Thought Leadership? for Managers?

The term "thought leadership" is a hot buzz word to describe what we used to call scholars, gurus, and experts. It's not exactly the same thing as these other terms, but along the same lines, and it seems to be the term of choice because I see it popping up all over the place.

A though leader is someone who continues to work hard to stay current and knowledgeable in a field and adds to the collective knowledge of that field.

Often, thought leaders (those we recognize or those who proclaim themselves though leaders) tend to be outside the organization. Most consultants, for example, want to be regarded as thought leaders. I did a presentation yesterday for ASTD and they introduced me as a thought leader in management and leadership.

But look at my definition above again. Wouldn't we want our managers and leaders to also be thought leaders? I do! Great managers and leaders stay current and they add to our understanding of what it takes to catalyze greatness in others and produce extraordinary results.

Great managers read, explore, discuss, experiment, and innovate. They are active participants in the craft of management and they help future professionals.

I like it when people refer to me as a thought leader, because I work hard to stay on the edge of my field. I hope, however, that this is nothing special and unique, that all managers and leaders endeavor to be thought leaders, too.

Consider Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos and author of Delivering Happiness. He is a thought leader in organizational culture. As a leader, he has added to our collective understanding of how to build cultures that engage and excite employees.

Sure, Tony wrote a book, too, and I know many of you could fill a great book. I talk to brilliant professionals every day - people who are actively engaged and innovating quietly within their organizations.

Are you a thought leader? I encourage all managers and leaders to consider this a goal (not so you can write a book, so you can do your best work) and I encourage training departments to consider how they can develop the discipline of thought leadership inside their organizations.

And if this is something you are or endeavor to be, how are you staying on the edge? More than anything, thought leadership is a deliberate and active practice. It involves taking time to reflect on how you manage and how employees and peers respond. To be a thought leader, we need to ensure our daily to-do lists don't take up 125% of our time, because how can we improve what we do when we can't improve what we do?

From time to time I feel like I am falling behind in this regard. As a consultant, having client projects is great and a big part of my business goals. But just like you, I can take on too much "doing" and fail to stop and think, network, discuss, and learn. My blog posting goes down and I struggle to hop off the hamster wheel. And the wheel is not a bad wheel, by the way, we all choose our jobs for a reason. We like the doing, the work, and may feel more productive when we are doing a lot. And yet, we can't grow our craft and our capabilities when we are doing so fast and furiously.

We can and should also learn and grow while we are doing, but this type of progress should not be our only kind. A great conference, training session, networking group, book, collection of blogs, or other growth experience can be very powerful catalysts. I really enjoy my podcast conversations, because I get to talk to great thinkers and this recharges my mind.

Make sure your good DOING does not completely take over your work. Your work and potential thought leadership will suffer. And this, eventually, will reduce your results and your competitiveness in your field.

As we head into August, Management Craft's 6th Anniversary by the way, put something on your schedule for the month that has the potential to electrify your mind and push you to your edge.

Comments

[Mary Jo Asmus]

Hi Lisa,

Thanks for the reminder to for those who are moving too fast! I don't know about you but I receive emails from clients at times when they should be a.) sleeping or b.) learning (maybe both).

I would add that in additions to learning through the venues you suggest, leaders who want to be great must also expend the time to reflect on their "doing" and learn about themselves. It's only through knowing ourselves that we can know - and lead - others.

[Tina Del Buono, PMAC]

You are absolutely correct in saying that managers need to be thought leaders. I manage a medical practice and have a private business in medical practice management, it is up to me to keep a tap on what is going on with all of the healthcare issues and how it will effect our physicians and patients. If we do not keep in touch with what is happening day-to-day in whatever field we are in we are losing out for those we serve.

thank you for the good article
Tina