Thought Leadership Past and Present
Thought Leadership is Not a New Idea
The words “Thought Leader” are new(ish), but we have always had people who influenced how the rest of the community thought about certain topics. Through a combination of hard work, talent, and luck, these people created a reputation for being the “go-to” guy or gal on some specific topic.
Think of Lao-Tzu (right living), the apostle Paul (Christianity), Aristotle (philosophy), or Pythagorus (math). Think of Michelangelo (art), J. S. Bach (music), or Thomas Paine (politics). Think of Einstein (physics), Stanislavski (acting), E. B. White (English grammar). Think of Dr. Phil (relationships), Dr. Ruth (sex), Dr. Spock (raising children), and Dr. Teeth (rock and roll). Don’t forget Suze Orman (personal finance), Robert Kiyosaki (real estate investing), and Wayne Dyer (personal improvement).
In each of these cases, the expert isn’t just revered as being the best in field (sometimes they weren’t) but was the sought-after expert, the standard-bearer for telling the rest of the world what to think about the topic.
They have been called experts, mavens, gurus, and teachers. We may call them something else in the future. Today, we call them Thought Leaders.
And while the idea is old, it is not just the name that has changed in recent years.
