Too much wisdom Peg! Gonna have to read it twice now! Thanks a lot. Takeaway (among many): To me, a true thought leader is someone who is leading by example and putting into practice all the things that they tweet, post and write about on a daily basis.
Of course you can’t have too much wisdom! It’s the ONLY thing that comes with getting older that I value! VERY interesting and varied perspectives – well researched. This article/blog/column took some genuine effort which is why I appreciate it so much! I’ve got it “Open” as I sincerely want to fully digest it!
Great article Peggy. I think thought leaders are folks who others want to be more like; and not because of what they have accumulated or what they have accomplished. People want to be more like them because of who they are, how they think, and how they behave in society. Thought leaders do not have to be heads of industry, successful entertainers, world leaders, or anyone different from you or me.
Thought leaders don’t have an agenda and are not overly concerned about how they are regarded. They think what they think, say what they say, and do what they do, simply because they believe they are the right ways to live.
Love this Peg! Awesome job. Love how you gathered opinions from fellow thought leaders and gained insight from what everyone had to say! It would make a super weekly format I agree, so interactive! You put together a lot of great defining, thought-provoking information on a rather broad concept. What do I think a thought leader is? Someone like you Peg who seeks to inform and works hard to bring fresh, insightful information. Everyone you mentioned and polled sure qualifies. I also like Josepf Haslam and Mack Collier and have learned a lot from all of you!
So honored Libby – I don’t consider myself a thought leader but certainly someone with a lot of questions. I appreciate your thoughts & I am going to try this weekly as I enjoyed the process and learned so much from it.
Thank for you time in commenting and sharing your thoughts!
Peggy
What a great piece..I loved the part about your grandpa’s advice..and my fav quote from your piece is “Focus on the grooves in your track” this is what I want to say to my children a quote from a Thought Leader I Know..Peg Fitzpatrick..
Peggy I enjoyed your piece and reading the definitions from various thought leaders. I blog on thought leadership and this is my definition to add to the pot.
“Thought leadership is about delivering new ideas and content to your target publics based on deep insights into the business issues and challenges they face. In the process, the value you deliver should go well beyond merely selling your product or service. Your thought leadership point of view should differentiate you from your competitors, establish you as the ‘go to’ expert in that field and position you as a trusted advisor – all with the intent of underpinning the sale.”
Cheers
Craig
Um, NO WAY I belong in any list – or associated with any list – that is even remotely linked to Mother Theresa! Sheesh. But thank you for including me. I don’t consider myself a thought leader but I do take cue from our Sensei philosophy: dedicate your life to the mastery of practice – whatever that is: your job, a sport, a hobby – and take very opportunity to share that knowledge with others who wish to learn from you.
I make it a point of sharing at least one experience or knowledge that I’ve
gained from my pursuits each week.
You excel at sharing the knowledge Sam – you are definitely one of the people that I personally ask questions to and I have learned so much from you. You have always been so generous in your responses even when I was very new and probably asked really obvious questions. Thank you for that!
Peggy I love your post. I think all labeling with leaders started with introduction of Klout. For long period of time I was in same label group with you and quite frankly happy that i moved out. I am not a though leader and i don’t have desire to be, calls for many responsibilities to be carried with title. But we need to understand that many people simply titiles. Give them artificial power and ego boost. But this only last till they dont fail in the role.
Again great post and love the collection of opinions.
I think that the term thought leader has been around for longer than Klout – my intention of bringing that into the conversation is that it is very easy as you say to “give them artificial power and an ego boost.” And I agree with your thought that people simplify titles.
This is fantastic and mirrors a lot of what I think about Klout, Tweetlevel and other tools that supposedly measure influence. Thought leaders are those like Mother Theresa and the Dalai Lama–I couldn’t think of coming close to influencing the masses like them. Nor would I want to shoulder the burden of such responsibility.
I’ve been labeled a “tastemaker” recently, and I think it’s funny. If the Klout folks actually read my work, they would know that I’m just a simple GA girl who isn’t interested in being a tastemaker, and I don’t have time to be a thought leader. I discovered this before I even became entrenched in social media–almost ten years in mortgage banking showed me that I wouldn’t want to deal with the pressure of setting the standard for the rest of my life.
