A fortnight ago I wrote a piece about the importance of enabling your team to have their voice heard. I am a big believer in taking personal responsibility and it got me thinking – everyone now has a really accessible way of getting their voice heard through blogging.
I believe everyone has something to offer that others will find value in. The first person to get value out of blogging will be you. The process of writing opens up great insights into what you are interested in and it helps provide clarity over a lot of the thoughts that might be going around in your head.
When you get your ideas and concepts down on paper you soon realise if they have any value or justification. I couldn’t tell you the amount of times I thought I had a great idea for an article and then I tried to put pen to paper and I realised it actually was not that amazing. On the contrary, there have been plenty of times when I have put down an idea which I thought was pretty basic, or that I did not know where I could go with it, and in the end I wrote a piece which provided myself and others with value.
In a competitive marketplace it is hard to be noticed. Blogging addresses this as it helps to build your identity.
As an employer, I really like it when I discover a prospective employee has a blog as it gives me insights into their opinions and who they are, things that are often hard to get across in a short interview. It also shows to me that they are comfortable within themselves, and confident enough to share their opinions – a good indication that they could add value as a team member in our company.
It is also great to see when one of my existing team members starts a blog as it means they have a healthy level of self-confidence, and I get to learn more about what interests them, what they are passionate about and their views on particular topics. This really helps in creating a more personal connection, and generally results in better performance in the team.
One of my team members, Pam, has started her own blog. She is probably going to kill me for sharing this here but I am really proud of her for getting out of her comfort zone and sharing her thoughts with the world. I have already seen positive changes in her life since she started putting pen to paper (or fingers to the keypad should I say).
You never know what will come out of putting your pen to paper and starting your own blog. When my partner Sarah and I started our own blogs, we were focused on just helping people who were interested in getting more clarity over what they want to achieve in life and helping them with their finances. Over time, our blogs have respectively led to considerable opportunities for our current businesses, resulted in us becoming sought out keynote speakers, media commentators and appearing a number of times on TV. Some of the members in Wealth Enhancers have followed suit and have started their own blogs, which I personally find very fascinating and I know you will as well:
I have no doubt the above blogs are helping our members to achieve their goals, giving them a lot of personal satisfaction and also helping many other people.
I strongly encourage you to get out of your comfort zone and put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboards) and share your thoughts with the world, be confident that there is something that only you can offer and that someone out there will appreciate you for doing it. Blogging gives you the freedom to be yourself. Go out there and MAKE YOUR MARK!
Finn Kelly is the CEO and co-founder of award-winning Gen Y financial advisory firm,Wealth Enhancers, along with the parent company, premier private wealth management firm WE Private.
Serial entrepreneur and recognised thought leader on Gen Y and leadership, Finn is a dynamic leader and visionary who knows how to get things done. Completely connected with his purpose and values, he lives life everyday to make an impact. He is a serial award winner, including SmartCompany’s Hot 30 Under 30 twice. He is currently Co-founder and CEO of smart bookkeeping plus advice company WE LOVE NUMBERS. He is also the Co-founder of Gen Y financial advice and coaching company WE and an angel investor in a number of start-ups.
