I’m noticing a trend that makes me uncomfortable.
Perhaps you’ve seen it too. It’s a growing misunderstanding of what it means to be a thought leader.
In the last week, I’ve read that people who use quotes in social media are lazy, that upbeat discussions of failure are mamby-pamby at best, foolish at worst, and that bloggers shouldn’t blog if they don’t have something original to say.
That’s just this week.
Regardless of how you feel about the comments made — agree or disagree, I don’t care — what I see is the idea that if you criticize a trend or tendency, that somehow elevates you above those who do the thing you’re criticizing. That,then, should make you a thought leader.
Not so. Thought leadership is the cultivation of new ideas, not criticisms.
A true thought leader doesn’t try to elevate himself by cutting down other people. He takes what’s out there and mixes it up a bit so it looks like something new… Or reads what everyone else is reading and takes away a fresh application… Or improves on a process that everyone else thought was already great.
Thought leadership is positive, not negative
I’ll agree that new ideas are created because we become dissatisfied with what’s out there and see a need for improvement. But it shouldn’t grow out of disapproval of other people. It should grow out of a desire to help.
So here’s my thought: If you can’t say something nice…
Wait, no. That’s already been said…
If you want to be a thought leader, fine. You probably see things that are badly executed and poorly understood. But rather than ranting about other people’s failures, create a system or process that helps us all.
One of the things I’ve noticed is that in a critical environment, there are too many rules. Creativity is shut down because we’re afraid to experiment. We won’t take chances. We’re always looking over our shoulders, and we do exactly what everyone else is doing because it’s the only way to stay safe.
If you ask me, that’s not leadership.
Leaders are ground breakers
Leaders take us to places we’ve never been before. Critical people shut us down.
Mavericks, risk-takers, the truly successful — they aren’t looking at what everyone else is doing. They’re so busy forging their own path, they don’t worry about the poorly executed strategies around them. Their own strategies consume them.
Then, when their own brain-child is fully birthed, healthy and vibrant, they share it with others.
The way I see it, someone who shares whatever ideas he has, original or not, is probably a thought leader in the making. Let’s not criticize, but encourage him.
Perhaps the problem is the desire to be a thought leader. But that’s a misunderstanding too.
You can’t make leadership happen or force people to follow you. All you can do is put your ideas out there, original or not, well-phrased or slightly off, exactly right or a bit wonky. You must have the courage to share — not your negativity but your solutions.
It’s safe to say we’d all like to look up one day and realize we’re a thought leader.
We won’t get there by being critical. Judgment is one of the biggest turn-offs I know. Sure, it will generate buzz for a short while, as people agree and disagree with your comments. But in the long run, it won’t attract the following that’s necessary for leadership.
Let’s try to create positive followship. Let’s generate positive comments. And when we see something we don’t agree with, let’s not blast everyone for it. Let’s acknowledge that there’s a need for improvement and then seek to find a solution.
photo credit: DavyLandman
