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?
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I think that the CEOs are the ones who would take the credit but there is a lot more to it. It could be that the CEOs of successful companies are just labelled 'thought leaders' when in fact, they are just successful in business and management. Is this the same thing?
ReplyDeleteSurely the creative team who come up with ideas for these successful companies (e.g. Apple) are the ones who deserve the credit? It's what they call 'blue sky thinking'. Perhaps the label of 'thought leader' should be applied to a company collectively rather than given to the person at the top.
I agree with Beth's comment here. Where are all those people who actually creates Apple's idea's and concepts?
ReplyDeleteI guess that's just the way media (and thought leadership) works. One man get's fame and credit. There may be simple reasons for this: For the "audience", it is "easier" to relate to one person instead of a team (think of for example Britney Spears... who writes the songs? who makes the "music" ? - I don't know, even though i've been a fan for many years). Another reason may be that of the culture of management - we are used to having a CEO that takes the credit, thus, has to stand up for the rest of the company when something goes wrong. Interestingly, one can ask: How does thought leadership work in collectivistic cultures such as for example Japan? Are the thought leaders there a team of CEO's and other managers?
In the case of Apple, I think that Steve Jobs has become a thought leader based on his idea. NOT the development of such a strong concept. It is the idea that gave him the "fame" and further opportunities... however, this is based on the knowledge of the general audience (me) -but I guess that, if you look more closely, you'll find that Jobs does not deserve the whole credit for Apple's success..
It may be clear that I don't know much about thought leadership, but hopefully the comment made sense...
M
I would say that Mr. Branson definately have achieved thougth leader role. I am not sure if he was that aware of the publicity of the future PR stutnt by the start of Virgin. But in later time, he have become a symbol for the term thougth leaders.
ReplyDeleteSteve Jobs (Mr. Apple) seems to me to be an negative leader. I would say that it is Apple's products that sells, not Mr. Jobs. Who want to connect Apple's fab products with the Grumpy Mr. Jobs? If Steve could step up and dress and smile as a real tougth leader, my view on one of the leader on Apple would have changed totally.
Go Richard Branson!
Marte, good luck with your dissertation on thought leadership. There are lots of definitions around - you can have a look at my blog www.thoughtleadershipstrategy.net/ to see a collection of different people's definitions.
ReplyDeleteDefinitions aside, thought leadership has been recognised for years by the professional services industry in particular as a very powerful marketing tool - one that enables conversations with clients and prospects about important business issues and challenges that go above and beyond merely selling them a product or service. They understood, very early in the piece, that in order to differentiate themselves they had to provide insights no one else was providing, insights that demonstrated their preeminence on one or a variety of topics or sectors. By providing these insights they realised that they were becoming the 'go to' people in that sector. They get that thought leadership equates to trust and ultimately to sales.
As an aside, we should be careful not to equate pure product innovation with thought leadership - the two are very different.
All the best
Craig
Thank you for the useful insight Craig. There are certainly many definitions of thought leadership available. I therefore read your blog with great interest! It pins down the essence of though leadership perfectly.
ReplyDeleteI agree that thought leadership is about exceptional insight and expertise. If a company manages to successfully communicate their pre-eminent opinion and knowledge to their stakeholders (including the media) this can be explained as promotional “pull”, rather than “push”. This produces a better relationship, credibility and, as you pointed out, ultimately an increase in sales.
To change the paradigm of the market you practise in, would in many cases result in thought leader status. As you explained, it is important not to equate pure product innovation with thought leadership. However, I would argue that in many cases this goes hand in hand. Outstanding expertise and product innovation shares many similarities, as for example in the case of Apple.
-Marte-
This is linked to a subject which I recently investigated for a report- Celebrity CEO. The idea that the CEO represents everything about the company. Richard Branson is a perfect example of how successful this can be and customers make an emotional connection with him and therefore with the company. It's about giving a brand a face.
ReplyDeleteTherefore, some CEOs can be thought leaders (especially if they created the company themselves). Probably because they have a personal investment (emotionally not just financially). However, it is true that often the people of the top take the credit for the innovation and creativity of those less superior. So it becomes difficult to define or identify a thought leader. Personally I would define it as a remarkable individual who takes an unusual perspective that others hadn't considered. It isn't about thinking outside the box....but creating a different shape completely