Some time back, I blogged about the attributes of a thought leader. Lately, I’ve been talking to B2B marketers about the content delivered by these thought leaders and asking, What defines good thought leadership content? Here’s what I have so far. Surely, you have a suggestion that will get us to ten attributes?

1. Visionary. It’s best to address a problem before customers realize that it’s a problem.
2. Provocative. The best thought leadership pieces are bold and attack conventional wisdom.
3. Differentiated. No “me too” ideas allowed. The ideas should be new (to the target audience, anyway) or offer a unique angle on a familiar subject.
4. Relevant. Defines a problem or issue that is important to the target audience.
5. Timely. Being first to interpret the impact of a new regulatory requirement, for example, reduces the chances of being perceived as “me too” thinking.
6. Has a narrative. Great ideas are better when they are presented in the context of a story with a beginning, middle, and end.
7. Demonstrates mastery. The ideas should be presented against a backdrop of deep contextual understanding and experience.
8. Can be delivered on. There’s little point in doing thought leadership if it’s something that the company can’t follow through on.
9. Backed up by proof. Thought leadership is little more than an interesting opinion unless it is backed up with data and case studies.

What else would you add to this list?