By Linda Fisher Thornton
Humble Blog Beginnings
The journey to a 150th blog post starts with a single post.
This ethical leadership blog had a very humble beginning back in 2009. I had decided to start a blog and took a WordPress class at the University of Richmond. The possibilities were promising.
Then came those nagging thoughts…
- what should I write about?
- who will read it?
- what if I make a mistake?
- what if it’s not good enough?
Other bloggers may be able to relate to these initial thoughts.
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Finding the Courage to Learn Out Loud
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My doubts were powerful, but I had decided to do it, so I gathered the courage to post something on my new blog, found a link to share and composed a draft! It was May of 2009.
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After posting the very simple link, I expected that the sky would fall in. Why in the world would I have any business blogging? I’d been writing corporate training materials for over 25 years, I’d been writing articles and teaching, but blogging felt different – more raw, more personal, more exposed somehow… way out of my comfort zone. I was thoroughly amazed when a week went by and nothing bad happened. So I started working on another short post. Most of the early posts on this blog were just links to good resources for leadership developers and human resource managers.
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It was 6 months later in November when I learned how to upload an image to go with the post (and the first image was pretty dismal). To see the progression yourself, here is the Leading in Context Blog Index, with the oldest posts listed at the bottom.
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Being Transformed
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Since the humble beginnings of this blog in 2009, I have grown into being comfortable with learning out loud. The journey has transformed me. This work, helping leaders understand what it means to lead ethically in a complex world, has become my life’s work.
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Over time I have found the courage to question and explore the meaning of ethical leadership out loud. With time and practice, I have learned to express that meaning more clearly.
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Yes, now I can own it – in addition to being a leadership development consultant, publisher, teacher, facilitator and speaker, I have learned my way through and now I am an ethical leadership blogger.
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Special thanks to all the people who have encouraged me, shared resources, connected, followed, retweeted, commented and otherwise engaged in learning around the important issues that this blog explores. Thanks also to those who disagreed with me at times. You helped me grow as well.
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The journey to a 150th Blog Post starts with a single post and the courage to learn out loud.
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What are you waiting to do? What’s stopping you?
For more, see new book 7 Lenses and the 21 Question Assessment: How Current is My Message About Ethics?
2014 Bronze Axiom Business Book Award Winner
About 7 Lenses
Info@LeadinginContext.com @leadingincontxt @7Lenses
© 2012 Leading in Context LLC
Leading in Context 
Congrats on your new blog C.r.! I know you will enjoy exploring the boundaries of what collaboration means in today’s global society, and what it requires of us as leaders. I like your description of sharing raw thoughts, learning from others, and collectively becoming more educated.
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It’s so true that by just getting started, writing one word at a time, we grow into it. Sometimes we hesitate for the reasons I mentioned in my post, but we continue to press on and “learn through it” over time. Thanks so much Bruce for your support!
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Linda, Congratulations on the 150th! As a fellow blogger I know how difficult it can be to put yourself out there and to do it on a consistent basis. As Stephen King once said, if you want to be a writer, you have to write. He went on to say that the only way to write, is one word at a time.
Your words, knowledge, and wisdom are welcome and refreshing at the same time. Keep it up and I look forward to your future posts.
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Thank you Linda! This is a very insightful blog especially as I recently posted my second blog ever after thinking about starting one for months. It is very true that the sky does not fall in. I have found that the true benefit of sharing “raw” thoughts is that you ultimately learn from those that are willing to share their ideas and you collectively become more educated. I look forward to reading more of your blog posts! Have a great weekend!
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