A bunch of us just got back from Denver where the second annual Financial Blogger’s Conference was held. The event was a homerun and I encourage everyone to attend in 2013! Phil from PT Money and his team did a wonderful job putting the entire event together. I’ve probably attended around 20 conferences so far in my career, and this one is right up there in terms of fun, learning and professionalism!
There are so many topics to discuss:
* Maximizing the experience
* Relationship building
* How nobody can get along with everybody (upcoming post on Financial Samurai)
* Saving money, given all the travel, accommodation, and festivities
* Working with potential new customers
But for now, I want to focus on the topic of leadership.
LEADERSHIP COMES IN ALL FORMS
For some people, leadership comes easily. They have dynamic personalities that just draw other people to them. In the online world, such personality can be gleamed through writing styles and more frequent dialogue over forums, comments, and emails. In the offline world, you’ll often see the most charismatic, attractive or tallest people become leaders. In the end, online leaders are judged by their actions and not by their appearances.
Meanwhile, leadership doesn’t come naturally for many others. Its not easy putting yourself out there for others to criticize. It’s easy to start second guessing everything you say or do as a leader until you fall by the wayside. By default, those bloggers with the biggest web presence are often considered leaders of the community. But, if you listen carefully to folks such as JD Roth of Get Rich Slowly fame who now blogs at More Than Money, he will tell you that he is an accidental leader. He just wants to write, but through all the love the online community has provided, he is now a frequent keynote speaker and leader.
People often assume you have to be an extrovert to be a leader. The media likes to spotlight extroverts with boisterous personalities (think Donald Trump) because they are more fun to dissect and poke. If you remove yourself away from the media, it’s clear to me that introversion has strong place in leadership.
Sydney from Untemplater, who I’ve known for well over a decade is an introvert. She writes in an introvertion and leadership post that “introverts are most in their element when in quiet environments.” So true, however conferences are anything but quiet! Sometimes introverts come across as cold, when they are simply just shy and don’t know what to say. Yet I know that Sydney is also a leader because she is a manager at her workplace. Introverts can be leaders just as easily as extroverts. Just look at Gandhi!
LEADERSHIP THROUGH TEAM WORK
Jeff from Sustainable Life Finance put together a panel of other Yakezie Members to give a talk at Fincon12. On the panel were Eric from Narrow Bridge Finance, Marie from Family Money Values, and Shane from Beating Broke. Marissa from Thirty Six Months also was an excellent contributor. Writing freelancer Jason Steele graciously served as our the moderator.
I’m not sure anyone on the panel except for Eric would claim they are an extrovert. Shane has a soothing, deep presence that commands attention. Marie has a quiet voice that reminds me of someone special I can completely trust. Jeff also has a heartland genuineness to him that everybody likes. Eric clearly loves the spotlight and did a great job hosting the #Ignite Denver late night event!
It was scary for many of them to get up on the panel, get taped, and speak in front of an audience. They aren’t going to win any speaking awards, but they did their best and gave it go, which matters most. Some have asked why I wasn’t on the panel, and the main reason was so that I could give other Members a chance to speak and share their thoughts. I did end up getting up there and answering some questions from the audience toward the end.
The other quiet leaders I see are Will Chen and Greg Go from Wisebread. Will Chen is hilarious! When one lady asked during his Secrets Of The Millionaire Blogger panel how come there were no seven-figure women personal finance bloggers, he smartly deflected what could have been a contentious topic by saying, “Well, I swim in a sea of estrogen. Our co-founder is Lynn, and she’s the boss, that’s why I’m here.”
Greg was up at 3am Saturday morning preparing for his own morning keynote speech with social community leader Ashley. As the technical man for Wisebread, I doubt Greg felt in his element in front of a large crowd, but he and Ashley did a great job.
Meanwhile, Barbara Friedberg stands out for her enthusiasm and quirky style as evidenced from her Ignite Fincon presentation. LaTisha from Young Adult Finances is not as introverted as she says in her comment below, but a sharer, a supporter of all things social media, and a great dancer who taught me the “waddle”! Dr. Dean has a quiet southern presence about him that makes him easy to talk to. Besides, when you own up to a bet from two years ago over a steak dinner, what’ not to love?!