On the other hand, I’ll give and receive Klout, because if there might be any incentive in the future to have it, I’m all for it. Also, for some people who might have some problems with self-confidence or seem to need cheered up, I’ll award Klout just to try to brighten their day.
I’m rambling now–I do that sometimes. Just discovered your blog today and will be coming back for more. Thanks for the great post!
Hi Amberr
So glad you found me! It is a very interesting topic and I agree with you about the responsibility that it would take to be a TRUE thought leader. So many are influenced by the scores, grades and charts I truly wonder how this is affecting the self esteem of people: both in a negative and positive way. Taking all those things with a grain of salt is important but when you are new, you just don’t know and they are discussed a lot.
I also like to give and receive +K and have fun with the tweets when I sent them. It is like a hug.
Come back for more!
Peggy
On point as usual Peg. Not only do you and I share a love for “Alabama Slammers” but awesome to see we also share an admiration for a lot of the same people. Like Paul, Sam and Jessica who are in my opinion “thought leaders.” Thanks for this.
Hi Dave!
So happy you enjoyed it – we are lucky to know some very interesting and smart people. I appreciate your taking the time to read & comment on my post. 🙂
Peggy
Too much wisdom Peg! Gonna have to read it twice now! Thanks a lot. Takeaway (among many): To me, a true thought leader is someone who is leading by example and putting into practice all the things that they tweet, post and write about on a daily basis.
Be careful of those sharks while you’re swimming!
Is there such a thing as too much wisdom Bruce? It thrills me that you’d want to read it twice – interesting and varied perspectives, no?
I will look out for those sharks! Thankfully I have many friends, like you, who make it a safe and enriching environment.
Of course you can’t have too much wisdom! It’s the ONLY thing that comes with getting older that I value! VERY interesting and varied perspectives – well researched. This article/blog/column took some genuine effort which is why I appreciate it so much! I’ve got it “Open” as I sincerely want to fully digest it!
That means a lot to me Bruce, thanks! What do you think of this as a weekly feature? New questions & different folks chiming in – interesting?
Great article Peggy. I think thought leaders are folks who others want to be more like; and not because of what they have accumulated or what they have accomplished. People want to be more like them because of who they are, how they think, and how they behave in society. Thought leaders do not have to be heads of industry, successful entertainers, world leaders, or anyone different from you or me.
Thought leaders don’t have an agenda and are not overly concerned about how they are regarded. They think what they think, say what they say, and do what they do, simply because they believe they are the right ways to live.
Hello Marc –
Appreciate your comments on this topic – I agree with you that thought leaders can be anyone. Very true!
Thanks!
thanks Peg for including me in this great group of folks! honored!
Thanks for participating! Honored that you would stop by my post & read it. 😀
Peg, you rock for putting this together. I’d love to see a weekly version of this 🙂
I’ll work on that Dino! So appreciate you being a part of my first experiment.
🙂
Love this Peg! Awesome job. Love how you gathered opinions from fellow thought leaders and gained insight from what everyone had to say! It would make a super weekly format I agree, so interactive! You put together a lot of great defining, thought-provoking information on a rather broad concept. What do I think a thought leader is? Someone like you Peg who seeks to inform and works hard to bring fresh, insightful information. Everyone you mentioned and polled sure qualifies. I also like Josepf Haslam and Mack Collier and have learned a lot from all of you!
So honored Libby – I don’t consider myself a thought leader but certainly someone with a lot of questions. I appreciate your thoughts & I am going to try this weekly as I enjoyed the process and learned so much from it.
Thank for you time in commenting and sharing your thoughts!
Peggy
Peggy,
What a great piece..I loved the part about your grandpa’s advice..and my fav quote from your piece is “Focus on the grooves in your track” this is what I want to say to my children a quote from a Thought Leader I Know..Peg Fitzpatrick..
Jodi
Hi Jodi,
So glad you enjoyed it – those quotes are from @jessicanorthey:disqus ‘s quote. She does have amazing things to say!
Peggy
“Be yourself, everyone is taken.” Great quote.
