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Allen Weiss President and Founder of MarketingProfs.com, published a post here titled Thought Leaders & Gurus: Too Big for Their Niches....
Allen wrote, "My sense is that all of this thought-leader stuff is really just for selling something. The same goes for the word ‘guru.’ That’s fine, I guess, if you want to characterize yourself in some new age words in order to sell books. But I find it results in a lot of confusion….”
My friend Tom Asacker agreed:
"What does the word ‘guru’ mean, after all? According to Wikipedia... 'guru' is based on a metaphorical interplay between darkness and light, in which the guru is seen as the dispeller of darkness... A similar interpretation describes the guru as the one that ‘removes the darkness of ignorance.’"
“In the world of business, who is closest to the source? Who can make everything clear? Who is the source of growth and profitability? Who is the ultimate teacher and arbiter of all things 'marketing'? You guessed it! The customer.”
Tom has officially renounced the moniker “guru” (bestowed upon him by Tom Peters). What’s more, he is launching a weekly, Web-based video program to “smoke out the spin doctors, debunk the buzz, and grill a few gurus” over an open flame.
He’s calling it GuruBBQ, and it premiers today. I just watched the first episode, in which Tom take a light-hearted look at recent business news, Christmas before Halloween, the Kashi challenge, cell phone tattoos, Smart Cars, and more. My favorite link in the whole show: the dog confessions at www.doglitter.com (be sure to watch tough-guy Rocco and a nervous little Wally).
Tom is at his best here – his delivery is sharp, punctuated by his dry sense of humor and enriched by his New England accent. Think Rocketboom meets marketing.
My only complaint: Some of the segments run a little long. I wish Tom had edited the show into bite-sized chunks, making it easier to navigate and, ultimately, consume. But as a first show, he gets an A for effort.
Take a look here.
Enjoy!
In Tom’s words: “I truly hope it lightens up your day. Heaven knows, we can all use it. For as the great G.K. Chesterton wrote, ‘Angels fly because they take themselves lightly.’”
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Comments
Marketing bloggers/'thought leaders' taking themselves too seriously? That's just crazy talk there! ;)
Posted by: Mack Collier | 09.21.06
Ann, Tom and Mack:
Many of us are a narcissistic lot, and a bit of bbqing is well-deserved and should prove fun. However, I wonder how many of us would find the courage to create our best work and speak our best ideas without some narcissisim. Creativity and great thinking usually go against contemporary way things are done and thought about. Perhaps the courage to shake things up arises out of the self-admiration that creatives possess. So if someone wants to call themselves a guru or a thought leader, where's the harm, as long as their contributions occasionally surprise us and contribute new or different thinking. Even if those thoughts change nothing other than to get the rest of us thinking, that is a good thing.
Posted by: Lewis Green | 09.21.06
Lewis I've always subscribed to the 'when you start believing your own hype, you get lazy' mentality. I guess for some people it could work as a source of 'inspiration' to live up to, but for most it seems like an excuse to rest on their laurels.
Posted by: Mack Collier | 09.21.06
So, does that make Tom... a BBQ guru? ;D
Posted by: olivier blanchard | 09.21.06
Hi Lewis,
I agree with you about the creative mindset, but I don't believe the courage has to come from a feeling of self-importance or of being "right."
My favorite intellectual "gurus" were kind, curious, passionate, funny, humble human beings; Gandhi, Einstein, Richard Feynman, Alan Watts, etc.
For modern day business gurus, think Drucker, Kotler, Senge, and Sir Richard Branson.
But hey . . . I could be wrong. ;)
Posted by: Tom Asacker | 09.22.06
I've never cared for the term "Thought Leader", since to me it implies some sort of exclusivity. As if there can be only One. A Leader of Thought, sharing his holy insights with his robed, shave-headed minions.
I also dislike the term "Guru" to describe anything relating to business. The original meaning, from Hinduism and Tibetan Buddhism, is "a teacher and guide in spiritual and philosophical matters"... and I don't see how it applies to business ("please allow me to guide you down the spiritual and philosophical path of search engine marketing in exchange for your charitable contribution").
Luckily for me, nobody has ever called me either.
Posted by: Scott Buresh | 09.22.06