WHAT LEADERS DO
The whole idea of creating the Yakezie Network is to build a community of friends who have similar interests and aspirations. I wanted to build a brand online that could be leveraged by all the Members to help propel their own success. Almost all of us have used the Yakezie Network to keep us accountable for our writing consistency on our respective blogs. Others have used the Network to create ad campaigns and generate revenue for themselves and other participants. Meanwhile, Eric, Jeff, and Shane were able to use the Network to practice their leadership and speaking abilities in front of an audience.
There are five main attributes of a leader in my opinion:
1) Leaders take risks
2) Leaders listens
3) Leaders help others
4) Leaders adapt
5) Leaders lead through action
Like anything else, we’ve just got to work on our leadership skills if we want to improve. I have a problem with talking too much, coming across as arrogant, and getting in my own way. Through the past two and a half years of the Yakezie Network’s existence, I’ve worked on getting better primarily for my offline world’s sake, but there’s a still long way to go.
You can often tell who has good leadership attributes just by meeting them for the first several minutes. They aren’t cliquish and instead have a very inclusive nature about them. You can sense their confidence, whether it be quiet or loud that somehow makes you want to listen.
There are leadership qualities in all of us, whether you know it or not!
Friends, I’m curious to know from all of you what makes a good leader? Are you an introvert or an extrovert? What are some things you are working on improving?
Check out these other great Fincon wraps:
* Best Social Moments At Fincon from 20’s Finances.
* 5 Crucial Business Lessons I Picked Up from comedian Steve Chou.
* Is Spending Big Bucks On A Conference Worth It? by Joe from Retire by 40.
Any other good inclusive wraps? Let me know.
Best,
Sam
Photo: Jason, Jeff, Eric, Marie, Shane from L to R. Great job guys!
I think a good leader is one who is both intentional/purposeful and adaptive. There are too many people that try to just wing it all the time and that often doesn’t work out. Yet, you don’t want a leader with too narrow of a focus. P.S. Thanks for the mention.
No worries Corey, and that’s cool JD responded to your post and answered beyond “no”! haha
Great article, Sam! I am an introvert. Like Sydney, I believe that introverts can think in a level-headed manner as they are naturally more observant than extroverts; they posses better listening skill than extrovert.
Blogging has provided me to voice my opinion freely. I believe that blogging provides good elements of an extrovert who lives within me.
Perhaps blogging is the greatest medium of exchange for introverts come to think of it!
The number one thing a leader does is set a vision, goal, plan for everyone to follow. You can be as extrovert as you want to be, but if you don’t have somewhere to lead people, all you are is a nice guy. You can be as introverted as you want, but if you have a clear vision of somewhere good to go, you can’t help but get people to follow you, almost in spite of yourself. The other things you mention are all valid, but leading starts with inspiration, which starts with a goal and an idea of how to get there.
Almost in spite of yourself. I like that, and that’s what folks like JD have done.
Am I that obvious? Ha ha. Thanks for the kind words Sam. None of us would have had the opportunity to take leadership roles in this community without you taking the step to create it. Thanks for all you do!
I have a feeling that if CNBC came up with a show called, “My Name Is Eric And I’m A Big Deal” you’d own it!
It’s so funny you mention good leaders are not cliquish! I’m reminded of high school where the most insecure people would all hang around each other, and they did all dress, act, and seem the same! It’s like the jocks, the thespians, the geeks, etc.
A good leader goes out of his or own element and is able to connect with a lot of different types of people.
High school will never escape us, no matter how old and gray we get! :)
It’s natural to revert to those who look, act, talk a like to ourselves. It’s easier and more comfortable and less intimidating. I do encourage the thespians to branch out and talk to the jocks and vice versa!
Hey Sam! Thanks for the kind words. It was great to finally meet you at the conference after working together so many years.
Another leader I was impressed with was Crystal of Budgeting In The Fun Stuff. She was holding court in the lobby all weekend. She seemed to always be in the lobby, surrounded by a circle of bloggers and accepting all comers who wanted a break and a chat. Awesome example of the “quiet leadership” you talk about.
Anyway, again, it was good to finally meet you in person. I hope FinCon will be an annual reunion! And more importantly, that we will get a #fincon13poker tourney going next year. :)
Greg
Nice post Sam and glad you had a great time at FinCon! Leaders aren’t cliquish, interesting, never thought about that. You mentioned offline leaders are attractive, tall, and charismatic. I believe this gives them an extra boost of confidence. Bloggers are all leaders because they have communities. To be better leaders, can’t we say we should all improve on our confidence?
