This is my first attempt at writing a blog post.  When I’ve mentioned starting a blog to folks, their initial reaction is usually – why?  I hope to answer that question with this post.

I was prompted to do this by my mentor, Eric Walden.  You may ask why a 62-year-old person would have a mentor.  I was part of a reverse mentoring project at Chevron, where I used to work.  I’d been employed by Chevron for over 37 years when I signed up for the project.  The intention of the project was to help leaders maintain relevancy and adapt their leadership style to newer generations.  Eric helped me to embrace social media and to understand how I can lead younger people – especially millennials.  I thank Eric for working with me, and for encouraging me to take this action!

I have had an internal desire to write for some time now.  It started in earnest in 2010, when I became a Founding Member of the John Maxwell Team.  Dr. John C. Maxwell is one of my favorite authors.  His books on leadership and personal development have helped me tremendously in my life and career.   The John Maxwell Team (JMT) is an organization of people who have been certified to coach, teach, and speak on John’s leadership and personal growth philosophy.

At my JMT certification, I felt the tug to write.  As is typical with many New Year’s resolutions, I was deliberate in keeping a journal for a couple of weeks and then stopped.  A year or two later, my younger daughter and I attended a one-day teaching by John Maxwell and a few others.  The event was titled “A Day About Books,” and was designed to encourage and inspire people to write.  Again, I was inspired for a short time.  Starting a blog is my attempt to commit to writing as a routine in my life.

I would also like to capture my thoughts and observations from a career of looking at life through a lens of leadership.  I find it fascinating to read about historical leaders, as well as discussing and applying lessons from contemporary leaders.  Life, both past and present, is indeed a target-rich environment for leadership lessons!

I’d also like to memorialize my thoughts for others.  I’ve had a wonderful time mentoring and being mentored by so many phenomenal people.  I’d like to continue this after my career at Chevron.  I’m hoping that this blog is a step in the right direction.

I am taking a leap of faith in starting this blog.  Where will I go from here?  I am not quite sure yet, but I know that putting this out in the public space will heighten accountability for me.  I am committing to write and post on a routine basis – at least monthly.  Simply by committing this, I’m opening myself up to the power of public accountability.  Additionally, I hope to develop my thoughts into a book on my leadership journey, as well as develop my business as a JMT Coach outside of Chevron.

I hope you enjoy this post.  Please share your comments, thoughts, and suggestions to me.  I enjoy feedback of all types!