Benefits and Best Practices for Writing on Steemit: Part One

Think about something with me.

How many articles did you read this past year? How many books did you read in which you learned something new? How many TED talks did you listen to that challenged you in some way? How many interesting quotes did you read from Facebook, Twitter, or else-where that inspired you? How many inspiring movies did you see that caused you to think differently?

I imagine that the average leader passively comes across dozens of inspiring and challenging resources every single year without even trying to be too intentional. A few years ago I found myself in the same spot.

I constantly read interesting books, articles, and resources, but noticed little long-term effect. I would be inspired in the moment, but would soon forget to implement the principles in the long-term. In other words, I was wasting my time. After all, have you ever finished reading a chapter or a whole book and then thought to yourself, what did I just read?

We have all been there.

But what if it didn’t have to be like that? What if we could remember the resources we read about or listened to? What if we could grow as leaders in the long-term, instead of just being inspired in the short-term?

I believe blogging and writing is the answer, and in particular, writing on Steemit.

(Full Disclosure: I've been blogging successfully for about 8 years, but am choosing to not mention the name of the blog. For reasons I mention here, I need to remain anonymous on this platform. Also, just to be clear, I'm posting fresh content on this platform.)

When I started my blogging journey several years ago, I never imagined how far I would take it or the lessons I would learn in the process. Now, writing has become an inseparable part of who I am, and I consider it to be one of the most valuable leadership disciplines imaginable.

The purpose of this series on Steemit is simple: I make a case for why every person, but especially leaders, must blog on Steemit. Notice, I did not say should blog. If you take leadership and growth as a leader seriously, then you must be involved in this discipline. I will devote the first seven posts to that topic. In section eight, I answer common objections people have in regards to blogging.

All throughout I'll be getting into how Steemit is the perfect platform (Thanks @ned and @dan) to make as your central blogging destination.

So make the commitment right now.

You can do it.

You can grow.

You can change.

Let’s start the journey.

(image by raw pixel)

Part One: A Space to Learn

Leaders are busy people. We are hands on. We work with teams. We implement and finish projects. We have budgets to review and initiatives to oversee. The perverse part about it—we often feel like the busier we are, the more successful we are being. And so we (and often others!) pat ourselves on the back, happy that we are staying so busy.

I believe this is a massive mistake.

We’re so busy that we lose perspective on what is happening around us and no longer have the time or ability to identify what might be ahead of us. Ronald A. Heifetz and Marty Linksy, leadership professors at Harvard University, note that one of the vital necessities of leadership is “balcony time.”

Balcony time is when a leader removes himself from the metaphorical dance floor and onto the balcony in order to get some perspective on what is happening.

They say:

“Achieving a balcony perspective means taking yourself out of the dance, in your mind, even if only for a moment. The only way you can gain both a clearer view of reality and some perspective on the bigger picture is by distancing yourself from the fray. Otherwise, you are likely to misperceive the situation and make the wrong diagnosis, leading you to misguided decisions about whether and how to intervene.” -Ronald Heifetz and Martin Linsky, Leadership on the Line: Staying Alive Through the Dangers of Leading.

In every chapter of their book they include fascinating examples of CEO’s and leaders who failed to get perspective on their organizations through balcony time, and, therefore, ended up failing as leaders.

In their Harvard Business Review article, “The Work of Leadership,” Ronald A Heifetz and Donald L Laurie say, “Business leaders have to view patterns as if they were on a balcony. It does them no good to be swept into the field of action.”

So how can a leader achieve balcony time?

Just a few generations ago, journaling and writing letters was the primary vehicle through which leaders would accomplish this. And let’s be clear: the great men and women of history were those who put their thoughts to paper in order to reflect, process, and learn.

Men like Theodore Roosevelt, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Winston Churchill, and others adhered to the discipline of journaling. Great women of history like Anne Frank, Eleanor Roosevelt, Marie Curie, and so many others journaled and wrote.

(image by Aaron Burden)

So let’s cut to the chase, then. I believe that the primary reason every leader must blog is because blogging gives you a space to reflect, process, and learn. How does blogging help you to learn?

There is something about putting pen to paper or typing words on a keyboard that forces you to gather your thoughts and synthesize them. Writing helps you remove the fluff. It forces you to think deeply on a subject. I have noticed that my learning has grown tremendously since I started blogging.

Now, when I read an insightful book, I make sure to do a book review. Summarizing the book in a blog post helps me to remember what it’s about. In fact, I tell people that I do not really understand a book until I have written a review on it. It is the same if I read a helpful article. I’ll blog a brief reflection on it that helps me go through a process of synthesis and deeper learning.

Blogging provides a perfect vehicle for processing things you are reading and learning about.

This does not have to take a long time either. Many of my blog posts only take 10-15 minutes to write. So what should you be blogging about as a leader?

Some Suggestions:

• Write a review on a book that impacted you

• Write a brief reflection on an article you found helpful

• If you go to a conference, take notes and write a

blog post on the workshop or main session you

attended.

• Write a post on something you are

experimenting with.

• Write a post on something you don't fully

understand but have questions about.

So do you want to grow as a leader? Do you want to learn more? Do you want to be able to process information and retain it long term? Blogging on Steemit is the perfect way to do this because it helps you create a space to reflect, process, and learn.

Did you find this post helpful? If so, please Upvote, Resteem, and follow me @leaderinsights to receive every future post. This is part one of an important series called Why You Should Be Blogging on Steemit. You won't want to miss any of the future ones. Finally, if you haven't read my #introduceyourself post you can see it here and learn more about my background.

So what are some topics you'd like to start writing about on Steemit? Share in the comments below.

(top image by Kamoompics)