I love Twitter. I love connecting with people all over the world--most are interesting and generous with their knowledge. At least the people I follow are that way--interesting and generous.
I have chosen each "follow" carefully upon quick reviews of each profile. While I may have missed a few here or there, for the most part, I review profiles before re-following and prior to initiating a Twitter relationship.
Upon reviewing about a dozen profiles this morning, I noticed about half called themselves "thought leaders." Their use of the word startled me because it seems like something others should say rather than something one should say about oneself.
The word prompted me to dig a little deeper to see if they were indeed "thought leaders."
Not that I am in charge of assigning such a label as "thought leader" for everyone else, I can do so for myself. So, I assigned the label to just two of the people whose profiles and web sites I viewed. I am glad to know about those two folks and anticipate learning from them in future tweets.
What made them thought leaders? Their posts, profiles, and web sites showed them to be original (not one Zig Ziglar motivational quote among them), thought-provoking, fresh thinkers.
Surely, we all can agree that those who only post quotes from others, whether they are business experts, self-help gurus, or musical artists, are not "thought leaders."
What do you think: is it appropriate to label oneself a "thought leader"? Or, is that label better left for others to use?
Perhaps the term implies different things to different people--what does it imply to you? Your input could help reduce my skepticism of thought leaders in the future.
Kelly Tyler posts experiences and stories which help readers improve their workplace performance.
I think you're spot on Kelly...Quotes drive me batty. Thought leaders should be coming up with their own quotes. But if they sign their name after it, I might unfollow.
ReplyDeleteAs you know, we have the Thought Leader path within our Publisher Method strategy process. From a marketing perspective, I think it's perfectly fine for someone or a company to strive to become a thought leader. We've even recognized certain characteristics, strategies and tactical approaches that thought leaders execute, mostly by nature. But as you said, achieving that should be recognized by others.
Two things in particular that thought leaders do...Call people out and stir things up. Two points for Kelly!
Thanks for the comment, Brody.
ReplyDeleteI wholeheartedly support an effort to be a thought leader.
Your Publisher Method shows a clear path to becoming one--for anyone interested, check it out: www.thepublishermethod.com --and is a terrific resource.
Thanks again!