I’ve been writing the Zach on Leadership blog for over three years now and have produced 170 articles and now recently, 13 podcast episodes. I really enjoy doing it. Regularly, people approach me and bring up my blog, or drop me a note. They typically tell me that they like it a lot, but then quickly follow up with two questions: “Why do you do it?” and, “Where do you find the time?”

For the sake of my entire audience, I’ll answer those two questions, but let me first pause on the opening comment. I truly appreciate it when my readers and listeners tell me that they like my articles and episodes. It means the world to me. It’s a vulnerable thing to create a self-expression, send it off into the great void of the internet, then wait…  

My creation is a gift. There are no strings attached. All I wish for is the knowledge that my gift was received. It landed. It made an impact. Someone got it. Someone’s day was changed. Someone’s thinking was challenged. Someone laughed. Someone discouraged was encouraged.

Hitting the publish button on my WordPress editor doesn’t do that. It’s only when the article is read, and the podcast episode is played that the delivery is complete.

“Why do you do it?”

This is a completely valid question. After all, there aren’t many technology leaders that maintain a blog and podcast like I do. I’m not the only one, but there aren’t many of us. The vast, vast majority do not.

Scale

I love talking about technology leadership issues. It’s fun for me. For many years, I sat down over coffee or lunch and discussed leadership issues with colleagues. The more people I talked to, the more I realized that the issues I face are very common and relatable. We all struggle through the same things. I also realized that coffee and lunch doesn’t scale very well. If I had lunch and coffee with a different person each day, I could impact 10 people per week. With a blog and podcast, I can reach thousands.

Writing is thinking

Ideas love to bounce around my head, just like they do in yours. I’ve found that ideas don’t really take critical shape until I start typing on my computer. The act of writing refines my ideas and makes them actionable. As I write, I work out the logical fallacies and problems with my own theories. I force myself to do some external research to validate my thinking. The discipline of writing makes my leadership ideas better. I start off with a rough concept and wind up with a complete thought.

Teaching and accountability

I have the heart of a teacher in me. My father and grandmother were both educators. I like teaching leadership concepts. I teach not as an expert, but as a practitioner and fellow traveler on the journey.

The act of teaching causes me to make a stand. When I write what I believe and publish it for the world to see, there is built-in accountability. Here’s the hook: I have to actually live up to what I write. That factor alone makes me a better leader.

Building a brand

When I publish my blog and podcast as a CHS leader, I am sending a signal into the labor marketplace. CHS isn’t a household name in our labor market, so we cannot attract top talent on name recognition alone. What I do elevates the brand awareness and associates it with a certain kind of leadership culture.

CHS is a fantastic place to work. The subliminal message in every one of my articles and episodes is: “Come work at CHS, we have a great culture.” I benefit because people that are willing to invest their own time to read or listen to Zach on Leadership are the kind of people I want to work alongside. You benefit, because CHS is a great place to build a career.

Where do you find the time?

I make time. It’s important to me. I enjoy it. For me, it’s a “get to” not a “have to.” My day job is filled with interactive collaboration with people. I enjoy that too, but it exhausts me. I’m a strong introvert, and I need time to recharge. I need time to reflect. Writing this blog is therapeutic, restorative, and good for my overall mental health. Some people like to jog. I write.

It’s that simple. We all make time for what is important to us. The intrinsic and extrinsic value is apparent and that makes it worthwhile for me.

How about you?

For over three years now, I’ve encouraged others to take to their computer keyboards and join me in the blog-o-sphere, but few have. Perhaps writing isn’t your thing. Nowadays you can have a fantastic impact with podcasting and video as well.

It all takes the same amount of vulnerability, creative capacity, and sheer will. I think that’s what stops people. Most won’t do anything with this call to action, but what if one person does? The world will be a better place and you will be a stronger leader as a result.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download