A thought leadership is someone or a group ascribed with the ability to influence a story by knowing what must be done next. It is not the ability to influence people to do something, but rather the ability to influence the way people think and reason in order to make the story happen. The concept is very similar to that of goal setting, where there is no right action or correct thinking, only the right thought. Often a person who has a thought leadership role is charged with motivating a team by showing them the consequences of their actions, or persuading people to adopt a certain pattern of thought and feeling that will yield specific results.These are people who are able to recognize and influence events and circumstances in the way that best serve the team. They are goal oriented and do not believe in “running around” and solving problems. They are good at developing strategies to achieve collective goals.
What Is the Purpose of Thought Leadership?
The purpose of thought leadership is to influence the thinking of others.Thought leadership comes with a responsibility for continuous learning, which takes time away from other work activities including family life or leisure pursuits like sports too often.
In a recent article in Business Week, Michael Gerber, author of Think and Grow Rich, was interviewed. He was asked, “If you could give every employee a dollar worth, what would be the most important skill you would want them to have?” Mr. Gerber responded, “That’s the kind of question I get a lot…and it’s not always an easy answer.” There are many qualities a thought leader should have, but one of the most important is being able to visualize the end result before anyone else does.
What is Thought Leadership Strategy?
Leadership development doesn’t have to mean writing ten different reports. Leadership development should just mean that you have to think differently. You must learn how to think differently and then adapt that thought to the situation. When you think differently, you will find that the other people will also begin to think differently and the strategy will become much more effective.
A strategy is nothing if it’s not executed correctly. If you don’t execute the plan, you are wasting your time. If the leader says to do this, then do it. It doesn’t matter if you don’t know what he wants because you know that it’s going to get the desired results anyway. This type of leadership doesn’t involve creating a bunch of different plans for every little thing. It only requires one plan.
Just make sure that you know why you are leading. Are you following a thought that you truly believe in? Are you using this thought-leadership strategy because you think that people need to be taught a lesson in life? What will you be teaching them?
These are the types of questions that you should ask yourself when you decide to use this leadership style. Are you going to act the same way in every situation or are you going to think differently? Are you going to listen more to the people who you are leading than to those who are not part of your team? If you answer these questions honestly, then you’ll be able to develop your strategy in a way that works.
How Do you Identify a Thought Leader?
A thought leader is influencing an audience by comprehending what must be done through interpretation. A thought leader also can be attributed to people who lead by example by inspiring others through example. Some famous thought leaders include: Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi, and Nelson Mandela.
A thought leader needs to have a deep reservoir of strength and confidence. This comes from having the ability to trust one’s own abilities and believing in one’s own value.
Thinking positively results in optimism and leads to increased self-confidence. Also, it’s important to develop your communication skills so that you can effectively communicate your ideas and beliefs to your followers. Being a thought leader requires to think strategically. Their strategies should be innovative so they can achieve their desired goal. If they are not personally interested in their job, they will end up getting no respect from the team. If they show a lack of interest in the tasks they are assigned, people will see right through them.
Conclusion
The ability to persuade and influence others starts with the conviction that you believe in them. Your thought leadership doesn’t just stop at convincing others of your point of view. You must be able to show them why they should follow you. If you can do that, then success is almost guaranteed. Once you have convinced a person of something, you have transformed him or her into a servant rather than a master.
