Can a curator be a thought leader?

I read an interesting post the other day by Eric Wittlake, who asks whether curation is compatible with thought leadership. He says: “B2B marketers are looking for a shortcut to thought leadership, but the shortcut many are taking lead (sic) somewhere else completely.” That shortcut is curation, according to Wittlake.

If there’s one thing life has taught me, it’s that there are no shortcuts!

(By the way, I loathe the term thought leader, but we’re pretty much stuck with it.)

Someone who curates content and never produces original content is probably not in the league of thought leaders. But I would hope that if you’re curating knowledge about a particular topic, it’s a subject that you are also passionate about. And if you’re passionate, it’s likely that you’re also creating original content.

For example, I write and podcast about communications, content marketing, content curation, podcasting, and being an independent communicator. In these realms, I produce both original and curated content.

I don’t curate anything in the world of jazz, nanotechnology or marathon running; what I know about these topics would fit in Barbie’s thimble. Since I don’t even aspire to any kind of leadership in any of these fields, I don’t curate these and I don’t create original content either.

Recently I came across this suggestion by Todd Defren: "Follow a 70/30 Rule – 70% of content curated, 30% branded. Why? Because the rest-of-the-world is at least 70% more interesting than your brand; and, promoting external content builds social capital, makes grateful fans of influencers."

I love this because it speaks my truth: I want to curate content from others because there’s a whole universe of people smarter and more interesting than I. Why wouldn’t I want to consume their stuff and share it with others? Quoting another person on the topic of content marketing does not make me less knowledgeable on the subject. In fact, I would argue that it makes me more knowledgeable, because of the synergy that can be sparked by the confluence of ideas.

What do you think? Are curation and thought leadership compatible?

Comments

[Shel Holtz]

Great post, Donna, and a question I hadn't pondered despite the attention I've given content curation.

I suppose it comes down to the effort you give to your curation efforts. If you cull through a lot of material and present only really great content that provides a distinct context and point of view, then the whole is greater than the sum of its parts and readers are influenced by the collection you've curated. Documentation is also part of curation, and your own narrative (the equivalent of the card beside the painting hanging in a museum) can be construed as original content, adding even more value.

So yes, I suppose a hard-working curator who creates a collection that provides value not available in any other single location can be a thought leader.

[Donna Papacosta]

Thanks for commenting, Shel. In my books, you'd be the perfect example of a thought leader who also curates.

[Marcia Ross]

I love this concept, and think it applies to invention as well. My nephew and I had a very animated discussion last Christmas, when Jobs' bio came out, whether the game-changer was Jobs or Woz.

My nephew thought Woz. I say Jobs.

To circle back to your curation idea, I'd argue Jobs was actually a curator of new technological ideas. And his ability to put his weight successfully behind some big ones led fairly directly to ... well we all know what it led to, right?

[Donna Papacosta]

Interesting thought, Marcia. Thanks for commenting.

[Dr. Liz Alexander]

Great question, Donna and no, I don't believe content curation and thought leadership are synonymous. True, there's been much bastardization of the term "thought leader" since Joel Kurtzman originally coined it to describe the likes of Warren Bennis, Charles Handy, and C.K. Prahalad. Interesting to note that back in the late 90s, when this term came to the fore, most of the thought leaders were academics!

But here's the kicker, at least in my view. The basic idea behind thought leadership is that it is differentiated thinking. So, if an individual or organization takes on a curation initiative and that leads them to identify areas useful to their clients that are not being explored, advanced, or questioned elsewhere, then they are nudging into the thought leadership space.

Thought leadership -- if done well -- delves into currently uncharted territory: positing ideas, asking questions like "what if?" etc., that can help clients differentiate themselves. Content curation, in the most part, gathers what everyone is already thinking. It's a useful service, but to use an academic analogy, it's rather like meta-analysis, where the authors capture existing studies in order to note patterns based on comparing and contrasting what others have already written. Thought leadership, on the other hand, is analogous to designing and reporting on original research.

So -- to answer your question. A content curator can become a thought leader...but there's an awful lot more thinking that's involved!

[Wittlake]

Donna, I appreciate the followup to my post and the discussion here.

To the point you raise, I don't believe curating precludes thought leadership, but it isn't your thought leadership ticket either. There are interesting applications of curation to establishing thought leadership as well, but it is a bit of a winding road that goes through attention and audience, not directly to thought leadership.

FYI: I generally agree with you about the term thought leadership. To add to that: a company or individual should never apply it to themselves.

[Donna Papacosta]

Liz, thanks so much for this very thoughtful comment. Eric, I do appreciate your weighing in as well. Lots to think about!