For me the term ‘Thought Leader’ has been hijacked from its intuitive meaning (someone who leads on thought and thinking) to become used as a surrogate for “Trusted Advisor” and also someone who effectively manages their reputation.For me the important part of the term in “Thought Leader” is “Leader”. If you are trusted and well known and respected are you a Leader? Maybe these are necessary characteristics but surely not sufficient.A Thought leader in my book will be someone well differentiated from a trusted “Thought Follower”.This means that every true “Thought Leader” must also be an iconoclast in their field. Most Blogs for example are full of interesting content but nearly all reflecting the thoughts of others or opinions about thoughts of others. The Thought Leaders will be the one’s who are challenging much of the current thought, not simply regurgitating it.When Einstein said that we won’t solve the problems of today by the same thinking that created the problems, he was obviously suggesting that in order to solve the chronic problems of the day we need to think differently and from a higher, wider or different perspective. Not “more of the same” thinking or “this worked for me thinking” or the “solution is obvious thinking”.It’s interesting how many of my “Thought Leaders” are, or were, Physicists. It was Bohm for example who devised a way (Bohm’s Dialogue) of allowing new thoughts and new solutions to emerge from a group. It was Deming who identified that Western Management not worker malaise was the biggest threat to continual improvement in Business. It was Eli Goldratt and his Theory of Constraints that helped manufacturers remove broken links from their value chains and improve performance and profits. Each of these Physicists were looking at issues from outside of the current paradigm. And of course Einstein was a Physicist as well.So how many people calling themselves “Thought Leader” could also be described as “Iconoclast” coming up with thinking that challenges the grey cells? For me a Thought Leader will be someone – if they do nothing else- makes you stop and think! Also an Iconoclast Thought Leader is unlikely to be “thinking with the majority” and therefore will not always be popular.Oh and someone has just asked me “Are you a Thought Leader”? Well I’ll let you decide. Here are some of my recent ramblings intended to make you think about your thinking and to signpost possible different directions that your thinking could take in order to find new solutionshttp://barrymapp.com/2009/07/it-strikes-me-that-a-lot-of-wh/http://barrymapp.com/2009/07/iconoclasts-stand-a-very-good/http://barrymapp.com/2009/07/thinking-in-different-ways-2/http://barrymapp.com/2009/07/what-makes-a-“creation-company”/http://barrymapp.com/2009/08/how-rewards-sabotage-creativity/http://barrymapp.com/2009/10/unintended-consequences-what-do-very-large-bonuses-attract/http://barrymapp.com/2009/11/bonus-culture-proud-to-win-a-cabbage-not-the-cash/http://barrymapp.com/2009/07/235/http://barrymapp.com/2009/07/three-new-words-for-the-21st-century/http://barrymapp.com/2009/07/lessons-for-science-from-the-mesmer-experience/http://barrymapp.com/?s=thought+leader
I like your thinking and you are “right on.” A politician, inspirational guru, religious leader can be inspiring but do they change thought, expand thought, challenge conventional thought? In most cases, they are an extension (fully connected), offering insight, interpretation and innuendo.Thought leaders, may or (often) may not be popular, as you suggest, because they are leading thought in new directions in new ways and contributing new inputs that give rise to re-framings of experience.Thanks for making me think. I’ll let your ideas simmer, then ripple out.
Thanks John for taking the time to share your thoughts on this. Keep following the blog as there is lots more thought provoking stuff to come … when I have the time
I take your point Barry but it seems to me that getting hung up on terms and titles is a malaise of modern society. Our information age naturally puts emphasis on semantics, pr and spin but ultimately most of us recognise an original idea when we come across it. Similarly, we respond to anyone who demonstrates ‘authenticity’ and we are prepared to follow them if their ideas make sense (and sometimes even when they don’t! Einstein was only understood by a handful of people at first).The clever leaders use the language of the times to get their ideas across and often their ideas are not original, they are simply humane; Martin Luther King’s message was hardly ground breaking but it is a message often forgotten and rarely implemented.Whatever tools you use, never forget it is the message which is the most important.