Thanks for the post. Will this make you a thought leader on thought leadership?
Hey Ben~
“Be yourself, everyone else is taken.” is a great quote from Oscar Wilde via Jessica Northey. Awesome everyday something to think about!
I consider myself to be a person with a lot of questions and I love to know what others are thinking. So interesting to me.
Peggy I enjoyed your piece and reading the definitions from various thought leaders. I blog on thought leadership and this is my definition to add to the pot.
“Thought leadership is about delivering new ideas and content to your target publics based on deep insights into the business issues and challenges they face. In the process, the value you deliver should go well beyond merely selling your product or service. Your thought leadership point of view should differentiate you from your competitors, establish you as the ‘go to’ expert in that field and position you as a trusted advisor – all with the intent of underpinning the sale.”
Cheers
Craig
Hello Craig!
Nice to meet you – I am sure that this topic must have been especially interesting to you. I will check out your blog later.
Thanks for throwing your thought leadership definition into the mix.
Peggy
Um, NO WAY I belong in any list – or associated with any list – that is even remotely linked to Mother Theresa! Sheesh. But thank you for including me. I don’t consider myself a thought leader but I do take cue from our Sensei philosophy: dedicate your life to the mastery of practice – whatever that is: your job, a sport, a hobby – and take very opportunity to share that knowledge with others who wish to learn from you.
I make it a point of sharing at least one experience or knowledge that I’ve
gained from my pursuits each week.
{{{hugs}}} Peg!
You excel at sharing the knowledge Sam – you are definitely one of the people that I personally ask questions to and I have learned so much from you. You have always been so generous in your responses even when I was very new and probably asked really obvious questions. Thank you for that!
And keep on doing your thing! {{{hugs back}}}
Peggy I love your post. I think all labeling with leaders started with introduction of Klout. For long period of time I was in same label group with you and quite frankly happy that i moved out. I am not a though leader and i don’t have desire to be, calls for many responsibilities to be carried with title. But we need to understand that many people simply titiles. Give them artificial power and ego boost. But this only last till they dont fail in the role.
Again great post and love the collection of opinions.
I think that the term thought leader has been around for longer than Klout – my intention of bringing that into the conversation is that it is very easy as you say to “give them artificial power and an ego boost.” And I agree with your thought that people simplify titles.
I appreciate your putting in your two cents. 😀
This is fantastic and mirrors a lot of what I think about Klout, Tweetlevel and other tools that supposedly measure influence. Thought leaders are those like Mother Theresa and the Dalai Lama–I couldn’t think of coming close to influencing the masses like them. Nor would I want to shoulder the burden of such responsibility.
I’ve been labeled a “tastemaker” recently, and I think it’s funny. If the Klout folks actually read my work, they would know that I’m just a simple GA girl who isn’t interested in being a tastemaker, and I don’t have time to be a thought leader. I discovered this before I even became entrenched in social media–almost ten years in mortgage banking showed me that I wouldn’t want to deal with the pressure of setting the standard for the rest of my life.
On the other hand, I’ll give and receive Klout, because if there might be any incentive in the future to have it, I’m all for it. Also, for some people who might have some problems with self-confidence or seem to need cheered up, I’ll award Klout just to try to brighten their day.
I’m rambling now–I do that sometimes. Just discovered your blog today and will be coming back for more. Thanks for the great post!
Hi Amberr
So glad you found me! It is a very interesting topic and I agree with you about the responsibility that it would take to be a TRUE thought leader. So many are influenced by the scores, grades and charts I truly wonder how this is affecting the self esteem of people: both in a negative and positive way. Taking all those things with a grain of salt is important but when you are new, you just don’t know and they are discussed a lot.
I also like to give and receive +K and have fun with the tweets when I sent them. It is like a hug.
Come back for more!
Peggy
On point as usual Peg. Not only do you and I share a love for “Alabama Slammers” but awesome to see we also share an admiration for a lot of the same people. Like Paul, Sam and Jessica who are in my opinion “thought leaders.” Thanks for this.
Hi Dave!
So happy you enjoyed it – we are lucky to know some very interesting and smart people. I appreciate your taking the time to read & comment on my post. 🙂
Peggy