Think Write Grow: How to Become a Thought Leader and Build Your Business by Creating Exceptional Articles, Blogs, Speeches, Books and More

Chapter 3: Who Are Thought Leaders?

[A thought leader] ... could have weak interpersonal skills and an indifferent character. They could be loners or eccentrics. All that counts is the credibility of their new idea. This is why we can buy innovations offered by odd creative types who we would not entrust to manage any part of an organisation. Leaders Direct12

If thought leadership is the process of putting forward ideas to solve problems and realise opportunities, thought leaders are the people who do it. However, most of the people doing it don’t call themselves thought leaders — either because it’s never occurred to them that that’s what they are, or because they don’t like the term. This can make it hard to readily identify thought leaders, ...