We are proud to be a part of the ever-evolving and ever-improving beauty industry. As our industry continues along its climbing path, the leaders of the current movements are equally evolving to create a more inclusive platform for everyone. Similarly to the women’s empowerment movement and intelligent beauty stance, other crucial pieces to the business of beauty are too evolving in nature. As a reflection on these core movements, one important concept of positive evolution is what ROLFS likes to call a “thought leader.”

In its simplest form, according to the Oxford Dictionary, thought leadership refers to “intellectual influence and innovative or pioneering thinking.” Peers, consumers, and industry experts all acknowledge a thought leader as someone who has a thorough understanding of their industry, their customers’ needs, and the larger marketplace in which they operate. They have fresh perspectives, original ideas, and novel insights that progress any entity significantly.

What is a Thought Leader?

A thought leader is at the forefront of introducing innovative and high-caliber ideas to a business. LEAD’s Founder and CEO, Francis Tesmer, has always thought of thought leaders as the universe’s brightest objects, or supernovas. They are the creative thinkers who create novel goods and services that benefit society.

A thought leader assesses the company’s standing in a competitive market by looking at it from 30,000 feet above the ground and develops a plan that will enable it to continue growing for years to come. Since they are the engineers and implementers who make those leaders’ ideas a reality, the next level of leadership is also crucial.

Now, there is a distinguishable difference between a thought leader and an influencer. In a global instance, an influencer is essentially a special person who helps consumers understand a specific company’s product or services and creates a propagated buzz around such an entity. On a deeper, more synchronized level, thought leaders are those who want to influence what you think and what your ideas are. Influencers are those who want to influence how you live. There is a difference in concept that should be noted to fully grasp the ultimate definition of those who are influencers and those who are thought leaders.

The benefits of having thought leaders in your close-knit circle are essential to personal and professional growth. As Francis Tesmer has mentioned before, “a thought leader is generally recognized as an authority in a specific field or academic setting. The thought leader’s expertise is highly valuable to a company and their contributions are visible to the overall bottom line. Thought leaders are respected and are known for bringing better solutions to solve common problems and for bringing a higher level of consciousness to a company’s mission, virtues, and values.”

We encourage everyone to invest great amounts of resources and energy into the respected ideas of thought leaders. Some are born with it, some grow into it, and some do everything to transform into it, but regardless of whom is called forth, we need more thought leaders in this world. Whether you’re in the beauty industry or not, strive to become or support new thought leaders to advance everything as we know it. Let’s take our world to the next level together.