Are Blogs the New Thought Leadership?

Usually what happens inside an organization is that a group of people from different departments get together to discuss topics for thought leadership materials. The biggest concession made to the marketing or public affairs group is to tie those into existing messages as put forth in campaigns and brand promises.

I've been thinking about a better way when I came across Five Ways to Make Yourself a Workplace Superstar from Brazen Careerist by Penelope Trunk. Her five ways (in bold) and some of my notes about them:

1. Have gaps in your resume -- I'm with Trunk on this one. Do take the time to think differently about yourself; experiment by taking on short term projects that stretch you. Gaps are opportunities for you to be in charge of your career, seek out new ventures and work on your terms. Plus, they can give you the chance to recalibrate your personal brand.
2. Cut corners at work to make time for the gym -- it means find that mind-body balance by creating an exercise program that works for you. In The Power of Full Engagement, authors and consultants Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz write about the pulse of high performance being a balance of stress and recovery. They translate energy as the capacity to do work -- the spaces are as valuable as the activity.
3. Start a side business -- Len Hernstein is the brain thrust behind Brand ManageCamp, where Greg Verdino will be speaking about Empowered Consumers, Emerging Media and Marketing's New Rules on September 26 (Wednesday). He started his business while working at Campbell Soup and was able to get the business off the ground while working as brand manager. If he could do it for two years, you can too.
   
4. Turn down promotions -- there's something incredibly interesting about corporate America. Often people get promoted from superstar as individual technical contributor to manager. Thus the saying that one gets promoted to their level of incompetence. It takes very different skill sets to become a manager and frankly one must really want to do it to be good. Trunk makes a great point here -- who's in charge of your path?
5. Start a blog -- starting a blog is the equivalent of letting people into the way you process information and form opinions; it's a way to see if you exercise critical thinking and flex your writing muscle articulating on topics of your choosing. This is part ideas lab -- the place where I test concepts to see for myself if they hold water. Sometimes I do not know exactly what I'm thinking until I commit it to writing and invite others to poke holes into it. The process is so transparent that it cannot be easily faked. It's also a way to let others inform our thinking without having specific agendas -- on a peer to peer level, with peer being defined as interested person/thinker. This is a very different process from the one we encounter in corporate America, where the person's title may be the driver in decision making.

So are blogs the new thought leadership?

[learding by inspiration, Sitar Ruparelia, Flickr]

Comments

[Greg Krauska]

Valeria, blogs are absolutely ONE way to create and develop thought leadership. I find blogging to be a very rich experience, to explore and exchange ideas with people who come from a wide variety of experiences. It certainly sharpens my thinking, let alone my writing.

Is blogging THE new thought leadership? I think that depends on who is engaged in the conversation - and what they bring to the process. Whether that's better than what "corporate America" can come up with depends on who comes to play.

If folks enjoy the process as much as the finished product, then blogging has a distinct advantage. In blogs, we often get to see how ideas develop. In a world of sound bites, a conversation is a welcome luxury.

[Karen Hegmann]

Valeria

I think that blogs form a part of the New Thought Leadership, but don't think that they ARE the new form yet. Unfortunately, corporate culture has not made blog use mainstream as of yet, and in more traditional cultures there's still an image of rebelliousness attached to bloggers that makes many executives afraid to hear what we are really thinking. As soon as more executives adopt this new way of thinking and realize how it can benefit their companies, they will then be able to use the ideas and feedback as part of their corporate strategy. Smart companies are already doing it, but there's still a long way to go.
Penelope gives us great advice on how to make us a workplace superstar. Again, which strategies you use depend on which cultures you're trying to fit into. While having a gap on your resume can be a good thing, it's only a good thing if the person seeing it perceives it to be an advantage (I agree with Penelope's POV by the way, and wish more people would see gaps as a plus). More traditional thinkers might still see it as a cause for concern, as they're still stuck with the same old thoughts and pre-conceived notions that tend to give them the same old predictable results.
I for one would love to find people who think beyond the gaps - people who appreciate the thought behind the creation and implementation of new ideas.

[Mario Vellandi]

Yes they are the new form. Time is allowed for thoughtful reading, synthesis, and expression.

Interaction rate is variable as compared to other forms. It may not be instantaneous and swift...but conversations can extend much longer.

In all though, if one is confident, objective, and quick...total processing time is faster.

[Valeria Maltoni]

Greg -- and I'm sure you know I was being thought-provoking with the declaration. I do wonder if more positive energy is being expended in testing the medium (blog) and joining in than in the old company meetings sometimes where the individual contribution is drowned in a sea of sameness.

