As we head toward the fourth quarter, I’d like to pause and check. It’s been a great month, and I want to be sure I am best meeting the needs of our growing community.
Frequency
Beginning next week, I’m going to experiment with reducing frequency to 3 times a week for several reasons. First, I believe it will lead to more quality engagement across the community–concentrating our comments and ideas. Second, there are other tools I’d like to get to you, which I haven’t had the time to pursue. Less writing gives me more time to think and create richer content. Yes, I am working on a book, and this will nudge that along as well.
Media
I would be very interested in your thoughts on use of alternative media. The blog posts seem to be far more popular than podcasts. Should I continue those? How about video (see sample)? Would you like to see me mix it up occasionally?
Engagement
What topics would you like to discuss? What topics need our attention? What can I do to encourage more engagement? Any suggestions to help expand the reach of Let’s Grow Leaders?
Possibilities
I’m wide open to your suggestions and feedback. Please feel free to comment, or drop me a line at [email protected]. Please also help me spread the word.
If each one of you invited just one more growing leader to subscribe, imagine the possibilities for expanding our think tank.
Thanks for all you do.
Namaste
Karin,
First, kudos to you for your work on completing a book! I think that will be a great read once it’s published, I’ll be sure to pre-order my copy 😉
As for your question regarding media, I think that you’ve made a great use of the podcasts, and I would love to hear more. I also believe that using video may help you connect more personally with your audience. Although, I am still a pretty big fan of the blog posts.
I’m looking forward to see your upcoming work for the next quarter.
Ernie
Ernie, Thanks so much for the feedback, that helps a lot. If included my first video in yesterday’s post, in case you have a chance to check it out. My intention is to have the blog posts be the majority for sure, but I would like to offer some variety every now in then folks would find that useful. I’m excited for next week’s line up of posts.
Regarding your question about expanding the reach of LGL, one popular tool could be Twitter and a regular “Tweet Chat” about leadership topics. I imagine the commitment might be in the range of 2-3 hours for a one hour chat, depending on preparation and feedback.
In terms of text versus podcasts, I’ll never (!) be in the camp that favors podcasts. I like being able to read a page, read at my convenience, and participate. But then again, maybe a different generation or demographic prefers the accessibility of podcasts. So I think you have a good plan.
Topics? Here is a brainstorm… For me, the name of your web site implies 3 broad areas or topics to explore.
Let’s = Implies action, implies community or social group
Grow = Personal and social development
Leaders = To inspire, motivate, nurture, support, and everything involved in developing others.
Thanks for the inspiring content. It’s great nutrition.
David, Wow! I love the idea of thinking of Let’s Grow Leaders into 3 buckets. Thought provoking.
I completely agree with your thought of trimming your posts to three per week. As someone who doesn’t have an iPhone, yes…I still have a Blackberry. Don’t hate. If the choice is video or audio podcast, I would choose video. With that being said, I would look for opportunities to shoot video, while capturing the audio for audio only download.
I would love to visit with you to understand what your process has been to find the time to write a book, with all the other activity you are currently churning out.
You have served as an inspiration to me and my blog http://www.davebratcher.com. I look forward to continued learning from you.
Dave, thanks so much. I appreciate your insights and participation and love your blog. I recommend others check it out.
I forgot to share a link from Michael Hyatt regarding this. He is actually using video to address it, irony… http://michaelhyatt.com/blogging-frequency.html
Karin,
I enjoy and learn from your posts. Many of your posts are very appropriately timed for where I am in my career and also for my experiences with my team. Thank you for that.
I have to say also that I am pleased to hear that 3 times per week is what you are aiming for…I kept wondering how you were keeping all of this going with everything else on your plate. <:) One of the key things we all strive for is balance and I hope this will allow you to continue this blog and also maintain a healthy balance in all the other things you need to and want to do.
Steph, I’m so glad. Balance… ah yes. Easier to write about than to achieve 😉 Namaste.
Hi Karin,
First and foremost, I think you do an awesome job with your written posts. Your content is always fresh, relevant and interesting. Your posts are also well written and easily read.
