Will Clegg gain REAL Thought Leader status in time for election?

April 21, 2010 - PRLog -- Mindy Gibbins-Klein, an internationally renowned Thought Leadership strategist and author of 24 Carat BOLD (£10.99, Ecademy Press) has been saying for years that true thought leadership and influence is achieved by those who can capitalise on Reach, Engagement, Authority and Longevity.

In 2008, Ms Gibbins-Klein applied her REAL Thought Leadership model to the election campaign of Barack Obama and drew on a number of common traits that she believes resulted in Obama’s appointment as US President.

In an interview after his election success, Ms. Gibbins-Klein observed; “There was much said about Barack Obama’s presidential election and what it was about him that made him so likeable to the public. It was his openness and willingness to be vulnerable that helped people to relate to him and see him as a trusted leader in way that others had failed to do. He was prepared to be bold and opinionated and ruffle the feathers of others to stand up for what he believed was right.”

Ms. Gibbins-Klein believes that Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg’s performance on the recent televised election debate has enabled him to demonstrate that he possesses some of the characteristics needed to be a REAL Thought Leader, but that time would tell if he could carry that forward and succeed in the General Election.

“To be a successful and influential Thought Leader, you need to be visible and until now, no one was really paying much attention to Nick Clegg or his party. When Clegg was speaking at the Election Debate last week, he was very engaging. He came across as very trustworthy and believable through using eye contact, and in his natural approach in remembering people’s names. This gave the person he was talking to an added personal touch, meaning that he was Engaging on a more personal level. This is very important when trying to persuade someone to vote for you.

The point is that he has used Engagement and Authority, and the recent debate gave him Reach. Now they can have a chance at Longevity and only time will tell if he is able to do enough in the weeks leading up to the Election to ensure success,” says Ms. Gibbins-Klein.

ENDS