Mary’s definition is a bit outside the mainstream. She believes that thought leadership comes from being ahead of fads and providing insights into what’s coming. She believes in a strong theoretical base for opinions and ideas. She believes thought leaders draw upon great social networks (real ones, not just virtual “friends” or followers) that give them access into the insights and wisdom of other great thinkers in order to keep ideas fresh and relevant.
By this definition, Mary is a thought leader. Here are some of the ways she’s been ahead of the herd over the past 25 years:
- She wrote a book, Leadership and the Computer (1991), about the use of computers for leadership when most CEOs weren’t even dreaming of touching a keyboard. It was hailed by Fortune Magazine as a “seminal work” in the area of Knowledge Management.
- She participated in an online executive level education program using threaded discussions before Windows was popularized.
- She was an expert in teleconferencing over 20 years before Cisco started began selling Telepresence
- She wrote a book, Managing Interactively (2001) about how to lead and manage in a networked, complex environment using collaborative communication tools 10 years before social media became popular
- She has been writing about complexity theory for almost 10 years
- She did a virtual book launch 10 years ago that included a webinar with graphic facilitator David Sibbet who used a tablet application. The week of virtual activities also included follow-on threaded discussions and conference calls.
- She has been designing hybrid meetings for over 15 years
- She started designing and facilitating unconferences over 15 years ago
- She is now at the forefront of research into Integrated Marketing Communication
- The Harvard Business Review article she wrote with Dave Snowden in 2007 received an Emerald Citation award in 2011 as one of 50 most influential business articles over the past four years, based on the number of citations by other authors.
Posted in Uncategorized