Not all, but there’s a reason there’s never been a US President under 6 feet tall. Confidence really is it. Are you confident in your own skin and own your brand?
Good point about bloggers being leaders of their own communities!
I’m getting there Sam (comfortable with skin and brand). Hopefully one day!
I definitely consider myself an introvert. I also could see how your quiet confidence can come across as arrogance. But I think if you just let people be themselves, you will learn much more about them than if you judge them from your own framework. I definitely see myself as a leader, I have a hard time following but I’m also willing to work as a team. I’m glad I got to meet so many of my online buddies!
Hey LaTisha! I included you in this post, and I definitely don’t think you’re as introverted as you think. Well, at least I’ve never met an introvert who is as caring over social media and knows how to boogie down as you!
haha! I’m beginning to think you’re are misnaming it the waddle on purpose! lol
haha – I agree with Sam. You’re an extrovert in my book.
Actually, I seriously forgot what the dance is that you taught me. What is it so I can go YouTube it and impress the ladies next time I’m on the dance floor! Thx
I’m definitely an introvert. I prefer leadership being a fluid thing were different people take the reins as the situation warrants.
I’m not a big talker but if given a chance, I’ve always taken the reigns and done a great job leading. My current employer seems to favor the brash leaders who talk a lot during meetings and ‘own’ it, regardless if they even know what they’re talking about. Thus, I’m pretty well just fine being a good worker bee :)
From what I can tell, the fact of the matter in the work place is that those we speak up gets the jelly donuts. We have to sell ourselves internally as much as externally. Being great at our jobs is a default setting! But of course, it’s fine to be a good worker bee. It’s whatever we want to be really!
I found leadership to be essentially “self confidence” expressed to others. It can be many other things, but great leaders are self confident. Sometimes this is innate, and sometimes this is “awakened” by experience or being in a situation that requires it of you. But in the end, people will follow those who are self confident. The best leaders I’ve admired in life are “self confident” yet are also considerate of others and willing to listen and take sound advice.
I think you’re right about self confidence expressed to others. Those who are able to accept others for who they are, and socialize outside their comfort zone and inspire.
We can learn so much online that helps us with our offline lives!
I’m definitely an extrovert. I take a back seat when the situation calls for it, but I step up right away if the sitaution calls for it. I don’t know if that makes me a leader or not! I say what needs to be said at work and with my family, I don’t let things just lay there that need to be spoken about… but again, I don’t know if that makes me a leader or a big mouth, lol.
HAha, nice. Yeah, the point of the article is really to highlight that leadership takes on all different shapes and form. I’m more like you and can’t sit back and not speak up if there’s some type of ridiculous thing going on. I’ve got a big mouth, so I’m trying to listen more, speak less.
Lol, yep, it’s hard to not speak up when something ridiculous is happening! I try to listen more, too, but that’s a hard thing to learn.
I agree with the idea though that leadership takes on all sortsa different forms. Like you said, some people are naturally a leader in person because they’re loud or have that ‘charming’ personality, while some people seem to fall into leadership roles online (like JD from GRS!)…and of course some people are leaders in everything they touch!
Great post, Sam! I wish I could have made it out to FinCon but it wasn’t in the cards this year. I think leaders need to be able to listen first and then lead by example 2nd. They do have to be adaptive and caring, while also being authoritative. Some would say I’m an extrovert if they viewed me in my business setting, but personally I’m an introvert. Over the years in sales I’ve been able to adapt to do what I need to do.
Perhaps next year Jason! We can talk life, debt, and finances hopefully in San Diego!
Adaptation is key, and being able to be comfortable in different settings.
Enjoyed talking to you and getting your interesting world view. Maybe we will get a chance to have another bet this year as it looks like my Braves will make it into the wild card race.
Ah yes, it would be my owner to allow you to win a steak dinner back! Braves vs. Giants again to see how far each respective team goes if we make the playoffs?
Hope Average Joe got you at least a McDonald’s for lunch the next day after our dinner!
I always thought of myself as an extrovert because I am not shy about sharing my opinion, but my sister pointed out that an introvert can be someone who regroups by going off to be alone with their own thoughts. And that describes me exactly. So I think I’m a bit of both.
