"Weigh in on the debate: is thought leadership ever altruistic? Or a thinly veiled disguise to market oneself?"

Marc Rougier's insight:
Ric Dragon take on Thought Leadership is straight to the point, pragmatic and ROI-oriented. And honnest.
He exposes an important difference betweenThought Leadership and the classical sales tricks: creating long term, altruistic value, not expect immediate return.
Thought Leadership is way more than a sales tactic. It's about being authentic, innovating and inspiring. It's a good thing that it's also a valuable way to develop a brand - and therefore, sales.
Completely agree with both Marc and Mr. Dragon.
The success and whether or not people "buy in" to your thought leadership efforts truly depends on your motivation - which isn't hard to hide.
Practicing thought leadership should come from a sincere desire to help others and share your experience which has led to earned knowledge, rather than just trying to make money off of something you claim to know.
As Marc points out, though, if this is truly your motivation, the sales will follow.
Beautiful article on selling something you claim to know versus actually caring and sharing you knowledge and making a profit as a result. Thought leaders is what you need to be.