What Makes a Thought Leader?

Attend any AEC industry conference or trade show, and you’ll encounter rosters of speakers—all experts in their fields—talking about the latest trends in design, products, and technology. Yet more often than not, these presentations are more self-referential sales pitches [albeit with exquisite visuals!] than they are genuinely original ideas on advancing the practice. True “thought leadership” offers well-founded perspective on issues of shared importance. Here are three key attributes of a thought leader:

1] Thought Leaders Think. They identify challenges, problems, and issues and then help others to think critically about possible solutions.

2] Thought Leaders Learn. They are intellectually curious, ask questions, and seek new information from myriad sources.

3] Thought Leaders Lead. They take a coherent position on an issue and provide sound solutions and options as they communicate with and persuade others to change.