What is a Thought Leader?

Source: Solutions for CPA Firm Leaders

The following is a complete reprint, reproduced with permission, of a blog post by Rita Keller.

How many thought leaders do you have inside your firm? Many of us, when we think of thought leaders, think only of the managing partner or the partner leading a division within a larger firm.

Hopefully, other partners and managers inside your firm are building their personal reputations as thought leaders in their specialty areas.

What is a thought leader? As far as definitions go, there are many viewpoints. Some people think of a thought leader as someone with an expansive view about firm culture, strategy, etc. Others think of a thought leader as someone who goes very deep into a specific area when it comes to expertise.

Russ Alan Prince and Bruce Rogers, contributors on the Forbes site, explain it very well in a recent article. They offer a two-part definition of thought leadership. On the second page of their online article they give an example of a thought leader in a tax accounting firm.

Becoming a thought leader is about making money and making history.

For the complete post, read “A CPA Firm Full of Thought Leaders.”

From Solutions for CPA Firm Leaders, the blog of Rita Keller, August 24, 2012, http://ritakeller.com/blog/.