---

Guest post by: Brian Moran Become an Author

Tweet

---

---

Wikipedia defines the term thought leader as a buzzword or article of jargon used to describe a person who is recognized among his or her peers for innovative ideas and demonstrates the confidence to promote those ideas. The term can also be applied to companies, usually small businesses. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thought_leader)

According to commentator Elise Bauer, a distinguishing characteristic of a thought leader is “the recognition from the outside world that the company deeply understands its business, the needs of its customers, and the broader marketplace in which it operates.”

Trust in small businesses is built on reputation and on what others say about them. Bauer states that “Small companies have to work hard to get visibility, especially when the market is crowded with competitors all vying for the same business. One approach to gaining visibility is by becoming an industry thought leader.”

Bauer confirms that it’s not the size of the company that makes it a thought leader in an industry or a community, but rather the recognition it is given for its approach to doing business. “Companies will look to you for insight and vision. Journalists will quote you, analysts will call you and web sites will link to you.”

Small business owners understand that thought leadership requires a spirit of generosity - generosity of one’s time, intelligence and knowledge. It requires a trust that by being open with what they know, and by sharing their time and knowledge, the world will reward their efforts. Successful entrepreneurs implement thought leadership as a strategic imperative for their company. Ideas and insight don’t require dominant market share or millions in capital expenditures. Their companies don’t need to be a leader in sales to be considered a thought leader.

Becoming a thought leader does require work and commitment. It demands the difficult task of looking at one’s company from the perspective of the world outside and instinctively making decisions accordingly. Most companies fail miserably at this. Generating an ongoing effort towards thought leadership is the best way to ensure positive results. This is a key differentiating point in thought leadership between successful small business owners and their larger competitors.



More Thoughts on Leadership

Theodore Hesburgh - The very essence of leadership is that you have to have a vision.
Tony Blair - The art of leadership is saying no, not yes. It is very easy to say yes.
Vince Lombardi - Leaders aren’t born they are made. And they are made just like anything else, through hard work. And that’s the price we’ll have to pay to achieve that goal, or any goal.
Warren Bennis - The manager asks how and when; the leader asks what and why.

Related Articles

  Thought Leaders Should Inspire Change Leaders
  Being a Thought Leader in Today's Ever-Changing World
  The Qualities that Hire Leaders
  Enough Already.....Are You a Leader or a Follower?
  The Art of Influencing and Empowering Others
  Content = thought leadership. Wrong.
  Beware, content doesn't a thought leader make
  Act Like A Servant, Think Like A Leader
  LEADERSHIP: AUTOGRAPH YOUR WORK WITH EXCELLENCE
  7 Tips to Becoming "THE" Expert Fast with Article Marketing
  INVENTORIES CAN BE MANAGE BUT PEOPLE SHOULD BE LEAD.
  Ledership Vs. Followership
  Does product, sales or market leadership equal thought leadership?
  3 Thought Leader Article Templates That Will Help You Attract More Clients Like Magnets
  How Do You Know When Are You A Leader?
  Does content curation have a role in thought leadership?
  LEADERS AUTOGRAPH WORK WITH EXCELLENCE.
  How To Become A Leader.
  What does a good leader need or look like
  How To Be A Fearless Leader

Related Forum Posts

Re: My 200 post
Re: Welcome, Trent B, to the All-Time Leader Board!
Re: Internet Users Hbk http://www.internetscamsanonymous.com
Hi from OpenAFranchise
Re-introduction

Share this article. Fund someone's dream.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Employee engagement -How do great leaders do it?

Warm Market Research

Ten Viral Marketing Best Practices

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.