Page 15 - Ignite Change: Unleashing thought leadership - A roadmap to thougth leadership

Chapter 2: To thought or not to thought? An introduction to
thought leadership

In 1994, Joel Kurtzman introduced the concept, “thought leader” as someone who is:
“ … recognised by peers, customers and industry experts as someone who deeply

understands the business they are in, the needs of their customers and the broader

marketplace in which they operate. They have distinctively original ideas, unique
points of view and new insights” (Cook, 2012).

Since 1994, there has been an exponential growth in the “thought leadership”
industry. If you google the phrase “thought leader” you will have 377 000 000 results

to peruse.

Within these results, one will identify “industry” thought leader sets. The most
common set falls within the marketing industry, aimed at content marketing for

business-to-business (B2B) organisations and relates more to sales channels and

product (Patel 2016). This set falls squarely within Kurtzman’s definition. The second
set focuses on you as a brand and developing “…commercially savvy experts, each

developing their IP and carving out their unique position in the market as speakers,
authors, trainers, mentors, facilitators and coaches.” (Cook 2012). In this group,

thought leaders are “developed” with a view of selling their thought leadership as a
product. This focus broadens Kurtzman’s concept but aligns to business leadership.

This avenue of thought leadership has made thought leaders celebrities and

“…maven, visionary, guru, rock star, game-changer, and the like.” (Vajre 2017). If
you are reading this handbook because you want to be a celebrity, then close this

book immediately.

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