KB Enterprises (Aust) Pty Ltd
  • twitter
  • facebook
  • linkedin
  • youtube
  • mail
  • Home
  • Talent Dynamics
  • Young People
  • Parents
  • Teachers
  • Services
  • Events
  • News
  • About us
  • Contact

Are you a thought leader?

You are here:Home / News / Are you a thought leader?

good-idea

An interesting thing happened on the way to the office ….

Recently, on two occasions and in two separate environments, I heard the reference to teacher librarians as being thought leaders. Was this coincidence or something I should take notice of? I decided the latter and shared a few brief thoughts in several minutes at the opening of the K-12 Library Managers Congress at EduTECH. [Here is Joyce Valenza’s recall of the ‘TL=thought leaders (and light bulbs)’ from EduTECH.]

After this short sharing moment at EduTECH, I wanted to go deeper into this thought (excuse the pun!). So I put together a webinar, which I presented for Eduwebinar on Wednesday 24 June.

Here are some summary points. [P.S. The views and opinions are mine. Please consider, expand or change as you see fit.]

Thought Leaders are considered to be knowledgeable, authoritative sources of new ideas or intellectual trends, who are also the go-to people in their field of expertise.

[A bit of background and history here via Wikipedia – Thought Leader, just in case you are interested.]

I considered thought leaders under four broad categories, based on work I have been doing with Talent Dynamics (talent assessment / analysis / profiling).

Category 1: Visionary / Innovator
They think intuitively; create value through innovation; ask the “what” question.
Exhibited characteristics:

  • Visionary
  • Innovative
  • Very energetic
  • Inspirational
  • Strategic
  • Very creative
  • Generate big, bold ideas
  • Challenge the status quo
  • Expand opportunities for all

One little challenge they have is being impatient. Other folk are just too slow to pick up their big, bold ideas or to get excited and run with their grant innovation. They need other thought leaders with different talents in their team.

Examples of global visionary/innovative thought leaders: Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Richard Branson, Walt Disney, JK Rowling, Anita Roddick, Mark Zukerberg.

Category 2: Provocateur
They shine the light on others; leverage through people; ask the “who” question.
Exhibited characteristics:

  • People person
  • Motivator
  • Cheerleader
  • Spokesperson
  • Instil confidence
  • Lead from the front
  • Networker
  • Take a stand

One little challenge they have is being a bit overbearing because they just know. A little bit ‘in your face’. Well, for some folk that’s how they are sometimes viewed. Again, they need other thought leaders with different talents in their team to help balance out the full-on approach.

Examples of global provocateur thought leaders: Oprah Winfrey, Barak Obama, Julian Assange, Germaine Greer, Donald Trump, Rupert Murdoch, Kerry & James Packer.

Category 3: Collaborator
They are very sensory; create value through knowing the right time to do something big; ask the “when” and “where” questions.
Exhibited characteristics:

  • Create connections
  • Build relationships
  • Team builder
  • Project manager
  • Very connected
  • Good implementer
  • See possibilities
  • Innate sense of timing

One little challenge they have is getting bogged down because they just want to make sure everyone is OK and that it is the right time to do it. They focus on using their senses and really want to know how people are feeling. You could probably say they are good at consulting as well. They need other thought leaders with different talents in their team to help them move things along. Steady as she goes.

Examples of global collaborators thought leaders: Warren Buffet, Gina Rhinehart, Nelson Mandela, Mahtma Gandhi.

Category 4: Problem Solver
These folk are into detail; leverage value through systems; ask the “how” question.
Exhibited characteristics:

  • Systems oriented
  • Research / information focused
  • Analytical
  • Good with detail
  • Efficient
  • Tinker and tweak to improve

One thing they avoid is the limelight. Just give these folk some space and let them get on with the job. In fact, they don’t need lots of people around for them to make things work. They just need loads of information, data, statistics. Even so, they too need other thought leaders in their team, otherwise it is likely that no one will know what a genius they are.

Examples of global problem solver thought leaders: Larry Page, Jeff Bezos, Henry Ford, Frank Lowy, Ray Kroc.

