“Do you think that the blog I do jeopardizes my ‘executive presence?’” asked Mary — a CIO buddy of mine. “In a way, I do not really care what the answer is. I am willing to continue to write about character and leadership regardless of the professional cost. The purpose and cause is important to me. At the same time, I am curious to find out what the cost is, if any.”
I replied: “I can say that none of the posts I have read jeopardize your executive presence. It is important to remember that ‘a blog’ is just a collection of posts, any one of which might cause damage.”
I suggested we get on the phone to discuss the matter further.
Now, this was not the first time I’d been asked for advice on blogging. We routinely bring CIO bloggers on board and they are often looking for some sort of methodology (they are CIOs, of course) to help them along. My advice includes the following:
- Set a frequency. Whether once a week (the highest I would suggest) or once a month (the lowest), set your publishing date in stone. Even for those most accustomed to it, writing is often a labor of love. And we usually push off any labor unless there is a hard deadline associated with it.
- Gather ideas during the run-up to writing. If you are supposed to begin writing on the 20th of every month, you’ll need to have your idea ready by that time. Keep an idea repository, whether paper or electronic, and never let an idea slip into the ether because you didn’t sequester it.
- Use stories. It is part of our DNA that we love to tell and hear stories. Put a message into story form and anyone can listen to it for as long as it lasts. Take it out and use bullet points (yes, I get the irony) and the same message is painful.
- Write about that which you are most passionate. One sure-fire way for me to know if I’m writing something meaningful is if I feel emotional when I’m writing it. (Not tears, mind you, just enlivened, invigorated, electric). If you feel something when writing, they will feel it when reading. And the key to good writing (or any type of art for that matter) is whether it makes us feel.
- The less restrictions you place on what you can and cannot write about, the better. This is clear, but more below.
Now Mary, with her obvious discomfort in self-censoring, is taking the easiest blogging road — when nothing is off the table, topics abound. But as she suspects, such a road has risks, as there is a boundary between the type of transparency which costs us little and that which could cost us dearly. The first question is: Where is the boundary? The second: What are the costs of crossing? The third: Am I willing to pay?
Good blogging with reasonable associated cost is the type that reveals mistakes and weaknesses which have been remedied. This can be described as the, “I was lost but now I’m found,” formula. This is the best way to show humility (I screwed up) while still coming out intact (I figured it out). On the other hand, the type that costs us much follows the, “I was lost and now I’m still lost,” method — not the type of messaging that will rally folks to your flag.
Does this mean that if you don’t tell all, you’re a phony? I think not. I think it says that you have some sense of judgment, and that the question of whether to reveal becomes a question of when — namely, after you’ve figured it out.
After all, we’re looking for lessons learned, not tales of the lost. If you’re in a really bad way, having lost your way, take my advice and — from a public blogging point of view — keep it to yourself. There is a big difference between revealing your imperfections and willingness to learn versus letting everyone know you’re coming unglued.
So, in short, yes, there can be a high cost to blogging — or any kind of public communication — if you forget the fact that your communications will largely shape your public persona. These pieces will be read by your superiors, employees, prospective future employees, spouses (prospective future spouses?) and kids. The bottom line is it’s a blog, not a diary. You do have a brand, an executive presence, and you can burnish it by showing you have the judgment to know what to make public and what to keep private.
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