago

Comment by Rollan A. Roberts II on August 2, 2010 at 7:40am: Bernard Sia; PMP • Good post.

I'd define thought leadership, or the ideas itself possessing the following criteria:-
a) Ubiquitous applicability. From a Kantian principle, "Act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will, that it should become a universal law." Your ideas can be applied in many scenarios, business, relationship etc. If it’s too narrow, requiring highly specialized and perfect conditions like -> “You must require top down and management approach to succeed”, then yes - It’s a joke.

b) Paradigm Shifting
It’s truly a viewpoint that is better/faster/ possessing WoW; from Tom Peters. You’ll know what I mean when you see it. Kinda like love at first sight. A diary used to be private, but now we have blogs. Corporate strategies used to be private, but now it’s in Annual Reports...

c) Being able to relay the “obvious” in a non-obvious way – Reframe-ReEvaluate-Synthesize-Relate.
Being able to “relate” is amazing. We tend to use big words like “Configuration Management”, “Value Chain” and “Business Process Reengineering” but seriously, what’s in it for the audience? How can you revolutionize your ideas into a “meme” -> a mental virus.

d) MECE – Mutually Exclusive, Completely Exhaustive (Mckinsey)
Very simple concept, yet exhaustingly difficult to exercise. Too many ideas garbled into a contradictory and even dissonant in voicing, it’s MESSY instead of MECE. Ram Charan was talking about organizational focus, but I find the words he used hit me right in the nuts -> Laser Sharp Focus.

e) It defines your 'brand'
Folks know that it's "you/your co." Walk the talk.

f) It’s simple...

The names are dropped on purpose; these gentlemen & ideas are game changers, true thought leaders. And humbly, you can’t do a Napolean and label yourself as one; it comes resoundingly from industry recognition.
4 days ago

Comment by Rollan A. Roberts II on August 2, 2010 at 7:39am: Mindy Gibbins-Klein • You are correct, Rollan. Most of the time, it is impossible to say whether someone is or could be defined as a thought leader. And I can't stomach otherwise intelligent people calling themselves thought leaders. How stupid is that? Let's let the market decide, is what I say.

Now, I'm biased, of course. I have proposed some criteria for thought leadership, in my book, blogs and presentations. I think people just need to know what they can do to improve their chances of being seen as a thought leader, to stand out in an increasingly crowded market. There were no specific measurable criteria around, so I have identified what I think works. Otherwise we just get the label being used arbitrarily and subjectively to describe people who are...just not up to scratch.

You may notice I said people, not companies. I believe that people are the thought leaders, and companies can foster a culture of thought leadership, but it still depends on individual vision and ideas. People buy from people, after all!

Thanks for kicking off this interesting discussion, Rollan.
4 days ago

Comment by Rollan A. Roberts II on August 2, 2010 at 7:39am: Rollan A. Roberts II, MBA • You're exactly right, Vijay. Thank you for broadening the discussion. It should also be noted that thought leadership can occur at all levels of the organization if it fosters that kind of culture. Thought leadership is not left to or confined to the C-suite.

Comment by Rollan A. Roberts II on August 2, 2010 at 7:39am: Vijay Menon • Interesting post. There is a difference between being new/ cutting-edge/ wacky and thought leadership. The kid with three colors of hair and strange tattoos may be the former but not necessarily the latter. It is much more difficult for a company or individual working in an established industry or practice and lead that into a new and innovative direction. That's why genuine thought leaders are so very rare -- you should have some insight that is not yet thought of or applied by all the other clever people in your industry.
5 days ago

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