Karen -- yes, there is room for improvement. When I refer to something I thought about I find that over and over again I come back to a post with corollary contributions in the comments. As if I could pick up t he conversation from there... well, I could with many of you ;-) Thinking beyond the gap, now that is a wonderful expression. May be worthy of a reflection all by itself.

Mario -- progressing the conversation means advancing thought, I am absolutely convinced of it. People would not spend so much time in online communities if there weren't deeper benefits than sharing ideas. What stays with you is a discipline to read, think it over, interact, or maybe just come back to it days later.

[Craig Badings]

I think they are a channel through which thought leadership ideas can be discussed. Thought Leadership is a point of view which has many ways of being expressed. A blog is merely one of the ways of expressing and sharing that point of view. To be a true thought leader however, there has to be recognition by an audience or a community that what you have to say adds value to a debate, issue, solution, etc

[Jason Falls]

If the author of the blog has the incites and forethought to be a thought leader, a blog is a great way to show the world you are. But because you have a blog you aren't necessarily a thought leader.

It's kind of like being a good president. You can be a good candidate and make an awful leader. You can also be a lousy candidate but a phenomenal president. Fortunately, in the business world we don't have to elect thought leaders. The good ones emerge, blog or not.

[Joe Raasch]

Hi Valeria,

I am leaning towards the comments Craig and Jason posted. i see a blog as a tool and medium that it is.

Right now, blogs are where you can find many of today's thought leaders. Each medium is evolutionary v. revolutionary. Hugh at Gapingvoid (I am paraphrasing now) wrote a while back that blogs are finally back where they started - not as popular with the masses or the hot new thing. This leaves the dedicated (thought leaders?) to continue in the medium without the noise of being the tool of the moment.

[Valeria Maltoni]

Craig -- thank you for diving in the conversation with us. You make an extremely good point, which seems in line with my definition of communication -- the meaning being in the response it elicits, not the intention. I would take it a step further and add that blogs are tools and environments.

Jason -- true, the same works for email, web sites, white papers, speaking gigs, etc. Which brings me to an interesting thought on dynamics -- just because you can doesn't mean you are. I wonder what would happen if good political figures just emerged vs. the ones we get have the funds to run.

Joe -- your comment prompts me to reflect on the individual nature of thought leadership vs. group think. Yet, blogs can also be a space where the conversation outputs thought leadership from the confluence of individual contributions. You are an expert in group dynamics, maybe you can help me articulate why it is so difficult to have the same result in organizations. I alluded to it by mentioning that rank over ideas usually wins.

[Joe Raasch]

Why does rank over ideas usually win? I'll point you to Jim Stroup's "Managing Leadership" blog at www.managingleadership.com/blog

Read "Wizards, Robes...and Work". He articulates the facade of leadership and hidden agendas v. getting work done.

As individuals in an organization, we can excel irrespective of rank.

Ciao! Joe

[Valeria Maltoni]

Joe:

Thank you for the link, I will visit Jim's blog. We can and do lead from any chair. I am just observing conversation and work dynamics. I am fascinated by how in most organizations the title impresses and informs the conversation. This may not be an internal problem only, I often find that if my boss is in the room, for example, the vendor we are talking with will address him specifically even though he has made it clear that the decisions are mine.

[Joe Raasch]

The issue you pose, where the vendor directs conversation to your boss v. you, shows some cultural biases.

This could be a gender, age (boomer, Xer), or industry issue. I expect it is more age/culture than anything. Your boss could easily change the view of the vendor with a sentence or two. I find it interesting that your boss doesn't notice the dynamics...

[Valeria Maltoni]

Actually, dynamics noted and addressed multiple times ;-)

[Joe Raasch]

Time for a new vendor!

[Carolyn Ann]

Vendors are always aware that the ultimate power lies with the boss. Even if you're making the decision, their training and their expectations are such that they will continue to think your boss will be making the decision.

Don't take their rudeness personally!

One boss I had used a neat trick to force the conversation to his employee (me, as often as not) - he sat on the same side of the table as the vendor. He made sure the employee wasn't "lonely", or facing an inquisition - which can happen (even inadvertently) when the "power" is all on one side of the table - but he just made sure the vendor talked to the person making the decision. (Ah, he was a good boss! Jim, wherefore art thou, now?)

One thing about career paths, I used to tell this to all the guys working for me, is that no one is in charge of your career except you. As a manager, I could help your career with training, opportunities and so on. But those were always geared to what the company needed, and were always considered with the idea that the average length of employment was about 18 months! I think it has stabilized a bit now; that was in the heady days of the dot-com "era".

Anyway, the idea that your boss is looking out for your career has to be shaken, rather quickly. (So if anyone does think that... Even, especially, if the boss has promised.)

