Thought leadership comes in two forms: idea creators and idea elaborators. Those who are not natural creators can extend themselves through teaming and asking the right questions.
Generally, there are two types of thought leaders: those who are idea creators and those who are idea elaborators. There are far fewer idea creators out there than there are elaborators. Idea creators are the ones who come up with the new ideas that fundamentally change direction. But they are not only originators, they also know how to implement their ideas so they take hold and structurally change things for the better. Those whose ideas are not implementable or rooted in reality are not thought leaders.
Idea creators are the people often described as “having vision.” Vision is something different, however. A vision states what the organization will become as it pursues its mission. It is broadly applicable to all the work performed by an organization, painting a picture of a future that resonates and creates an emotional connection for associates to work toward something bigger than each of them individually.
Thought leadership is specifically applicable to current or future problems and opportunities. Creators originate ideas the team can act on to resolve problems or take advantage of the opportunities. Elaborators are people who take others’ ideas and make them even better by refining or expanding on the concepts the creators generate. It is critically important to have both in an organization. However, it is often a lack of true idea creators that increases the risk an organization will go stale or live in a world of continuous improvement rather than innovation.
I have worked with many leaders who were solid idea elaborators. I have worked with few that were genuine creators. Some people are naturally able to look at a complex problem or opportunity and create approaches for taking appropriate action. Those who are able to do this consistently are recognized as thought leaders and have the biggest impact on an organization.
So, is thought leadership an innate skill you either have or don’t? To some degree, yes. But not fully. Some people certainly have better critical thinking skills than others, which supports their ability to generate compelling ideas (tools like the Watson Glaser Test can provide individuals with insights in this area). But I also have seen people who did not have a strong innate ability leverage questions and teamwork to formulate creative solutions. Questions like, What would have to be true? Why? What if? and How might we? can drive conversations in new directions, allowing you to identify new and interesting ways forward. Idea elaborators who appropriately leverage questions can extend themselves toward becoming a consistent idea creator and sought out thought leader, positively affecting their careers as well as their companies.
The topic of thought leadership is particularly important when interviewing for leadership positions. As noted in the Interviewing Tips for Leaders guide, during interviews it can be tough to find a balance when describing your accomplishments relative to team accomplishments. Most significant outcomes are achieved through teams and not an individual. There are certainly many individual successes, but it does not benefit you to emphasize personal achievements during an interview. Dedicate a lot of time to describing your own accomplishments and you will have the interviewer seeing you as a talented, senior level individual contributor. Dedicate a lot of time to describing the team’s accomplishments and you will have the interviewer seeing you as a team member, not the leader required for the position at hand. What’s the happy medium?
Articulate how you provided thought leadership to your teams by establishing the outcomes and strategy and adapting to problems as they arose. Give them credit for execution and take credit for the thought leadership and personal leadership that set the team up for success, leading them to achieve the desired goals. Sprinkling in a few specific accomplishments of your own is fine, but your time should be spent describing what matters for the position you are going for. Emphasize where you were an idea creator and an idea elaborator and how that benefitted the company.
Can you clearly articulate how you have taken ideas (whether your own as a creator or someone else’s as an elaborator) from concept to implementation? Explaining this well in an interview can be the difference between winning and losing the leadership position you want.
Share your thoughts below.
Which type of thought leader are you and why do you believe so?
Leave a Reply