Happy December! Just a quick note to prove I’m still here.

Espresso Library

Almost a year ago, while sitting in the lovely Espresso Library in Cambridge, England—one of my favorite coffeeshops in all the world—I was interviewed (via email) by Ella Rhodes, a reporter for The Psychologist, a monthly magazine published by the British Psychological Society. The article she was working on finally appeared as the cover story of the November issue. You can read it online here.

November, 2016 issue of The Psychologist

 
Then rather surprisingly, Ella Rhode’s piece was used as a source for another article on superstition in The Irish Catholic, which is described as Ireland’s biggest and best-selling religious newspaper. I am fairly certain this is the first time I have been quoted in a Catholic newspaper. You can read the article here.

SV Achieves Thought Leader Status

Finally, I was recently invited to contribute an article to a special issue of an academic journal. The editors explained that they had solicited participation by several “thought leaders” in the field, myself among them. I was flattered and quickly accepted the invitation.

Henry Ward Beecher, thought leader. (Photo by Mathew Brady.)

Later, I turned to Wikipedia to determine what it meant to be a thought leader. The term was first used in 1887 to describe the American Congregationalist minister, Henry Ward Beecher—an abolitionist who was embroiled in a famous adultery trial (resulting in a hung jury)—and it is defined as:

an individual or firm that is recognized as an authority in a specialized field and whose expertise is sought and often rewarded.

But that’s not the whole story. As I suspected, not everyone loves the term. Wikipedia goes on:

The phrase “thought leader” is identified by some writers as an annoying example of business jargon, and appeared in Forbes magazine’s 2013 annual “tournament” of “corporate America’s most insufferable” business buzzwords and clichés.

Insufferable term or not, I am pleased to achieve the status of thought leader. Feel free to refer to me using my new title whenever it seems appropriate.  😉

All for now.

SV