Concerning your question with media, I watched the video and believe it would be a good alternative every now and then. (I also suspect it’s a little more difficult on your end to produce.)
I will admit, I am not a big fan of podcasts. The reason being, I follow several posts and enjoy doing my reads and comments in the AM before I start my workday. With only limited, I can read a post much quicker than I can listen to it.
Have a wonderful three day weekend!
Bill, Thanks so much that means a lot. Starting to hear a theme about not digging the podcasts, that’s good to know. I do think it would be fun to add in video now and then.
Since you have sincerely requested feedback, I will share out an observation on your recently posted video. Overall, the production quality is good. Having summarized bits appear on the screen is a great reinforcement for learners. I would appreciate your elevating the camera angle so that I see you full face on instead of slightly looking up under your chin. This must be what a lot of kids see. I have appreciated your blog posts. All the best to you and your current writing projects.
Karin- you wrote above and I quote “…Less writing gives me more time to think and create richer content”. What a coincidence again. I uploaded yesterday a presentation on slideshare on “Trends Spillover Effects”, in which I gave quite few examples of how less may actually lead to more. I could have added this example had you published it earlier.
http://www.slideshare.net/hudali15/trends-spillover-effect
If I advocate for the same issues, then I am disqualified to comment any more.
Ali, Loved that slideshow of yours. Thanks for sharing it.
Karin,
Thank you for all the hard work you put into the blog and sharing across the community! As for the videos, our company restricts us so it gives an error when attempting to watch them. I love your blogs and even though I don’t respond you add wonderful VALUE!!!
Thank you,
Jamie
Jamie, thanks so much. I really appreciate that. Yeah, I know some company’s restrict such sites. I’ve found I have to watch on my home computer.
Karen,
I really enjoy the blog, and read it often. I think that if there were a way for you to present the “Week’s Topics” in advance, it would give us time to think through what we might want to comment prior to reading the post. I know that when I have time to prepare for a meaningful discussion on a topic I am a better contributor than if I join half-way through. This might help boost the engagement on the blog. Another approach would be to seed specific followers of your blog, for example if you were going to talk through something that you wanted to have a lot of discussion about, reach out to a few of the users and ask them to prepare talking points to add into the conversation.
I love the video and mixed media approach, and I too can’t wait to get my hands on your book!
Thanks for everything!
Shawn
Shawn, That’s a great suggestion. I will try to do more of that advance topic heads up. Next week I have several posts about making the most of the job you’re in, getting noticed, and intrapreneurship.
Well done Shawn! That idea worked for me immediately. Now I’m looking forward to Karin writing about intrapreneurship next week. (something I haven’t mastered yet)
Shawn and Dallas, I promise, promise, I am writing about intraprenuership etc. this week. But, I was so inpsired by family shenanagins, that I stuck in an extra bonus 😉 Wednesday’s post is about making the most of a job you hate. Friday, intrapreneurship.
Also, I’ve decided to work harder at engaging conversation on upcoming topics on my LGL facebook page. Crowdsourcing ideas for additional inspiration. Some nice input happening on “helicopter managers.”
https://www.facebook.com/letsgrowleaders
Karin, I love how you want to create richer content for your readers. When you get a chance to “be with” creativity gets a chance to ebb and flow. Your ideas get a chance to percolate from your own life, like your latest blog about your family. So, ideas then can turn into the expression of them and flow.
Congratulations on your new creativity of book writing!
Oh, and throwing in a video now and again helps us get to know you on a different level. I’d love to see that!
Sue Bock
http://couragetoadventure.com/blog
Thanks for such a thought provoking blog.
I don’t usually listen to podcasts, but would consider getting in the habit. I almost never watch videos, I like the blog/comment format. It’s often how I start my work day. reading something inspiring.
Topics I’m thinking on:
1. appropriate balance of written and verbal communication.
2. What leaders inspire you? (I loved the Truman Bio by David McCullough and just finished the Book about Dick Winters (Band of Brothers) that was one of the most inspiring examples of leadership I’ve read.
3. How to best do staff reviews to confront issues but being positive.
thanks again.
Bill, Thanks for the great list of topics. I’ll ponder on those and add them to the line up.