As a keynote speaker and executive leadership coach I have been asked repeatedly by my clients what is thought leadership? The term thought leadership has been bantered around since the early 1990s when Patrick Reilly, a journalist for the Wall Street Journal used it in the marketing section.
A thought leader is someone who makes a study of their particular field and continues to study it for a lifetime as they positively influence others. Their goal is to share their brain, all the knowledge that they possess to provide solutions for the masses.
Because of this it only makes sense that all thought leaders are solutions-oriented leaders.
Thought Leadership Defined
The source Wikipedia says that “thought leadership is influencing a narrative by understanding what needs to be done.”
It goes on to say, “a thought leader can be recognized as an authority in a specific field and whose specific expertise is sought often and rewarded, that can be an expert, a historical person, or a “wise person” with worldly impact”.
