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To be a thought leader, do you need to have an original thought?
I think we get caught up in the need to appear “smart”, “innovative” and “forward”. We blow out ideas, thoughts and opinions believing that the spray of words will intrigue and invest the people in front of us.
Actually, and this is just my own belief, I think being a thought leader is less what you say and more about what you get other people to say. The idea of thought leader strikes me as selfish – only you can have the ideas. I really like people who ask questions and prompt discussions to get everyone involved and thinking – that is a thought leader for me.
The key in my mind is to know how to ask questions and get people engaged. I talked about the need of continued reading and learning in the last column and this is one area where it pays off. You read to broaden your mind and stay on the edge of what is out there. The outcome is not regurgitate what you learn and overwhelm others with your knowledge. Rather, I think by reading and learning continuously you find the right questions to ask of people to get them involved with you.
When you talk, I listen half-heartedly at best and wait for my chance to talk next or leave. When you ask me questions, you involve me and bring me into the conversation.
Peter Drucker’s quote, “the leader of the past knew how to tell – the leader of the future will know how to ask”, is extremely important here. A real thought leader knows how to ask the right questions to engage and invest people in the discussion. You do not need to know all the answers – that is just too much for anyone – you only need to know what questions to ask.
Before a meeting or networking event, think about articles or books that you have read recently and the themes that really took your attention. What questions would you ask around those themes? The objective should always be to have two or three questions with you to ask people to get things going.
What is better – a lecture or an interactive discussion? Hands down … to make an impression, the interactive lively debate and discussion warms the heart.
Don’t worry about knowing it all, think about questions to ask.
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