Being a thought leader, or being regarded as one, is not an overnight journey. It requires dedication and fanatic, insane passion and discipline in a particular discipline. Crazy focus.
I’m not a thought leader. I hope to be, someday. I wondered what it takes to be a thought leader, so I posed the question to Michael Hyatt. His answer had learning as the underlying theme. Michael said it was important to make sure that you created space for input, a lot of it. The next step would be reflection. True.
Learning and reflection are key to becoming or being a thought leader [Click to Tweet]
Thought leaders acknowledge that they have learnt enough to know that they don’t know much. This is expressed through their constant quest for further learning.
Thought leaders wander in their wonder and wonder in their wander [Click to Tweet]
They are willing explore aspects in their disciplines deeper and longer. They research and present they’re findings for scrutiny. In their eyes critique is necessary to further learning.
You can never be a thought leader without a commitment to learning [Click to Tweet]
These individuals we regard highly, tend to be humble. Because they know that they don’t know it all they are not threatened by situations that expose their ignorance. In fact, they look for those opportunities. Their self-cultivated hunger for understanding and wisdom keeps them on the search of such opportunities.
You can’t be a thought leader without doing the thinking part [Click to Tweet]
From my encounters with a number of great people, thought leader caliber people, I’ve discovered how willing they are to share what they have learnt. They don’t see what they know as proprietary. I’m referring to inventions etc.
They are willing to share their journeys and principles that contributed to their colossal achievements. They are aware of some of the factors that contributed to their success but are secure enough to declare what they don’t know or aren’t sure of.
What “stuff” do you think makes thought leaders, thought leaders?