Archive for October, 2011

How do you define thought leadership in 140 characters or less?

Eric searches for a 140 character description of thought leadership

On his blog, B2B Digital Marketing, Eric Wittlake, moderated a Twitter #B2Bchat on Thought Leadership, why companies should invest in thought leadership and its meaning.

The question that fascinated me was defining thought leadership in 140 characters.  Thanks to Eric I have published them here.

These add to the existing and growing list of definitions on this blog.

I suggest you check out the rest of Eric’s post on this as there are some interesting insights.

Eric is a digital and B2B marketer with a background in analytics and online media. He is based in Portland, Oregon and runs the media group at Babcock & Jenkins.

1. How do you define thought leadership in 140 characters or less?

•  Thought leaders are the trusted advisers of their clients, due to their established expertise in their particular domain #B2Bchat  @B2Bento

• First and foremost, thought leadership is bestowed, not claimed. #b2bchat  @jeffthesensei

• Thought leaders are often heretics. Prime example is Galileo. #b2bchat  @jeffthesensei

• A thought leader is someone who is able to see things in a way no one else does #b2bchat @tracibrowne

• @GeraldMoczynski: At most simplistic, thought leadership is: If you speak, do others listen and, do they FOLLOW your lead? @swee06840

And here is my own attempt in 135 characters:

“Thought leadership is about sharing insights and content that meets a known or unmet demand, challenge or issue in your audiences’ lives.”

Please send in your definitions in 140 characters or less on the comments page.

Feel free to download my e book at the top right of this page.  I’d welcome you to follow me on twitter @thoughtstrategy and join me on LinkedIn.

Semantics of leadership

Jack Lundee approached me a little while back about a guest blog.  He is an avid blogger on Everything Left.

He describes his blog as a “blog to relay the latest Liberal-based current events and political news to its readers.”

In this post he has analysed what he believes it takes to be a leader - I believe that these echo the characteristics needed
to be a thought leader.

In order to really understand what it takes to be a leader, one must really sit down and analyze the various characteristics of somebody who leads.

Classically, a leader can be defined as a person who is followed by others. I believe a leader must have the following
traits:

Trustworthiness

Whether you’re Doug Band of the Clinton Global Initiative or a regular door-to-door salesman, you must always be honest. Honesty, integrity and trustworthiness are significant qualities of a leader simply because without them, nobody would
consider addressing that person as somebody who they’d follow. In other words, you can’t build character by lying, cheating and stealing – Dishonesty simply does not make an impression on anybody.

Respectfulness

And you’re character is of course dependent on how you perceive and treat others, as well as your self. If you have an angry or self-defeating attitude, you’re likely to behave that way. This eventually leads to a loss of respect.

Perseverance

A leader must always be ready to fail.

Having the strength and courage to carry on through these mistrials is greatly consistent of a powerful leader. Again, you don’t have to be a world leader to preserver and overcome. Leaders can and usually will find the strength to pursue their visions, goals and good will towards others, even if they’ve experience some sort of adversity that normally would hold somebody back.

Benevolence

Most leadership theorists tend to leave this trait out, but I find it of great value to somebody entertaining a leadership position. The Dalai Lama once stated, “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” With kindness also comes compassion. And if you’re passionate about something, you’re probably one of the best kinds of leaders who do by example.

Ability to Lead by Example

Leaders always lead by example. I have yet to come across somebody who I consider a leader that didn’t lead by example. A
great illustration of this would be Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Gandhi was not only the leader of an enormous peace
movement, but he also played a role as an activist. Let’s keep in mind that this commitment to “action,” had nothing to do with violence or upheaval.  Gandhi simply led by using things like fasting as political protest. This gathered him thousands upon thousands of followers.

Ability to Inspire and Influence

In accordance, Gandhi was able to influence and inspire. In fact, Martin Luther King actually pulled writings and referenced Gandhi in developing his own theories on non-violence. If somebody who you consider a “leader” has yet to inspire you or make you want to reach higher, perhaps it’s time to start idolizing someone else.

Intelligence

Last but not least, a good leader must be smart. Most of the time, if you’re smart, you’ll be in good shape. Even if you’ve done some deceitful things and hurt people in the past, with intelligence comes the realization that “It’s time to make a change, and stick with that change.” Intelligence can go a long way in terms of impacting yourself and others.

It certainly will attract followers, but without possessing some of these other traits, it’s useless in itself. You can be the smartest person in the world, and lead a life of consolatory confinement if you’re unable to maintain positive relationships with others, and these relationships are earned through honesty, respect, influence, kindness, courage, and determination.

By: Jack Lundee of Shades of Green and Everything Left.

Thought leadership piece on Corporate Social Responsibility

I believe the right CSR intiatives act as a strong reputational shield during a crisis.

I was invited by the editor of the UN Global Compact International Yearbook to submit an article on whether CSR can lessen the impact of a crisis or lead to a faster recovery.  It came off the back of a presentation I gave in Sydney at a Crisis Communications Conference hosted by Frocomm a little while ago.

While thought leadership is a particular niche and passion of mine, I have been involved in the PR business for 23 years and have had a lot of exposure to crisis communications, corporate communication strategies and CSR.  The issue of brand fascinates me – how to build it and how to protect it.

This article explores whether CSR can lessen the impact of a crisis and assist in a faster recovery for the brand involved.  I think it can – read why by clicking the link below.

UN Global Compact Year Book article by Craig Badings 2011