Are Thoughtleaders Made or Born?
Tuesday, July 20th, 2010This is an excerpt from The Expert’s Edge: Become the Go-To Authority People Turn To Every Time By Ken Lizotte
Can one actually become a thoughtleader just by practicing thoughtleading? Or must one have certain innate qualities? The answer to this question gets us into the age-old debate of nature vs. nurture, particularly with regard to the origins of high achievers. A thoughtleader in his own right, Dr. Charles Garfield, author of the book “Peak Performers,” has been studying this issue since 1970 and has drawn a decided conclusion: Nurture is king, he says. High achievers, whether you call them thoughtleaders or experts or “ peak performers” (Garfield’s term), are made not born. “All of them,” he declares.
