Thought leaders benefit society by sharing leading-edge knowledge, guidance, and insights. Dedicated fans spread these ideas across industries.

But when I got off stage yesterday, a CFO came up, "Your thought leadership debunks several theories of other thought leaders." 

"Thank you," I replied. "But I'm not a thought leader. Just fortunate enough to hang around brilliant scientists and researchers."

“Well, then how can you tell if a thought leader is a thought leader?” she asked.

“I dunno. Probably because it’s on their website?”

As I ran for my flight, I couldn't ignore her question. By the time I landed, it became my next research project.

Let’s Debunk This

For decades I've been grateful that my academic pursuits provided me the rare privilege to connect, discuss ideas, and develop relationships with people so much smarter than me. I've been lucky to meet some of the top minds in science, engineering, and human studies, and been blessed with their ideas and support in evolving my own research, keynote speaking, and books. Hopefully my luck will continue because I still have so much to learn from them. 

But now the capacity for anyone to share their opinions has increased exponentially. Anyone can put thought leader on their website. So how does someone without a scientific background analyze which thought leadership ideas are:

• true or false?
• evidence-based or evidence-free?
• facts or opinions?

Before, we had peer-reviews, case-studies, evidence-based models, and other mechanisms to filter out the charlatans.

But today ...there...are...no...filters.

Welcome to social media!

And its power grows.

Sharing and amplifying one's ideas on social media without validation or bottom-line impact evidence is easier more than ever. And many executives are starting to smell the proliferation of phony experts. 

The web used to be a sanctified area for academics, researchers, or the military to communicate and share valid research.

. . . but the web has now evolved into a megaphone for morons.

This explains how the phenomenon of individuals declaring themselves to be thought leaders has grown. There are even online courses on how to do it!

But how much has the thought-leader wave grown?

Busted - Demystify

Determining the number of people who are thought leaders became challenging for me. The term “thought leader” is a subjective and often a self-appointed title. In many cases it's a self-perception about one's own influence or expertise in a particular field, not typically quantifiable in a measurable way.

I did a quick Google search for the number of people who have declared themselves thought leaders on their website since 2010.

Not surprisingly, the amount of self-proclaimed thought leaders has become exponential.

Curiously, I thought, just for fun, why don’t we project this trendline out 10 years.

Wow, luckily, we’ll soon have over 6M thought leaders!

Oh, wait. Let's have more fun. Let me take it out 25 years.

WTF!

That over 350M thought leaders!  You know what this means?

Yes. In 25 years, everyone in the U.S. will be a thought leader!

Yay!

We won’t need Google or AI anymore. All you’ll have to do is walk into a bar and everyone will be an expert about something!'

Ummm, Isn’t that already happening in bars already?

Good point.

What to do?

There are great, authentic thought-leaders out there. As I mentioned earlier, I’m blessed to have many in my life. I meet new CEO group Chairs every year, meet a hundred of them annually in an international conference (Keepers of the Flame), and even have an advisory group in the National Speakers Association where each member leads their industry with proven impact; some are NYT bestselling authors you’ve probably heard of.

But how do you filter out genuine thought leaders from the pretenders?

Introducing the new term: Charlatitis.

Charlatitis: An inflammatory condition that infects ordinary people causing them to believe they possess genuine knowledge. Typically diagnosed by measuring levels of ego-inflammation, hot-air expelled, and hallucinations of confidence in a topic they never researched. Highly contagious. People in close contact with a Charlatan may breathe in what they heard and become carriers spreading the virus to others. Areas of possible high infections include business conferences, management meetings, and pubs. There is no known cure.

So how can we determine if someone who has "thought leader" on their website is infected with Charlatitis?

Distinguishing a genuine thought leader from a charlatan can be challenging. Fortunately, several indicators help distinguish real expertise from those using “thought leader” as a self-promotional, marketing label:

1. Experience: Authentic thought leaders have substantial experience and deep knowledge in their field. Unfortunately, many show up AFTER a someone's success happens in an industry they have no experience in, and then write about it like they're an expert. But, by not being there for the pain and mistakes, they miss the main points needed to achieve success.
2. Impact: Look at the tangible impact of their work.What is their proven track record of accomplishments, credentials, and history of work that supports their expertise? Do they have case studies on how they grew sales or competitive advantage in industries they helped? Have they contributed to significant changes, innovations, or advancements in their field? Do they offer original insights or just rehashing someone else's ideas. Is their content well-researched, informative, and forward-thinking because of their own interpretations and extrapolations? Or are they offering vague, superficial, or rehashed ideas that don’t add much value? 
3. Relevancy: Is the theory relevant to your industry? Charlatans might display inconsistency or frequently jump on trending topics without deep understanding. Success in one industry does not necessarily mean it transfers into another. In one example I discovered a government agency implementing a matrix organization model from the aerospace industry. Total failure, and cost American taxpayers millions. Also, is the theory trying to fit something from a non-business source into a business application? Often someone hears about a biological breakthrough in genetics or neurology, and thinks we could use it in management theory too. Not only do they forget to interview the researchers, they don't even read their publications. Once, I got into an argument with the Dean at one of the top business schools. She argued that brain plasticity could be used to develop leaders. I reminded her that research on stroke victims doesn’t mean it can be applied to leadership development. I gave her a few examples before she hung up on me.
4. Recognition: True thought leaders are often recognized by their peers and respected within their industry. Look for endorsements, references, acknowledgments, or awards from reputable professionals or industry groups.
5. Transparency: Authentic thought leaders are transparent about their qualifications and the limitations of their expertise.
6. Sources: Do they cite sources and provide evidence for their claims? If they make exaggerated or unfounded claims without citing sources or research, you’re probably listening to a charlatan.
7. Motivations: Genuine thought leaders are primarily motivated by a desire to share knowledge, drive innovation, or contribute to their field. Is this person more focused on selling products, self-promotion, or making extravagant claims without substance? If so, they might not be a true thought leader.

Finally, many thought-leaders don’t really call themselves thought-leaders. People brand you. They know if you’re one or not.

Hope this helps you filter through the noise so you can find the authentic thought leaders out there.

I gotta go. Need to put "thought leader" on my website.

Wait. What?