Leaders

Key opinon leaders

Key opinion leaders have such a prominent status that their recommendations and opinions are listened to when making important decisions. These influencers are seen as true experts and they are trusted as real individuals, not just people in senior roles.

In order to identify and prioritise the right key opinion leaders, it is worthwhile understanding the relative impact of any professional or expert on their peers. Here are three areas to consider:

• Connectedness: How well connected is the KOL with their peers?
• Expertise: Is the KOL known as a leading expert in a particular therapy area relevant to your product?
• Credibility: Credibility is likely to be a function of connectedness and expertise, and may be measured by examining the effect of the KOL’s activity on others in the past

Social leaders

Social leaders may not have the same status as key opinion leaders, they have followers because of their ability to engage colleagues on a highly personalised level. Social leadership is especially necessary for teams of peers who have to accept changes, as is frequently the case in healthcare.

Unlike other kinds of leaders, social leaders are hardly recognised at all. Their focus is on making change happen smoothly, and success means just that.