Thought Leadership Defined

Online discussion about the definition and practises of though leadership are thriving. Opinion leaders, practitioners and organisations can’t seem to agree upon what thought leadership actually entails. My quest for research on the subject has left me confused. It is evident that thought leadership are practised by a range of different people, but can everyone call themselves thought leaders? Does it merely require a strong opinion and a twitter account?

I believe true thought leadership requires a bit more. In my opinion, the actual purpose of thought leadership should be stakeholder engagement, not attention seeking. The fascinating aspect of thought leadership is the ways in which thought leaders publicly comment on issues and trends. Organisational thought leadership may then have enormous potential. Is thought leadership truly recognised as a corporate communication strategy? And how can you measure best practise if it’s not?

TLG’s Thought Leadership Index provides useful answers. The research reveals that there is a strong connection between brands that have achieved status as thought leaders and those brands that enjoy a strong reputation. Two of the organisations that stand out from the Index are Apple and Virgin. Are these two prominent organisations then recognised because of their corporate vision or because of their visionary CEO’s?