Thought Leaders and Do Leaders

From my early years in the workplace, I recall a conversation. A senior leader, nearing the end of his distinguished career, told me, "There are leaders with great ideas who start things, make things happen, and then there are leaders who come in afterward and lead the day-to-day operations. It's good to know which type you are."

I was reminded of this by something I saw on-line at LDRLB, thought leaders vs. do leaders. David Burkus shared a graphic showing things "thought leaders" do and things "do leaders" do. David noted that it was not evidence based. Agree --  but it does provide "food for thought."   

Take a look at the graphic at Mindjet and see what you think -- or go on facebook and see what others think. For more on thought leaders, here is a Forbes article.

In our work lives we may be called on to engage in many of the activities on both sides of the graphic -- setting objectives, creatively solving problems, communicating concepts, articulating plans of action, etc. The workplace needs thought leaders and do leaders. But deep in our heart of hearts, are we one or the other?

Image: copyright Carsten Kruse, 2004, free to use and share, Advanced Google Image Search. 

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