How Thought Leaders Destroy Businesses

By Andrew Ballenthin February 23, 2010 President, Sol Solutions Biography

Connect.Follow.Network.

The timeless adage "don't fix it if it isn't broken" is the opposite of what thought leaders aim to do. Seth Godin, an illustrious thought leader, recently stated, "want to know why so many companies can't keep up with Apple? It's because they compromise, have meetings, work to fit in, and fear the critics...". As a thought leader is he right?

In 2009 we saw a horrific number of U.S. businesses being broken as bankruptcies rose 38% according to Reuters. Bloomberg reports 8 million jobs were lost due to the recession over the same period. Without a doubt a complex set of factors had its insidious hand in the restructuring of corporations and American lives. But how much of this demise was caused by the malaise of satisfied accomplishments that accompanied years of success and seemingly endless prosperity?

Thought leaders have a duty to assist in the continued destruction of our prior templates for how businesses run. It was a tragedy that the grim reaper of recession tapped market forces on the shoulder and gave a wake-up call, but it was due to happen.

Sally Hogshead, has become a thought leader as an after affect of getting marketing results, winning a variety of industry awards and becoming a best selling author. In her latest blog she started with, "I believe you do not have to be an asshole, or work for one, in order to do great work". Great thought leaders call out the elephant in the room and remind us of the obvious so we come back down to earth and move on to better things.

Who Is Helping You Destroy Status Quo?
As you look forward into 2010 ask yourself what criteria you are using for finding a thought leader that helps you destroy your old ways of compromising. If you're reading books and blogs and attending corporate events that reinforce what you know, you're not in the presence of a thought leader. Whether you are a business owner, an executive or someone making their way through the shuffle of life we owe it to the grim reaper of 2009 to not settle back into status quo.

Mitch Joel, President of Twist Image, reminds us how to filter a noisy world of advice and determine who is the right thought leader for us, "If you're following someone and they're really not adding any value to your life (your growth, development and education), drop them." Think of all the books, blogs and articles you've read during your lifetime. How many people have really helped you destroy your old way of thinking and move onto something better? How much was just noise? Have you been inspired lately to 'destroy your business' based on better advice?

An Opportunity To Participate In Destruction
Share your story below about how you assisted the 'destruction' of a business with your leadership or tell about how a thought leader (in a book, event, coaching, etc.) helped you destroy your old thinking and move into innovation. 2 free tickets (worth $399 each) will go to the person who has the best comment below for The Art Of Marketing held in Toronto on Tuesday March 2nd. Note: tickets are not transferable to cash, collection at the event is required.

Full disclosure: I was contacted by the The Art of Marketing to write a blog to support their event on March 2, 2010 in exchange for tickets. Regardless of the request to blog, I was inspired by how their speakers including Seth Godin, Mitch Joel, Sally Hogshead and three others destroy businesses with their thought leadership. As it turns out it's been a pleasure to write this article as I enjoy the content from several of the authors anyways.

Comments

[home business]

Awesome post! Now I'm learning the in and out of the business.

[mlm companies]

Nice Thinking! Really Impressive! I like it. I do welcome your precious views.

[Greg Basham]

While not all thought leaders are right not all are wrong. The day we as business leaders and our organizations stop learning and growing will be the day we truly will wither and fade. For me it is not blind faith but listening and letting your views be challenged if for no other reason to confirm how right your approach is.

Some years back I was in charge of human and organization development at a major P&C insurer in Canada. Many of my colleagues in similar positions in other firms chased the latest fads and perpetrated these on their organizations only to have them fail and they got fired. I resisted fads for training and development initiatives that developed staff and managers and fit our culture. I got promoted to an non-HR executive position. Shortly after I moved to the executive offices I was invited to attend a dinner of the local HR development directors by one of formal external training consultants and now successful businessman. Two of us in the room had not been fired and interestingly enough as it was noted we shared similar views and were regarded by the line as business partners who could help them improve. Neither of us chased fads.

All this aside, the sub-prime problem and the world financial crisis did not have its origins in any thought leaders ideas that I read about. When you are making money off paper like what was happening before the crisis it is just a matter of time before before the party ended. There were people who'd I describe as thought leaders in their business like Peter Schiff who were predicting the demise of the economy and were being laughed and hooted off the networks. Now he wants to be a politician. There goes any thought leadership there.

What we really need are thought leaders who can get through to business leaders that Milton Friedman got it wrong when he said that the only purpose of a business is to create a profit. The Drucker view that is to create and sustain customers means a broader view when it comes to product defects or short term gains like Goldman made in helping Greece finance its debt. Nothing illegal was done. No rules existed to stop them.

[shae]

Really great post! I thought about how many authors made me rethink things...there have been VERY few. Inspirational post.