Are You A "Thought Follower"?

Many people spend an exuberant amount of time trying to position themselves and prove to others that they are "thought leaders". This buzz-word became popular in the 1990s and is now the holy grail in business. Every company and corporate "guru" strives for this label.

Many self-assign themselves the "thought leader" moniker, but you cannot appoint yourself the leader. If nobody is following you, then you are not necessarily out front.

But is it a bad thing to be a "Thought Follower"? Our cowboy society applauds the self-made pioneer and makes the concept of not being the leader into a sub-standard position. You do not see executive committees sending the second best sales person to Hawaii or praising the late adopters inside the organization.

(Only Avis Rent-A-Car ever publicly cheered their own runner up status and said that the number two position can be a darn good thing - there was a lot of money to be made for number two).

I am not condemning leaders (thought or otherwise). They are great. Important. But if there can be just one first, then everyone else is left to be a loser. If victory is reserved for those who create something totally unique or dream up a premier idea, then there is no room for those who follow to have an impact.

I believe that there are many paths to success, and first-mover innovation is only one of the routes.

This does not mean that the masses should just sit back and wait for "thought leaders" to create the new way and then mindlessly follow. Instead the real challenge is to see the new concepts and extend them even further into fresh arenas that the original creator did not imagine.

You do not always need to be the "thought leader" and we need not only admire those who hold that title. Instead we should always be observing the new new thing and pushing it in even newer directions. Observe and honor the thought leaders, and then take their inspiration and create something more spectacular so that the world can cheer.

Thought Followers of the world unite!

Have A Great Day.

thom

A Letter to Me

I am not really a country fan, thus I can tell you I had never heard of Brad Paisley before.

This morning the radio kicked on with his song called "Letter to Me", where he contemplates having the chance to send his younger self a note about how well life works out.

The song is visual and for anyone who remembers the difficulties of being a teen. The words speak out with amazing mental pictures of those things that seemed so important, but fade into just being part of your history.

Paisley has the video posted on YouTube, but has disabled the ability for me to embed it in my blog, so you will have to CLICK HERE if you care to hear the song. It is worth the five minutes, as it will make you think about your own life and see your personal triumphs and people who shaped you along your path.

I love the concept of being able to write a letter to myself, and send it to me at seventeen. I wonder if I would have the foresight to listen to the 42 year old Thom Singer. I hope that I would, but I know that I was stubborn, cocky and a dreamer (not unlike now)... and I am not sure that even advice from my future could help me map out an easier way. I know that you have to stumble in your own time to reach your goals.

What would you tell yourself? I can think of lots of things, but Brad Paisley hits most of it right on the button. I like this part of the song:

"You’ve got so much up ahead
You’ll make new friends
You should see your kids and wife
And I’d end by saying have no fear
These are nowhere near the best years of your life"

OH, and buy stock in Microsoft and Dell!

Have a great day

thom

Expect Greatness

Expect great things from everyone in your life. People tend to deliver to you what you expect them to deliver to you!

Earn Respect

"You do not command respect, you earn respect" ---Terry Sisco

Twenty years ago I heard a friend of mine defend another with the above comment. It has never left my head. I don't know that I ever told Terry how profound a statement he made at 19-years-old, but there you have it. Earned respect takes time to acquire and is paid for by consistent actions.

Too Much Noise

There is so much noise in the online social media world. It is disconcerting to know I am part of the noise...but a challenge to find ways to be heard.

Court Jesters

In Shakespear's day all the Kings had fools (court jesters) who always told them the truth. In today's world many leaders don't have fools, they are fools.

Is Leadership Really Rare?

I never see companies complaining that they have too many great leaders in their organization.