Creating an Ideas Revolution – Five Things that Define Truly Great Thought Leaders

Lots of smart people have inspiring ideas.  Lots of people write books, do a TED talk, give speeches, create new products & companies, and are thought leaders who influence us.  But the thought leaders who actually shake us up, who create new ways of thinking, who are founders of major enduring movements...those are more rare.
As a former President of a publishing company, I am lucky to know a lot of smart, inventive, creative and driven people.  Over time, we published hundreds of books that reached best-seller lists, which meant that the ideas they contained were read and praised by tens of thousands of people worldwide.  But what really excited all of us was discovering that rare and amazing author whose book sales actually grew over time.  When the sales curve grew year over year, we all knew that something very special was happening, and the ideas within that book were taking hold and were having a unique power.  The growth of such an ideas revolution are manifest in more than book sales. It is about the magic of a top-ranked TED talk, or a keynote speaker who gets asked back over and over again.  It’s about the power of a set of ideas to inspire us and to change lives.  It’s about movements that endure and grow and the brave souls who lead those movements.  So what combination of traits, passions and abilities create a thought leader who leads an ideas revolution? 

1. They are true originals.  Often they worked on their unique model or set of ideas for many years in relative obscurity.  They are close observers who have tested their ideas from many angles, and they frequently have a lot of data and experience to back them up.
2. They STAY with a set of ideas for a very long time.  So many smart people move too quickly from idea to idea, subjecting themselves (and their thought-followers) to trends or popular culture. The great thought leaders have the patience and fortitude to stay with a message over time.   Like great organizational leaders, they aren’t afraid of repetition, of teaching, encouraging and bringing people along – at all stages of their learning journey.
3. They find many ways to express their ideas…speeches, blogs, books, videos, OpEds, training programs, conferences, online learning, visualizations, videos, podcasts, and more. They don’t stay with a single format but believe so much in their ideas that they find creative ways to keep their ideas in front of people.  And they figure out ways to surround themselves with talented people who believe in their ideas and who help to move them forward in these formats.  They know that no one thought leader can do it alone. 
4. They care more about their followers or readers than about their own ego or status. They don’t love their ideas for their own sake, but for how their ideas can help people.  They also really understand the motivations, needs and desires of their followers. 
5. They have passion.  This can’t be faked.  It’s not about the number of tweets you send out in the world, or the size or your email list, it’s about the quality of the ideas and the enduring passion behind those ideas.