During the presentation we began to identify thought leaders within the education profession. Please feel free to add to the list at Education Thought Leaders [To add your education thought leaders, double click on the page and enter the information. The padlet page is now being moderated.]

To become a thought leader takes some time to develop the knowledge and expertise, status and presence. So there are some things you can do:

  1. Start a blog to share ideas/processes, communicate, collaborate, engage and reflect.
  2. Connect with other thought leaders (in your profession) via social media.
  3. Learn from TED Talks.
  4. Read outside your profession about things that are changing the way we live, work and play.
  5. Network with like-minded people (Isaac Newton – “If I have seen a little further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants”).
  6. Write / publish / broadcast in a range of formats that suit your talent.
  7. Present / speak / report on topics you are passionate about.
  8. Contribute / Comment to leverage social media interactivity.
  9. Brainstorm problems / issues to identify potential and multiple solutions.
  10. Engage in a community makerspace / maker faire as this encourages a different way of thinking.

If you are interested in exploring your natural talent as a pathway to developing your knowledge and expertise as a thought leader, then check the options on our Talent Dynamics page.

[Image: Free Photo: Education, A Good Idea, An Array Of – Free Image on Pixabay – 548105 : taken from – https://pixabay.com/en/education-a-good-idea-an-array-of-548105/https://creativecommons.org/licenses/publicdomain/]

Additional resources:

Brosseau, D 2015, Thought Leadership Lab. Available at http://www.thoughtleadershiplab.com/Accessed 23 June 2015.

Church, M , Stein, S and Henderson, M 2012 Thought leaders: how to capture, package and deliver your ideas for greater commercial success, Thought Leaders Publishing, Balgowlah, NSW.

JALiving Now, ‘Thought leadership: what kind of thought leader do you want to be? Available at
http://jaomonline.com/jalivingnow/2014/11/12/thought-leadership-what-kind-of-thought-leader-do-you-want-to-be Accessed 1 June 2015.

Patel, N 2015, ‘9 things true thought leaders always do’, Thought Leaders. Available at http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/246001 Accessed 23 June 2015.

Recent Posts

  • Exploring Project Based Learning
  • My Child is a Genius!!
  • What are You Good at?
  • Kids Learning Differently
  • Gardening, Kids and Food

Testimonials

  • Karen is so dedicated and committed to bringing out the best in every child. She has so much compassion, commitment and knowledge, with an absolute reverence for every child/young person. I would… read more →
    Angie Stead
  • Karen is a woman with determination, expertise and intelligences, she shares informative and meaningful findings and relevant information aligned to the UN Global Goal of Quality Education. I look forward to seeing… read more →
    Catherine Ord
  • Thank you Karen for investing time with James and I and going through his "Talent Dynamics" results. It was really exciting to see James understand the characteristics of the different profiles and… read more →
    Sam, parent
  • I only had a few weeks of school left and I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do at the end of Year 12. After spending time with Karen talking about… read more →
    Tianna, Year 12
  • I was really wondering what this Talent Dynamics [For Young People] was going to be about. But after Tianna had her debrief session with Karen she was a different person. She was… read more →
    Cher, Parent
  • Karen's offer to undertake the Talent Dynamics test came at a time where I was reviewing my business and looking to expand and needing to analyze my strengths and weaknesses to further… read more →
    Paul Simpson, QVR, Bald Hills
  • The offer to undertake the Talent Dynamics test came at a time where I was questioning my professional direction and needing to analyse my strengths and areas to further develop. The test… read more →
    Lori, Teacher Librarian

Archives

  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • May 2017
  • January 2017
  • September 2016
  • May 2016
  • February 2016
  • September 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • October 2014
  • August 2014
  • June 2014
  • October 2011
  • August 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • January 2011
  • March 2010
  • February 2010
  • January 2010
  • June 2009
  • April 2009
  • March 2009
  • September 2008
  • September 2007
  • August 2006
  • August 2005
  • August 2004
  • August 2003
back up
© Copyright 2021 KB Enterprises (Aust) Pty Ltd
  • Home
  • About us
  • Child Safe Statement
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Refund Policy
  • Sitemap
  • Contact
  • Login