In my previous post, I wrote about how it’s important for leaders to take advantage of the quiet time that comes with the end of the year to take stock of what was accomplished over the last 12 months and reflect on what those achievements gave rise to in terms of reaching their organization’s shared goals.
Although my blog is not an organization, I felt this exercise would be also beneficial here, in terms of looking back over the year and reflecting on how far things have progressed in terms of the vision I have for my blog; of what I’d like accomplish and share through my writing for this site.
One of the things that stood out what was how fortunate I was to have so many talented and diverse writers write a guest post for my blog. I was also reminded of the many invitations I received from my blogging colleagues to share my writings with readers of their blogs, something I plan on doing over the course of the upcoming year.
As it seems to be a constant of human behaviour to want to create some form of a list to mark the end of the year, I decided I would end this year not by creating a “Best of 2010” list, but rather by creating a list of all the guest pieces that were presented here on my blog, as well as the various guest pieces I’ve written on other blogs over the past 12 months.
The pieces are listed below according to the month they were published in order to make it easier to peruse and discover some interesting reads to enjoy over the course of the holiday break.
February 2010
Five Truths About Social Media For Business – guest post at JohnHaydon.com
This post was my first guest post and as the title points out, it deals with the subject of how businesses should approach using social media sites like Twitter and Facebook. To quote a key point I made in this piece – “It’s not about making the sale; it’s about building the relationship.”
March 2010
The Productivity Mindset by Nacie Carson
Nacie’s piece was the very first guest blog post to appear on my blog with this piece looking how productivity is influenced not just by our state of action, but our state of mind.
How To Demonstrate Integrity On Your Blog by John Haydon
Following my appearance on John’s blog in February, John wrote this piece for my blog where he offers several pointers on how bloggers can demonstrate a sense of integrity based on how they interact with their community.
April 2010
Learning How to Navigate the Twitter Stream – guest post at TheLifeUncommon.net
My second guest post this year appeared on Nacie Carson’s blog “The Life Uncommon”. In this piece, I shared with Nacie’s readers four points on how to get the most out of using Twitter, whether for business or personal affairs.
The Hidden Costs of Social Media Marketing by John Haydon
John had such a positive experience sharing his thoughts on my blog in March that he asked if he could write another piece, an offer I was more than happy to accept. In this piece, John presents five examples of how using social media can provide cost-saving benefits for your business’s marketing efforts.
May 2010
Making It Simple by Becky Robinson
Becky is the first of several leadership writers who I was grateful to have appear on my blog. In this piece, Becky reflects on what writing and teaching about leadership has revealed to her about this particular role.
June 2010
Leaders, Stop the Idea-Train and Help Your Team Get to Work – guest post at FrankDickinson.me
In this guest post I wrote for Frank’s blog, I discuss a common problem most teams face of churning out ideas without any real implentation or execution. As I point out in this piece, what’s behind this are two factors that leaders need to take note of if they are going to help their teams press ahead.
Do You Manage or Lead? Look to Your Family Role by Roberta Hill
In this piece, Roberta looks at four strengths that are not only important to good parenting, but which are also vital to the role of leadership.
July 2010
A Case for Gender-Related Management Training by Dorothy Dalton
Dorothy’s piece looks at management training and makes a detailed, historical case that not only are there differences in how men and women manage teams, but also why this should be viewed as a good thing for business.
Mentorships. . . and Mary by Gwyn Teatro
Gwyn shares the story of her relationship with her mentor Mary and the lessons it taught about the true nature of the mentorship.
August 2010
Making Recognition More Common in the Workplace – guest post at ReadyToFeedback.com
In this guest piece I wrote about recognition, I discuss two problems that are responsible for the lack of recognition in the workplace and what leaders can do about it.
Are You Daring to Go For Your Dream? by Susan Mazza
Susan shares her personal story of looking back at what her move to Florida gave rise to and what that revealed to her about what how to take hold of what really matters.
September 2010
The Downsides of Being a Life-long Learner by Meredith M. Bell
Meredith shares four lessons she’s learned of how to manage some of the disadvantages that come through the pursuit of personal self-development.
October 2010
Don’t Get Too Attached by Mary-Jo Asmus
Mary-Jo shares the story of how the process of learning how to create a pottery mask gave rise to two important lessons about leadership and growth.
Leadership Failure in our Education System – guest post at BretLSimmons.com
In this guest post, I discussed the results of a recent study on the satisfaction level university graduates have for the current career path/options and some pointed questions on what we should expect from our educational systems.
November 2010
Exposing Some Truths About Motivating Millennials in the Workforce by Dr. Bret L. Simmons
Bret shares in his guest post the results of a recent study that provides some tangible evidence to dispel some of the popular assumptions of the Millennial generation while confirming the validity of other common impressions which have been associated with this generational group.
Thriving on Pressure – Lessons from Elite Athletes by Dr. Graham Jones
Graham shares some of the ideas from his latest book “Thriving on Pressure” by discussing the lessons elite athletes can teach leaders on how to effectively manage pressure.
The Great and Perilous Leadership Journey Ahead by Art Petty
Art turns the lens forward and looks at some the challenges that tomorrow’s leaders will have to address in the years to come.
I’d like to take this opportunity to once again thank each of these writers for taking the time to reach out and connect with me this year, for sharing their thoughts, insights and experiences with my readers, and inviting me to appear on their blogs to share my writings and ideas with their readers.