LeadershipConneXtions

On Blogging (A Few Personal Thoughts)

I have been blogging on this site for about three years. In June, this site had its 1000th post.  A few years ago, when I first started blogging, I read in a book about blogging that:

* there are over 100,000 new blogs started every day.

* less than 10% of those blogs have daily posts.

* and while the percentage wasn't known, many bloggers start but fade out pretty quickly.

A few friends have asked me how I can write something every day? 

Well, first, I have some friends and partners of LCI who are guest bloggers who post from time to time, so I don't have to write on a daily basis. But the main reason for having them blog is to expose you to their ideas and experiences. 

I like to write. I've been a writer for a long time. (That is not necessarily saying I am a good writer, just that I like to write). I have been using a journal for about ten years and that helped me in the discipline of regular writing.

In my Strengths Finder results, Learner and Intellection are two of my top five strengths. So I am constantly reading, thinking, learning, and processing.  I am an avid reader and, on top of that, I have Strategic as one of my top gifts and I can strategically arrange knowledge into useful ways.

For example, right now I am reading new books and/or writing ideas from ones I just finished. That list includes:

• Inside Drucker's Brain  (That alone has generated over 30 reflections, many of which will find their way on to this site.)
• Between Wyomings
• Leadership Reconsidred
• How the Mighty Fall (That generated five solid posts.)
• Knowing Christ Today (Several reflections came out of that.)
• The 100 Best Business Books of All Time (which generated at least 15 writings in my journal)

AND . . .

• I am on vacation and I have six books with me and I'll probably finish four of them.
• I regularly read a number of blogsites (usually ransacking for what I am interested in).
• I have great, stimulating conversations with friends.
• I pay attention to what is going on around me, reflect and, at times, write on what I see. 

And I have a number of areas of interest which keep me occupied. Leadership, spirituality, mission, culture, postmodernity and theology. I go in waves with these areas of interest. I was actually kind of burned out on leadership materials for about a year and so my posting was much more limited on leadership. In the last three or four months, I have really been recharged in thinking about leadership and so a lot of the posts are reflecting that. 

At the same time, my focus on postmodernity has waned in the last six months and I've hardly read anything in that subject, so the posts on that are quite few.

My point is that I have a steady and strong stream of input flowing in and much of it finds output in my writing, some of which appears on this site.  And I think it is of enough variety that it keeps the interest of some folks.

I usually write a rough draft in my journal and it sits there until I am ready to blog. Then it gets some editing as I work it into a post.

But I've also realized that I write because I have to write. I am a thinker and a teacher and a mentor and so much of that coalesces together in writing.

Thanks for reading.

Brian Rice

Leadership ConneXtions International

Shaping the Post-Crisis World (The Davos Debates)

The World Economic Forum is having the Davos Debates on the issues affecting our world. They have created a "viral" form for gathering information and being a part of the discussion. Check out this site to learn more and check out the video for a summary of what the event is all about.

The Davos Debates: Shaping the Post-Crisis World website.

Brian Rice

Leadership ConneXtions International

The Shack: website correction

In a recent post I gave a website address for The Shack, that actually takes you to Radio Shack.

Thanks to an alert reader, the correct address is http://www.theshackbook.com/.

Brian Rice

Blog # gazillion!

When my family and I returned from Europe in August 2005, I started a personal blog called "Newman Surfacing."  I wrote on it every day for more than a year, then got burned out on it and stopped.

A while later, I restarted that blog, hoping to write on it regularly. That lasted about a month, then I stopped again.

This week I have been considering the massive overload of information and data that most of us deal with - email, voice mail, chats, Skype, blogs, websites, and good old books.

Oh ya, and magazines.

Oh ya, and newspapers.

Oh ya, and ...

You get the idea. I am a data and information junkie! We should start a DIA (Data Information Anonymous). OK, I'll start:

"Hi, my name is Brian and I am an information-aholic."

And everyone say, "Hi Brian!"

- Brian Newman

Jesus for President (Zondervan Blogsite)

Here is a blogsite on Jesus for President that has several video of Shane as well as a lot of information. Check it out.

Amy alerted me to this blogsite for Jesus for President and I thought I'd pass it on to you.

Thanks Amy.

Brian Rice

Three Quick Notes: Quotes, Spitzer and the Seven Deadly Sins

First, check out this "quotes video."  Since I love quotes, I really liked it. I put it as a link under blogsites to check out.   Great Quotes Movie - click here.  Thanks to Leadership Foundations Team facilitator/mentor and personal friend - Rob H. for this link.

Second, how tragic about Eliot Spitzer. New York's hard-hitting, corruption-fighting governor, who is caught using very high priced prostitutes. Spitzer had a nickname: "Mr. Clean." Scratch that nickname. Scratch that political career. Probably scratch that family. One more leader - NOT FINISHING WELL!  In fact, "not finishing well" is saying it mildly. This leader just imploded in self-destruction because of sex! (By the way, on the night before Valentine's Day!)

Third, the Vatican is trying to improve on a tried and tested and true thing - the Seven Deadly Sins.  I happen to think the original seven were pretty good. I'm not sure the update is an upgrade improvement or a  down-sizing diminishment of them.

The original seven were/are:

1. Pride
2. Envy
3. Gluttony
4. Greed
5. Lust
6. Anger
7. Sloth

The new and culturally relevant are:

1. Pollution
2. Genetic engineering
3. Obscene wealth
4. Taking drugs
5. Abortion
6. Pedophilia
7. Social Injustice

I really like some of the new thinking. Maybe these are the seven deadly sins for our age. What do you think? Which list do you like more and why?

Brian Rice

Advent Conspiracy: Please watch this right away!

Very powerful idea.

Very moving video by Rick McKinley who is Don Miller's pastor (or at least was his pastor at one time).

Go to Advent Conspiracy.

Look at the

Featured Section.

What's [AC] Advent Conspiracy

Then click on Watch This Video

Rick really speaks from his heart on this.

Brian Rice

Mouw's Musings Blog

I recently referred to a book about approaches to leadership in the different Christian traditions. The book was edited by Richard Mouw, president of Fuller Theological Seminary.

A friend recently sent me a link to Mouw's occasional blog.

If you are interested in very thoughtful, theological commentary, usually on "pop" cultural matters, I'd recommend you check it out.

I provided a link in this post, but the blog site is also listed under helpful websites.

Click on Mouw's Musings

Brian Rice

On Persistence

Bobby Clinton, professor of leadership at Fuller Theological Seminary, has a brief editorial on the home page of his website on PERSISTENCE. It is worth the read, especially as we begin 2007. Check is out at www.bobbyclinton.com.