"Thought Leadership" - What Does it Really Look Like?
David Harry
68 Posts
The subject of "Thought Leadership" came up at our recent LED Strategic Planning Offsite.  We want our LED to be "Lean Thought Leaders".
Various members of the board had different ideas of what a "Thought Leader" was and how a thought leader would act and how we (and you, our Members) would recognize one if you saw it.
We knew we couldn't just "hypnotize our members" to follow our thoughts.  After all, a Leader is defined as one who had followers (no followers, no leaders).
Wikipedia states " thought leader is an individual or firm that is recognized as an authority in a specialized field and whose expertise is sought and often rewarded. Thought leaders are commonly asked to speak at public events, conferences or webinars to share their insight with a relevant audience."
So we agreed that You, our members decide if we (the entire Lean Enterprise Division membership) becomes Thought Leaders.
So what would it take to have an organization (LED) whereby members engage and follow each other and determine that if you wanted to know more about Lean Methodology, you would come together and ask your fellow members?
Your thoughts?
4 Replies
Businesses are growing at exponential rates. It is incredibly important that we use the tools that are available to us, especially tools that bring us together.

Consider me on board. We can definitely become Thought Leaders working together, sharing input and bench marking off of one another.

Today, social media is an integral part our lives, and it should be utilized to the fullest extent in order to build our team's communication. 

By doing this, we synergize to whole new levels. 

 
David Harry
68 Posts
Thanks Kevin,

One definition states "A thought leader is an individual or firm that is recognized as an authority in a specialized field and whose expertise is sought and often rewarded. Thought leaders are commonly asked to speak at public events, conferences or webinars to share their insight with a relevant audience."

Based on the premise, that you can be a "Leader" unless you first have "Followers". a thought leader has to be declared a thought leader by someone else. A person can't just stand up and declare, "hey, look at me, I'm a thought leader." A thought leader gains this reputation by first proving their worth to others who know a lot about an industry. They obtain credentials through education and experience and use this knowledge to help others and they are generally considered experts in their field of industry. Thought leaders need to be able to provide new thought and insight into the differing aspects of their expertise.
I am a new member, but happy to contribute, count me in!
Chiraz

@David Harry

I am a new member and whole heartedly support the “thought leadership”. We should lead from the front. Please count me in the initiatives/efforts/idea development.

Sincerely,

Chai