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Funny writeup - the recruiter and the Goldman/Quantcast callout was particularly enjoyable :) An alternate LinkedIn game that I've done many times with colleag

Funny writeup - the recruiter and the Goldman/Quantcast callout was particularly enjoyable :) An alternate LinkedIn game that I've done many times with colleagues (and which works better on the web/desktop UI) is: * Ensure you have at least 50 connections * Go to the 'My Network' then 'People You May Know' * Scroll down and enjoy some of the ridiculous profile photos eg people at the horse races, photos with partners cropped out, weird off-camera poses, 1980s hair, etc * Try not to laugh Admittedly with the recent rise of 'personal brands', this game is more difficult than it used to be - yet still juvenile! Also, what the heck is a 'thought leader' anyway? Isn't it better to be an 'action leader', a decision-maker, a publisher of some description; someone who does something or produces something meaningful? Not all thoughts were created equal, of course, and there are not many 'thought leaders' on LinkedIn who were not self-appointed! edit: fixed 2 spelling errors, formatting changes, added Quantcast reference for clarity

TomMckenny 8y ago
>what the heck is a 'thought leader' anyway? As far as I can tell: Someone who very successfully spreads ideas they only partially understand with the inevitable oversimplification here and there.
- noitsnot 8y ago
  Simon Sinek wins the gold medal for thought leader in my book.
  - adrian_mrd 8y ago
    Fair point, but at least he has published some works and spun a few TED talks. Maybe we need a separate HN thread: who is the lamest ‘thought leader’ you’ve come across recently? ;)
    - adrian_mrd 8y ago
      I couldn’t resist :) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17585492 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17585492
    - stevehawk 8y ago
      since most TED talks are either wealthy people patting themselves on the back or product placements... does having a TED talk really count as a valid credential?
- vfulco2 8y ago
  Similar to an "O2O consultant to executives" which is a term used here in China, aka Online to Offline. Pretty much meaningless drivel by those who have never had real corporate P&L responsibilities.
tjr225 8y ago
I think a thought leader might be one of those dudes/ladies you see giving a keynote at any given convention...full of hot air and self confidence...no substance.
joshwa 8y ago
The (almost) best thing about this article is the discovery of http://realbusinessmen.com/ http://realbusinessmen.com/

TomMckenny 8y ago

>what the heck is a 'thought leader' anyway? As far as I can tell: Someone who very successfully spreads ideas they only partially understand with the inevitable oversimplification here and there.

noitsnot 8y ago
Simon Sinek wins the gold medal for thought leader in my book.
- adrian_mrd 8y ago
  Fair point, but at least he has published some works and spun a few TED talks. Maybe we need a separate HN thread: who is the lamest ‘thought leader’ you’ve come across recently? ;)
  - adrian_mrd 8y ago
    I couldn’t resist :) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17585492 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17585492
  - stevehawk 8y ago
    since most TED talks are either wealthy people patting themselves on the back or product placements... does having a TED talk really count as a valid credential?
vfulco2 8y ago
Similar to an "O2O consultant to executives" which is a term used here in China, aka Online to Offline. Pretty much meaningless drivel by those who have never had real corporate P&L responsibilities.

tjr225 8y ago

I think a thought leader might be one of those dudes/ladies you see giving a keynote at any given convention...full of hot air and self confidence...no substance.

joshwa 8y ago

The (almost) best thing about this article is the discovery of http://realbusinessmen.com/ http://realbusinessmen.com/