Sam, I can tell you are a natural leader by your writing. From the posts I’ve read over the past 4 months, I can tell you genuinely care about other people and only wish the best for them. Thanks for undertaking Yakezie – I don’t think it would be the same without such a humble leader as yourself.
Hi Lena, thanks for your kind words! Interesting about your sister pointing out your own thoughts. It’s funny how we view ourselves different from others view us sometimes.
Best of luck on your blogging journey and hope to hear more from you!
Yes, at first I completely disagreed with her. Until I went off by myself and thought about it…….. ;)
Thanks! You’ll be seeing a lot more of me around here. I’m seriously challenging as WhatMommyDoes and half seriously challenging as TaxesandStuff at the same time. We’ll see what happens.
[…] Discovering The Leader Within […]
Thanks for the kind words sam, and thanks for letting me head up the panel this year! Hopefully I can strike out on my own speaking for fincon next year. Also, thanks to everyone that participated in the panel, including marissa!
You bet! And of course, thanks Marissa! I’ve included her in the post. Good job Marissa! Good to chat with you while you were catching your breath at Ignite Fincon!
Great points Sam and thank you for your kind words. It was so fun meeting you and so many other fantastic Yakezie members. What I love about FinCon is that it is such a family atmosphere, so that even if you’re an introvert you would feel comfortable hanging out with everyone because we all sort of know each other via forums, Twitter, and Facebook already.
Indeed! Good to meet up Will. I’m sure you are the ladies man, but you’re too humble to admit it!
I’m not sure what I am. I can be introverted at times and then want to the be the life of the party at other times.
A good leader in my opinion must be willing and able of making decisions for the group. Nobody wants to take the blame. We all want someone to give us permission. A leader doesn’t ask for permission.
I was surprised at just how extroverted you are, Sam! I suppose I shouldn’t have been, but I was. I’m definitely an extrovert, although I just recently discovered that. I didn’t see Will Chen as an introvert — his talk was HILARIOUS.
Will is a funny, funny man! I could sense the ladies in the audience chomping at the bits!
Am I an extrovert? I donno. I spent 1.5 hours in the hot tub this morning just reading, writing, and contemplating. Isn’t that what introverts do?
How long is the longest you’ve ever gone without speaking to someone in real life? If you consistently go a day or longer, then you’re an introvert.
Does telephone count? If I didn’t have a job and wasn’t married, there’s a good chance I’d go weeks put even months without aface to face conversation.
I have gone three days without any communication beyond simple hand signals for three days a part of a retreat.
Hmmm… not long! I enjoy talking to friends and family every day. But, doesn’t everybody?
This fall semester is my busiest one yet in terms of teaching – 7 courses! One thing that I am so grateful for is that it’s through teaching that I am becoming a better communicator – which I believe is one of the greatest attributes of a leader. While Finance and Econ courses will always have a certain flow about them, I get to play with the delivery and get to know my students so that I can present in ways that will actually provide value for them. It’s helped with my clients and people I co-work projects with. Nothing like a room full of 18-20 somethings or even my adult weekend warriors to give you instant feedback on how they can get the most out of the material. Plus I try to keep it fun too : )
Great wrap up Sam. Like so many others have said, there is no digital replacement for meeting people in real life. I am going to try and make it out next year, depending on how things go with my blog.
I would consider myself an extrovert, as I love getting into conversations, laughing, joking, talking business, or diving deep. I am more energized after hours and hours of interaction than I am relaxing all by myself. And you are definitely correct, that leadership is not outward personality, but inward character. Yakezie has leaders in all forms, and it’s great that many of them got to meet up and connect via FinCon12.
Still a bit jealous that I didn’t make it this year, not gunna lie…but it’s all good. ’13 is my lucky number….
You and me both, Jake. I REALLY wanted to go, but I had a newborn at home, so couldn’t justify leaving him for a conference. But I already told my husband I need off that time from mommy duties next year, regardless of when it is. :)
I also missed this year’s conference. I hope I can also have a family member look after my children next year so that I can attend FinCon 2013 and take some time off from mommy duties.
