Is thought leadership valuable for a small business? That is the question that is being asked around the blogosphere as of late. Is it important for an owner, sales director, or a sole proprietor to be involved and have their “head” into the concept of thought leadership?
Well. I would say yes but what is the definition of a thought leader?
Thought leader is a buzzword or article of jargon used to describe a futurist or person who is recognized among peers and mentors for innovative ideas and demonstrates the confidence to promote or share those ideas as actionable distilled insights (thinklets)
Now, I don’t have a clue what a “thinklet” is but there is the definition of thought leader from wikipedia. Does this strike you as something important for your business? Instead of thinking of a thought leader as a single individual why not view your entire company as a massive thought leader?
Using social media can help you develop and nurture your (company) thought leadership by sharing ideas, view points, and opinions on events in your industry. By developing trust you are developing thought leadership. Last time I checked… trust potentially can lead to a long term sale.
By constantly producing content that is genuine, up-to-date, thoughtful, and insightful you can develop a leadership base that will follow your lead.
What do you think happens when one of your readers runs into a pain point in their business that you talk about on a daily basis… lead generation at its best.
Related articles by Zemanta
- Thought Leadership Ain’t What It Used to Be (thecustomercollective.com)
- Thought Leadership Webinar February 10 (deswalsh.com)
- Thought Leadership is Not Enough (socialmediatoday.com)
- Give the People What They Want: Thought Leadership and Lead Gen (funnelholic.com)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=12bcdbf5-3219-4ad9-8ccf-e05b1e4ce98b)
Hi Kyle,
Thought leaders are an instrumental part of a team that drive business onward and upward. I equate a thought leader with a visionary. Typically, this would be the leader, i.e. CEO, President or founder of a company.
It's been my experience that It is difficult at best to have a company of thought leaders, as thought leaders typically start their own companies and lead and inspire others with their visions and aspirations of how to take over the world (just kidding).
It can be pretty difficult at times to get thought leaders to all agree as well, as they are usually pretty head strong and believe in the how they see getting things done.
This opinion is based on my personal experience; but I am looking forward to seeing others perspectives on this topic and gaining some insight.
Thanks Kyle…
I'd compare the thought leader to a CCO in an agency or a CSO in a company. You need someone who is constantly pushing the envelope, disagreeing with you and inspiring and creating change. If you don't? Enjoy irrelevance.
Change is the key component to drive a successful business. Well said Stuart!
I think it is important (as an individual and business owner) to try and maintain a level of thought leadership for your company, both internally and externally. Your employees need to see the level of commitment you have for the company and your clients need to see your level of commitment for making their lives easier.
And yes, it is hard to have multiple thought leaders in one company. However, if you can balance it…. growth can be exponential.
[...] The Value of Thought Leadership for Your Business (kylelacy.com) [...]