The Right Conversations at the Right Time

I’ve been writing and speaking and tweeting and screwing around for many years. The first few years were great because I was doing it under the cover of anonymity. I had a full-time job, and blogging was fun.

The next few years were different but also fun. I left human resources behind and went waist-deep into the world of marketing, social media and technology. I took a job at an agency to learn new stuff. I built a speaking business. I wrote and retired several successful blogs, which were recognized as “must reads” by major media outlets.

But the past few years have been a little weird. I’m still a writer, but my audience has shifted under my feet. I often write about things other than HR. Long-time readers object, and it’s an awkward experience. I’ve had to say, “Quit coming here. There is nothing for you.”

But I want to keep some of my writing grounded in human resources because, quite honestly, it’s mine. I claimed it. I defined it. I’m awesome at it. And why the hell not? Everybody who has a successful career operates from a base of extensive expertise. I’ve watched people grow and evolve, but they’ve done it from their core.

(Gary Vaynerchuk will always do wine, even when he’s not doing wine. Rachael Ray is a DIY cook while interviewing Bill Clinton. And Mark Cuban will always be that entrepreneurial guy who screeches at referees.)

So I have a few goals in 2015: improve my skills as a writer and extend my topics so that my audience feels like I’m having the right conversations with them. I also want to stop wasting time on the internet.

(I’m talking about my time as a writer and your time as a reader.)

Personal growth takes time. It takes commitment. And it takes some courage. I need to meet new people and learn from the best. Back in 2007, I attended BlogHer and it changed my life. I sat in a room and listened to awesome women tell me how to live a better life. And I learned that choosing a different life had nothing to do with my job or my blog. It has to do with choices, duh.

Anyway, BlogHer was a phenomenal experience. I had the right conversations with the right people at the right time who helped grow—in human resources and beyond.

It’s been eight years, and I’m ready for round two. That’s why I am attending a creative non-fiction conference in a few weeks. I need to do two things: sharpen my saw and make sure that I’m having the conversations with the best people in the industry.

Wish me luck!