Thought Leadership Is Losing Its Edge

In a recent article for Forbes, CIPR International Chair, Taazima Kala, FCIPR, Chart.PR, shares her thoughts on thought leadership and a significant shift in the quality of this type of content. What once added value now seems to be a endless stream of noise and recycled hot takes.

Lately, it feels as though everyone is a thought leader, and I just cannot help but wonder why we got here.

We used to talk about thought leadership with reverence. It was the gold standard of professional influence, the ability to shape conversations, introduce fresh perspectives and inspire meaningful change. To be called a thought leader was more than just flattering. It was a recognition that your ideas had depth, originality and consequence.

But something has shifted.

Today, anyone with a LinkedIn account and a generative AI prompt can put out a think piece within minutes. The sheer abundance of neat, polished and sometimes eloquent commentary is making me question, “Are we really leading thought anymore, or are we simply contributing to an endless stream of noise?”

When Leadership Becomes Content

Once upon a time, the barrier to publishing was high. You had to earn column inches in a respected outlet, be invited onto a panel or convince an editor that your voice deserved the space. That friction demanded rigor and made you refine your ideas. You had to do the hard work.

Now, the friction is gone. In many ways, that is a triumph of accessibility. Digital democratization has made it far easier for people to establish themselves as thought leaders because publishing is no longer as dependent on budget, hierarchy or gatekeepers. This openness has allowed more diverse voices and niche expertise to surface, something that’s been shown to enhance both audience engagement and brand trust in B2B contexts. Yet the flipside is troubling.

What we call “thought leadership” often looks indistinguishable from recycled “hot takes.” Messages aren’t crafted to endure; they’re designed to perform.

The Problem With 'Instant Insight'

AI has further accelerated this shift by democratizing the mechanics of writing. Give ChatGPT a prompt, and you will get back a serviceable article. It will be balanced, professional and filled with the familiar rhythms of insight. But here is the rub: It only sounds like leadership. It is informed but not lived; polished but not proven.

True thought leadership comes from the messy, lived edges of experience. It is the founder who shares not just her triumphs but her sleepless nights. It is the policy expert who goes beyond a press release to connect economic shifts to community realities. It is the consultant who acknowledges what did not work and why. These voices add value because they show us something we could not have arrived at ourselves. They push boundaries of knowledge, not word count...

Read the full article on Forbes.