As 1 consultant finished listing some of his Fortune 100 clients, I said, That's nice, but what's your Google number? Puzzled looks soon overcame everyone in the room. Google number? What's that? I quickly explained that it was a rough-order measure of your reputation and influence as a thought-leader - it is how much buzz, or word-of-mouth, you have as an expert.

If your Google Number is around ...

• 100 or less - keep your day job and start publishing
• 400 - do a nice web site and publish more
• 800 - it is probably safe to hang out your shingle
• 1000 - you are getting some real attention
• 2000 - you are well known in your field
• 5000 - you are an often quoted expert in your field - a thought-leader
• 10000 - Dave Ulrich
• 23500 - Gregor J. Rothfuss
• 50000 - Tom Peters
• 100000 - Peter Drucker