The Tribe Collective

18 Feb Most Thought Leader Advice Is BS, Bring Back The Experts

Posted at 11:56h in Featured, GI SAID IT, The Tribe by GI Griffin

This episode cuts to the chase about thought leadership, calling out the BS in the industry. It exposes how many “thought leaders” prioritize building personal brands over delivering actual expertise. From recycled content pumped out by AI to shallow advice crafted for likes, we dissect why so many fail to offer genuine, actionable insights.

EPISODE BREAKDOWN:

Thought leadership is everywhere. Scroll through LinkedIn, and you’ll see posts filled with “groundbreaking ideas,” “inspiring visions,” and “expert strategies.” Here’s the thing—most of it is absolute garbage. Yeah, I said it.

The sad reality is, much of what passes for thought leadership is smoke and mirrors. It’s not real expertise. It’s not actionable advice. It’s about perception, branding, and, ultimately, money. And that’s a problem.

Thought Leader vs. Expert—Know the Difference

Here’s where people mess up—they don’t actually get what a thought leader is. A thought leader isn’t necessarily an expert. Their job isn’t to solve the problem or be the go-to authority in a given field. Their job is to create ideas, perspectives, or “content” that gets attention. That’s it.

A real expert spends years (sometimes decades) immersing themselves in a subject, refining their skills, and delivering proven results. A thought leader, on the other hand, might achieve some basic success in a field, then pivot to building a “personal brand” instead.

And this is why most thought leaders’ advice is worthless—it doesn’t have to be the truth or even useful. It just has to be flashy enough to go viral.

Why Thought Leadership is All About the Brand (Not the Value)

Building a “personal brand” is what thought leadership is all about. Here’s how it typically works:

Achieve Mediocre Success: Someone has a tiny win or some passable credibility in their field. Maybe they wrote one successful article, or launched a mediocre product that happened to catch on.
Shift Focus: They decide, “Hey, I could capitalize on this.” They realize that being a thought leader opens doors—speaking gigs, books, courses, brand deals—you name it.
Content Machine Mode: They churn out endless content—webinars, social posts, newsletters—all designed to reinforce their “brand.” But guess what? A lot of that isn’t even written by them. They hire writers, use AI, or automate it to an insane degree. That “personal voice” you’re reading? It isn’t even their words.
The Real Goal? Monetization: The whole play is about selling you something—a book, a course, a subscription, or maybe just their image. Building their brand is the priority, not giving you authentic, actionable strategies you can actually use.

When you strip away the polished posts and feel-good quotes, the core focus is often, “How do I build an empire for myself?” Not, “How do I actually help people?”

Spot the BS Early—Because It’s Everywhere

Here’s a pro tip. Look at how a thought leader reacts when the cultural tide shifts. Do their “deeply held values” suddenly change? Do they pivot away from certain causes or stances? Nine times out of ten, they were never about the movement, the mission, or whatever they claimed to stand for. It was about aligning their brand with whatever got the likes, comments, and shares at the time.

If someone’s advice sounds great but doesn’t hold up to basic critical thinking, question it. Does it make logical sense? Is it something you can actually apply and see results from? Or does it just sound great on a motivational poster?

A Personal Story About the Thought Leader Problem

Here’s an example. I once worked with a client who brought in the so-called “#1 Thought Leader” in their field. Before meeting him, I expected to talk to someone brilliant, insightful—an actual authority. Guess what I found instead? A guy who couldn’t articulate even the basics of his supposed area of expertise.

The whole act was smoke and mirrors. The posts, the webinars, the books—it was all fluff. Sure, it looked impressive, but behind the curtain? Nothing of substance. That’s the reality of many “thought leaders.”

Bring Back the Experts

Here’s the thing—experts get a bad rap. Yes, some people love bashing experts, but I’m not in that camp. I respect experts. These are people who’ve spent years honing their craft, delivering results, and actually knowing their stuff. Experts don’t care about shiny Instagram quotes or social shares—they care about mastering their field.

What we need is a return to valuing actual expertise. If you’ve spent 25 years solving problems in your industry and actually getting results, I want to hear from you. I’ll take one seasoned expert over 50 flashy thought leaders any day.

Final Thoughts—Be Smart, Stay Critical

It’s easy to get caught up in the charisma of a thought leader. They’re great at rallying people, crafting speeches, and delivering just enough insight to make their advice sound plausible. But don’t forget this—they are not always here to help you. Often, they’re here to help themselves.

Be smarter. Pay attention. Challenge what you’re told, no matter how many followers, books, or likes someone has. And remember, the best advice doesn’t sell—it delivers results. If someone’s just trying to sell you a product, a course, or an idea of success without any real evidence to back it up, walk away.

At the end of the day, the world doesn’t need more thought leaders. What we need are fewer marketers and more doers. More real experts, fewer empty suits. That’s who you listen to. That’s who you trust. Everything else? Throw it in the trash.

The Tribe is a collective of individuals committed to growth, wisdom, and connection with other like minds. We don’t follow trends—we live by truth, self improvement, and action.