I've always found that I have to merge two of those points: I'm responsible for me career, and I have to be very "self-employed" about it. Meaning, I may not be able to start a second business (I've had hiring contracts that specifically exclude such efforts), but I've not considered the company responsible for anything I do with my life, my career, etc. I went after the training courses (it was great if the company paid for them), I taught myself the new stuff we had to deal with: if I relied on my boss at the time, I'd still be waiting. (He really was a waste of space, and not just on the org chart.)

In short, while I would pay attention to an employees career, it was always with the firms' goals in mind. Not his; if they coincided: great. If they didn't: well, that's his problem, not mine.

Blogging as a professional development tool certainly has its pluses; I'm interested in the negatives, too. A good blog takes a lot of effort to write and maintain. And it requires a command of the written language that can't be assumed. I've got a feeling that the intersection of tools like "Facebook", "Technorati", "My Space", etc, etc, etc (seemingly ad infinitum...) will be where the technically-aware blogger of the future will end up. The language-intensive blogs of today will still be around, but the sound bite, the quick link, the cryptic comment will prevail. For no other reason than so many people don't have the time, and online multi-tasking is such a generic skill that the effort required to sit and produce a neat statement about an idea simply won't be needed.

I've got gaps in my resume. I'm not concerned about them: any hiring person doesn't need to know what I did. As long as the gap isn't due to incarceration, it's not any of their business! ("I took a little time off" is, I guess, better than "the Judge 'asked' that I take 2 to 5 years off...")

Whew! That covered a lot of ground! :-)

Carolyn Ann

[Mark Northern]

The egalitarian nature of the blogosphere belies the cultural reality. All blogs are not created equal... and not all bloggers have the street cred to be "thought leaders."

Present company excepted, of course.

[Jay Ferrari]

Tremendous post, Val. Provocative as always, and the resulting thread is just as insightful. These five pointers are a distillation of the idea of career ownership -- of embracing the idea that we work for ourselves, even if we punch the clock at someone else's company. Understanding that responsibility liberates us, allows us to take risks, to worry less about appeasing authority, and concentrate on innovating, on evolving -- on thought leadership. If a blog is a conduit to that kind of dialog, or allows you to raise your expertise profile, then by all means blogs are on the thought leadership vanguard. Put your ear up to the boardroom door; that panicked, scrabbling sound you hear is the old guard trying to understand what the kids are up to these days, and grousing about how they can't control it.

[Valeria Maltoni]

Joe -- ;-)

Carolyn Ann -- I am glad you had the chance to experience a great boss. Each person should have that opportunity. In that case a boss becomes more like a mentor, a sage and a guide. I've been very fortunate... then again, I pick the boss along with the job. As for career I agree with Ms. Trunk a blog is one great way to manage your own. While I think you may be right in predicting the future of the written word as more sound bite than long hand (metaphor for extensive writing, like mine), I still think that there is room for thoughtful and inspirational moments with long essays. You had me in stitches with your your taking time off versions ;-)

[Valeria Maltoni]

Mark -- part of the intellectual capital of this blog belongs to you, and Jay, and Carolyn Ann, and Joe, Karen, all the people who join the conversation. Granted, the topic and exposition need to be compelling enough to make the step worthwhile.

Jay -- you put your finger right on it: control. "Understanding that responsibility liberates us, allows us to take risks, to worry less about appeasing authority, and concentrate on innovating, on evolving -- on thought leadership." I couldn't have said it any better. Thank you.

[Mark Northern]

I forgot to mention that is the almost anarchical nature of the blogosphere that makes it so compelling... at least for me. I'm tired of the information oligarchy deciding what's of value to me. We live in a "pull" world... and most of the "pushers" are several beats behind the drum that we're marching to.

[Daniel Sitter, Idea Seller]

Valeria, I believe that one of the reasons why blogs provide an opportunity to develop this thought leadership lies in the expanse of the blogosphere itself. It may very well be infinite, providing limitless inspiration and education to millions.

Innovators will not wait for the mainstream corporate environment to adopt blogging, they will be developing their ideas and collaborating with other like-minded individuals at a speed previously unheard of, regardless of geographical constaints. This developing medium is just beginning to show it's potential!

[Valeria Maltoni]

Mark -- Thank you for the clarification. I saw your comment earlier in my in box and then it didn't show up here until now.

Daniel -- every month I do a state of my RSS reader and figure out who is coming in and who needs to be trimmed back. And I am surprised sometimes to notice how far my reading has taken me globally. I love it when I meet a German who lives in Spain and speaks flawless English, or a Brit who also lives in Spain, etc. And I've never been to Spain myself ;-) We are our projects.