Something I've noticed from a lot of great leaders is their ability to speak and write well. You really don't have to be the best in any given avenue, and just being able to speak and write with confidence gets you miles ahead of the competition. People with good writing and or speaking skills really stand out; if they can clearly voice their thoughts, they get more attention. This makes sense; someone who can ask a good question stands out more in our minds than someone with a long-winded or common one.
This is a good and bad thing. Individuals with greater talent in any given subject may not get as far and so not have the opportunity to develop their talents fully. On the other hand, someone not quite as bright as the first now has the chance to soar above and make greater strides in their career.
My parents greatly encouraged us from a young age to start our own blogs and write posts about topics we are specifically interested in. They would review what we wrote and sat down with us to improve it and be more specific. Since then, writing has become almost as natural as talking, and I often only need to write a post in one shot and have little to no need for editing it. Writing a 3 paragraph post on what I worked on that day took me upwards of 2 hours to write. Now I'm able to blow through it in about 15 minutes!
Takeaway:
- Writing is critical to get your message across, and doing it well makes you stand out.
- You don't have to be the best; you just have to be able to speak or write better than those around you.
- It's good and bad; the guy with more talent may not have the same opportunities as one with less, but a good speaking or writing ability.
- Personal story, how I got started years ago from my parent encouraging us to do it regularly.