Thought Leadership is not about giving away articles. The material produced by the consultancies is a product and is given away for marketing but it is only the tip of the iceberg. There will be far more material produced that is not given away for free and actually defines the goals for Thought Leadership as a strategy.

The “Thought” is about exploring white space that products or services can occupy in the future, while Leadership is about action and establishing primacy.

Hence I would define Thought Leadership as; a 3 to 5 year strategy for creating and or protecting a prime space that products or services can occupy that will enhance the triple bottom line. It is executed through harmonised organisational behaviours and actions that influence non-governmental organisations, governments, policy makers, opinion formers and shapers.