Thanks for your kind words, Sam. I was honored to be able to participate. As you seem to have figured out, I’m a bit of an introvert. I’ve learned that I need to force myself to be an extrovert at events like FINCON because it can be so invaluable. It’s tough, for me, and I have to work at it. Public speaking is just one of those things that I dislike doing, but make myself do to better myself.
Interesting post, Sam! I’m definitely on the more introverted side. You did talk a lot when we met up, but I appreciated it because you really showed an interest in what I was doing. You didn’t seem arrogant at all! I think arrogance is more easily perceived in emails and online, where there is less context to go by. We judge what we can see, and our minds often fill in the rest.
One thing I’ve learned is that balance and variety are good. Could you imagine a meeting full of extroverts? Everyone would be competing to talk and some would try to talk over each other. What about introverts? Nobody would want to be first to speak!
The main thing I need to personally improve are getting over my fears of failure when it comes to certain social and life situations. I get very stressed out, and even sick. I’ve seen some improvement, but I have a long ways to go.
I tend to talk more when the person I meet talks less to create a balance and vice versa. What I’d like to do is not talk with another who also doesn’t talk and create that vortex of silent awkwardness! :)
Good luck Kevin!
That philosophy works well for introverts like me. I tend to fall in the “I have 2 ears and one mouth, so I should listen twice as much as I talk” camp.
Sam, It was really fun and educational to meet everyone at fincon. I’m pleased to be acknowledged as “quirky and enthusiastic”!! The bump in motivation and enthusiasm was a great byproduct of an awesome conference. And I’m rededicated to reaching out and assist others in their climb for personal finance and lifestyle blogging greatness!!!
It’s all about unique style, and that is what you have Barb!
Nice article Sam. I have hopes of being a leader some day. I get to do it a little now with the company I work for but as we are a small team the hierarchy is pretty horizontal. At times I get to take the reins on my project and give some guidance. I’m definitely not the best public speaker either. I would have been terribly nervous trying to present or talk up on stage. I feel like I need to work on that quite a bit.
Thanks for the shout out Sam! I was so inspired when I saw that Susan Cain video on the power of introverts that I put together that post super quick (normally I’m a pretty slow writer).
I am comfortable being an introvert now and feel a lot more comfortable in my own skin than 5, 10, 15 years ago. I still need to work on being more confident in social situations with people I don’t know very well though. It’s weird that I’m not really afraid to speak in front of a room full of people (if I know the subject matter), but I get totally tongue tied at times when I have to speak with a client or am trying to break the ice at dinner parties with friends of friends, etc.
Leadership definitely comes more naturally to some people, and I’m glad that even though most of the leaders I worked with have been extroverts, that didn’t intimidate me from learning leadership skills as an introvert. Their support was quite motivational to me and I picked up a lot from observing them in the work place. I’ve also used my listening skills to really soak in all the constructive criticism my mentors have provided me over the years to build out my skill sets and take on new challenges.
[…] recently came back from a financial blogging conference. It was great to see everybody I’ve been interacting with for the past three years. There […]
[…] I recently came back from a financial blogging conference. It was great to see everybody I’ve […]
[…] I recently came back from a financial blogging conference. It was great to see everybody I’ve been interacting with for the past three years. There […]
Sam, thanks for the link and kind words…..actually though I have won speaking awards in the past (granted, the far distant pass). You nailed it that I have a quiet speaking voice, one of my banes but a quiet speaking voice does not necessarily equal introversion.
Nice post on leadership. What’s your real motivation for the post I wonder? Are you nudging us all to take more active roles on Yakezie?
FinCon12 was amazing. I encourage all to attend next year as well. I hope to see more of us over fifties there as well!
Oops, then I spoke too soon about the speaking rewards!
The goal of the article is to challenge Members and everyone to take action and test their leadership roles. The Yakezie Network is what Members make of it. The Network can lead to great things or lead to nothing at all. But creating something takes doing. There’s no need to by shy or fearful of anything.
We are one family and there is a great support group!
[…] Discovering The Leader Within – A look at the various types of leaders we have and a discussion on introversion and […]
[…] to financial blogging conferences to build great relationships and trade strategies. Hit up the Yakezie Forums to talk about your […]
[…] like she has lighter hair. You just end up looking like a doofus. Also, she won’t forget it.I made connections with some seriously nice people at FinCon, and those relationships turned “friendly robots living in my computer” to […]