But I disagree on some points. No, I’m not opposed to over delivering or walking the extra miles to deliver great content and services, making sure that my content really is unique and good, etc. In fact, I think that is the way to go to survive in the long run in several marketing channels like social news sites or search engines.

Just that, this thought leadership thing is only good to attract people, not necessary for business, although certainly with proper nurturing that would lead to business.

In brick and mortar business, for instance in my town, we have like 10 shoe stores. None of them really that unique but all of them have been around for years – and making very good living too.

My point is, my business may stock shoes, just like what other stores have, and in a physical store, it is location that matters. Online, it is about how you reach your audience.

Not all people are going to buy shoes from A – even though A is the market leader – with the cheapest deal, everything. In fact, if all people start to buy shoes online, 10 online shoe stores will not be enough. There should be at least 10,000 shoe stores around the world to satisfy everyone’s needs. And most of them are just plain boring, but people would still buy.

There’s enough business for everyone, as long as they satisfy a demand and are able to reach customers cost effectively – with positive ROI.

Seth Godin, without doubt, is the thought leader in marketing. But, if suddenly everyone goes to him for consulting, he will not have the time. However, if someone reads all his books and put some of those tips to work, they may as well get consulting jobs even though they are just a tiny shadow of Seth Godin.

I hope that makes sense. There are a lot of marketing consultants out there who don’t really have unique ideas but I bet there are still millions of clients who don’t know Seth Godin either. So there really are opportunities for everyone.

So is though leadership important? Yes! Compulsory? No.

P.S. I’ve subscribed to your feed since late December last year, so expect me to come back often. Your blog posts stimulate my thoughts so I should be the one who thank you.

Hendry Lee´s last blog post..How to Turn Your Ideas into Remarkable Blog Posts

Keep up the great work, and I look forward to hearing more great things from you in 2009!

You’re right, it’s not necessary to be a thought leader to run a business – but being a thought leader is definitely a pre-requisite to making that business work.

Allowing others to run the ship; looking at ways to work that your competitors don’t have; keeping clients interested after the results; these and more require thought leadership that doesn’t stick within the normal parameters of leadership.

Thanks for stopping by and sharing your views, I appreciate it.

However, being the top of everything is not necessary to get customers. A co-star may not get the girl, but the world is abundant enough, girls are everywhere.

The world is not about getting to the top or not at all, although one should aim for the star.

Although it is nice to be a thought leader, running a business doesn’t require that status. This seems to be overrated.

@ Sam. That’s a great analogy, and definitely the trick to standing out on your own two feet and not be lost in the hubbub. Your students must get some great views every day!

The challenge is to move out of the shadow and add meaningful light. Imagine looking for a lost contact in a dimly lit room.

If you remain in the shadows, you’ll never find the contact. However, using the light does not ensure that you will find the contact.

To extend the metaphor, you won’t just wave the light around in a haphazard manner. Instead, you will bring addition information to bear upon the situation. You will search smart.

You will begin with the location of the contact wearer, and you will use your light intensely in that location. Then you will broaden the search. Only as a last resort would you shine the light in the far corners of the room.

Moving out of the shadows is a necessary but not sufficient step to achieve quality. Using the light properly takes much more work and knowledge. Here critical thinking skills and problem solving are key. And hard work.

Originality for its own sake is not necessarily an advisable strategy.

There’s a fine line between trendy radical and the guy on the bus wearing aluminum foil on his head. And if you can reliably predict the difference, you’ll be far smarter than the average person (company).

Sam Bradley´s last blog post..3 Goals for 2009: Media Relationships