Thoughts on thought leadership

I applied for a job today.

A quick scan of the person specification was encouraging (‘a focus on customer service excellence’) and didn’t reveal any hindrances (‘candidate must be a former Secretary-General of the United Nations' - that sort of thing). Experience in thought leadership was also sought. Which made my brain click into gear...

Thought leadership. One more catchy phrase that’s bandied around the communications profession a little too freely and easily. A FOMO thing that’s easy to say yet hard to do. Expertise, re-branded. So what actually is thought leadership?

Spoiler: this post is about thinking critically. I’m not bashing thought leadership, nor thoughtfulness, nor leadership. I may not even answer my own question…

We all have thoughts. Everybody has an opinion. (A thought, expressed?) Some people like to share their thoughts. They like others to know what they’re thinking, and hang the context or need. This is perhaps more a character trait than a communications tactic. And what should we be thinking about anyway?

Are those thoughts thoughtful? Considered? If we take social media (and LinkedIn is increasingly social) at face value, there isn’t a great deal of thoughtfulness in evidence. People are instinctive, off the cuff, reactive. Pausing for thought isn’t a behaviour positively associated with digital communications. And, absent considered responses, we are too often inconsiderate of others. We are quick to judge, rather than being curious or kind.

Leadership. I’ve always associated leadership with action, with doing stuff. Not always overt or direct action, mind. Leadership can be highly effective when it’s discreet; not obvious but nonetheless felt and experienced. And leadership denotes a degree of modesty, of quiet assuredness, to my mind. It’s not a trait that’s chummy with bravado or braggadocio. The leaders I look up to look out for others. They are inclusive. They take care to bring everybody with them. Leadership is not about standing out for standing out’s sake.

A person or a thing?

And then there’s the organisation. Can an organisation demonstrate thought leadership? Can a brand or a company be a thought leader? Or must it always be a person, an individual?

If it’s only ever a person, then we have a point of tension in hiring ‘thought leaders’, since you’re hiring a person with the expectation that they manifest as the company, the corporate brand. Which is a nonsense. Your CMO might eloquently advocate for your brand, but the thoughts they convey and leadership they display are profoundly associated with them. If you doubt that, consider what will happen when the CMO eventually leaves the business.

And where is brand in all of this?

Thoughts or expertise?

To my mind, no company is a thought leader. I don’t consider Arc’teryx to be thought leaders in outdoor clothing and equipment. I think of them as a brand that makes decent kit. I don’t believe Tesla is a thought leader. But, I grant you, they’re a brand known to be good at eking out range from their batteries.

It seems ironic that thought leadership appeared to gain in popularity at the same time that certain quarters took to demonising experts (in the UK, at least). People who are genuinely thoughtful, and sought out for their knowledge and credibility.

I’d suggest that expertise is more often objective than subjective. At the very least, subjective expertise is considered and thoughtful. Arc’teryx made its name by expertly designing and manufacturing subjectively better waterproof garments. Tesla - well, take your pick: batteries, software, charging. Expertise, yes; thought leadership? Not really.

Is thought leadership a tactic?

So where does this leave thought leadership as a communications tactic for organisations to include in their marketing plans? What do they actually seek to achieve?

I don’t believe we can simply add ’thought leadership’ to our marketing plans, and expect a couple of blogs and some LinkedIn posts to boost our Q3 earnings. The pathway to revenue requires corporate expertise and consumer trust. Leaders are individuals. Leadership is earnt. And a thoughtful position is sometimes one of silence, rather than loquaciousness.

When the person specification asks for thought leadership, what does the company actually expect?

Develop expertise; communicate competence

By all means encourage brand advocacy among your staff. Support your spokespeople; encourage them to associate their ideas with the organisation, when values and goals align. But don’t think that ‘doing thought leadership’ will magically elevate your organisation.

There needs to be substance - value underpinned by expertise - to your offer. And a competence in how you provide that offer for your customers.

It follows that hiring thought leadership isn’t a solution in itself. Instead, critically consider which skills and capabilities the business actually needs to get ahead.

Be thoughtful, and you might just end up leading your peers. Not following.