Everyone wants to be one. No, it’s not a celebrity, an astronaut, or a lottery winner. Everyone wants to be a thought leader – that elusive combination of intellect, personality, and relevance that makes your opinion more sought after than Warren Buffet’s.

So how is this enviable position achieved today, when instant celebrity can be attained on YouTube and Americans cocoon tightly into their own online world of social networks and “favorites,” eschewing the traditional sources of information through which authorities were made and recognized?

Somewhere between the extremes of overnight success (think Susan Boyle on Britain’s Got Talent) and Grandma’s 90th anniversary photo on Facebook, executives can still chart their own path to thought leadership and all the benefits that this status confers.

“The Seven Steps to Thought Leadership in 2010 – and Beyond,” Scott Public Relations’ latest white paper, lays out that route within the parameters of today’s online-driven court of public opinion.

As always, your comments are welcome. For more public relations insights …