Thought leadership is one of the most discussed topics in enlightened leader circles.
In the past year I have addressed many gatherings of CEOs/Managing Directors in small groups. On almost every occasion at least one question about thought leadership has been asked. Thought leadership is such a hot topic I wrote this short article in order to provide a starting point for the people in my audiences wanting to further their thought leadership.
Google the words ‘thought leadership definition' and you will find more than 1.2 million links. This is an indication thought leadership is much more than the latest buzzword. In my view every LeaderManagerTM must become an expert in thought leadership, because it is a key to our foremost role, talent leadership and management.
The following is taken from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thought_Leadership
"Thought leadership is an increasingly vital driver of business success. It's aim is to engage people with companies through innovative ideas. The term was first coined in 1994, by Joel Kurtzman, editor-in-chief of the magazine, Strategy & Business. The term was used to designate interview subjects for that magazine who had contributed new thoughts to business. Among the first thought leaders were British management thinker, Charles Handy, Stanford economist Paul M. Romer, Mitsubishi President, Minoru Makihara, and University of Michigan strategist, C.K. Prahalad and his co-author, Gary Hamel, a professor at the London Business School. Since that time, the term has spread from business to other disciplines and has come to mean someone who enlivens old processes with new ideas. As a result, there are thought leaders in the sciences, humanities and even in government."
Leadership is the art of inspiring people to bring everything remarkable they are to everything they do. Leadership falters without management however. Management is the science of making it easy for people to bring everything remarkable they are to everything they do. Thought leadership is a key to highly effective leadership and management.
For me a thought leader is simply someone who is a recognised authority who is able to share their expertise in a myriad of ways that inspire and benefit others.
A successful thought leader is willing and able to:
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Turn information into insight and share it with others in ways they find inspiring and relevant
Do you focus on sharing information or the insight you have gleaned from information? Do you share what you know (knowledge) or what has been achieved using what you know (wisdom)?
Knowledge management and knowledge workers were the forerunners to thought leadership and thought leaders. Sadly the focus for many became the knowledge and not the wisdom, the thoughts rather than the leadership.
Fake leaders only share their knowledge when it benefits them. They are often regarded as clever. Real leaders share their wisdom. They are often regarded as wise.
Are you generous with your wisdom? Are you seen by your employees, customers, friends, and family as wise?
To be a success as a thought leader you must be continually working on and improving your skills in turning information into insight and sharing it with others in ways they find inspiring and relevant.
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Work effectively with others as they turn information into insight and then insight into ideas
Insight is wasted until it becomes an idea. In what ways are your people able to be creative? Are ideas welcome and encouraged? Is turning information into insight and then into ideas part of your culture, the way we do things around here?
Fake leaders claim the credit for ideas. Real leaders rejoice when others are creative and recognise and reward people for their ideas.
Is your workplace a think tank? Are you seen in your marketplace as leaders in unconventional wisdom or just one who follows best practice?
To be a success as a thought leader you must be a role model in turning information into insight and insight into ideas. You must be an encourager and rewarder of creativity.
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Work effectively with others as ideas become innovation
Innovation is an idea successfully implemented. Many people think being creative is being innovative. This is delusion.
Do you follow agreed processes to turn ideas into innovation? Are your decision making and problem solving processes transparent? Do you involve all your stakeholders in the process of turning an idea into a success?
Fake leaders are not innovators. They stay with what has worked for them in the pursuit of self interest. Real leaders are innovators and are always on the look out for an idea whose time has come and delight in the creativity of the initiator.
To be a success as a thought leader you must be able and willing to co-create a culture of innovation and do what it takes to ensure the great ideas are successfully implemented.
Buy Ian Berry's Audio Seminar CD from the Resource Centre:
What Real Leaders Do And Fake Ones Don't