Spence Smith

The more I blog the more excited I get about the power of the internet and the social network blogging creates. Not only are we building a community of people who have something to say, but we are building a community where we can learn so much more from each other. Discussions about business, life, love, art, music, culture, travel, humor, sports, frustrations, politics, religion…it’s all up for grabs in conversation. But there’s one thing I’m seeing that speaks very loud and clear…

Leaders who blog are in touch with the world around them.

OK…I’m sure you just thought, well there are some leaders who are just idiots. True. There are some real knuckle heads out there. But the good ones…ohhhh…the good ones are the ones I enjoy reading.

As Randy Elrod and I continue teaching LifeWork 2.0 Seminar, what we see is those in leadership who are open to being more transparent online, find themselves becoming more in touch with what is happening around them. When you blog, you have to take time to think about what is being said, who it is being said to and why it matters…. basically, is the content relevant?

If you are blogging so that your audience (clients,consumers,followers or employees) can see another side of you, then you are opening your world up to a new way of looking at things. That new way puts you as the leader in a position to engage with your readers. If you are real, authentic and transparent with your readers they will comment back to you in a way that will sometimes give you more input than the marketing team you hired to work for you.This builds a relationship online that you will draw on time and time again.

CEO’s like Michael Hyatt are a great example of this. He takes the time to write something that is informative and helpful. He is willing to show his readers what he is reading, learning and experiencing through his journey as a CEO. AND….. most importantly… he is listening to what others are saying on his blog as they comment on his posts.

Other types of leaders do this as well.

For those of you church folk out there…there are some great blogs by pastors. One such blogging pastor is Pete Wilson. Blogging gives him another outlet to communicate to those that go to the church he pastors and allows them to see a side of him they won’t see from the pulpit. It also is giving those who don’t go to the church he pastors, Crosspoint, a real chance to see who he is before they even step through the front door for the first time.

So if you are wanting to dive into a new world of engaging your audience and listening to what they have to say….

Start a blog.

Get out there and allow your audience (employees, clients, consumers or fans) the chance to see a side of you they would never see otherwise. Give it some time and you will be amazed with the outcome.

What other leaders, who are blogging, do you like to read and why?

One of the greatest moments is watching sponsors meet their sponsor kids and today was all about that. Angie, Melissa, Robin, Anne, Patricia, Shaun and Becky all met their kids today and we all had a blast with the great moments that happened.(That’s me and Angie’s sponsor child, Sangita, in the picture above.)

We took the kiddos over to Science City (think Mad Max for kids and parts of the Water World set that never made it in the movie) where we got to see Everest in a REALLY old IMAX theater. The only problem was the film looked really cold and yet… it was still 120 DEGREES OUTSIDE!!!

After the IMAX we went over to the 3D Science Show which I just couldn’t resist trying to fit in. (See Exhibit A below) I mean… this show had 3D glasses AND animals flying at your face!! Pete and Keely took pictures and made funny videos through out the day.

So… here’s the deal. It’s one thing to sponsor a child and write letters back and forth. But when you get the chance to meet your child!!!(Exhibit B below – Me and my sponsor child Verelyn from Peru) Wow!!! The letters come to life and you see your sponsorship dollar come to life!!

I love watching people meet their kids for the first time. I know those feelings and how you remember every moment.

If you can afford to go on a sponsor tour to meet your child or if you can go visit them on your own, then I would highly recommend you going for it. It’s an experience you will never forget.

But first… if you haven’t already… go sponsor a little one. You won’t regret it!

Oh my gosh!!!! Can we say hot!!!! I don’t mean Africa hot. I mean India hot! Over 100 degrees in the shade with the humidity at LEAST 100% and there hasn’t been a heat wave like this in 29 years!!! Welcome to India! Make sure you wear clothes to absorb all that sweat!

Even in the heat though, I must say… I’ve been to a lot of projects all over the world with Compassion International and this one was definitely a bright spot in the middle of a dark community. 95% of the people in this area are Hindu and there were just over 300 children in this particular project. Amazing work when you consider Christians make up less than 1% of the population. Christ seems to have a way of reaching every corner of the world here. Even the sweaty ones.

These kids are so full of life! A little reserved until you get them playing Criquet then the gloves come off and the ball starts flying! I was impressed with Pete Wilson’s skills to master a good game of Criquet though. His wife will be proud and his boys will think he is whacked for misinterpreting baseball.

As we talked to the kids, especially the girls, there was a great amount of self-esteem, which for this community and their culture was saying a lot!! This is where sponsoring a child is amazing. The work being down through this church in such a dark community is teaching these kids that not only is Christ the Lord, but He is not like all the other gods in the Hindi religion. God is the only god they need. These kids are seeing it and living it. Humbly living as God as called them to live – to be the bright spot and the enemy of darkness….Even if you have to pull out the karate chop!

I get to see this work all the time, but today was one more indication that the partnership between Compassion and the Church is working. Not only are lives being changed, but communities are being changed from the inside out.  This is just one of the many reasons to sponsor a child. It’s just the beginning of truly playing a part in the development of children. Without the compassion program in these communities, most of these kids would be destined for the nothingness of drugs, prostitution and the simple concept of no hope… no opportunity. Education and The Word of God  = the chance to break the cycle of poverty in the life of not only a child but the child’s family. It’s an amazing concept so few people understand about the opposite of poverty.

One new thing I saw this time around was a different kind of skill being taught at the project and it was for the girls. They were teaching them Karate! I know… what? Karate? Why? Well… because these communities aren’t that safe for young innocent girls. So just in-case you’re a guy looking for a little trouble to get into with a girl… think twice or else you might get what these bricks below had coming to them. Shaun posted a great video he shot of this Karate demonstration. Click Here.

This sponsor child is about to break these flaming breaks in two with her karate chop.

Smack!!!

Eat your heart out Brock Gill! This was no illusion! No need to let a little fire scare you...

Sponsor a child… You’ll be glad you did!

Today for The Sunday Post I want to feature the India Blog Trip with Compassion International. This friday I’m off to India with 9 other people. I’m leading this trip with Shaun Groves and we are in for quite a trip. The purpose of this trip is to take bloggers and show them our work just like I do for artists. Instead of coming back after the trip and writing about the experience-everyday we will come bck to the hotel and blog about what we saw THAT DAY! Our first blogging trip to Uganda was a huge success as well as the blogging trip to the Dominican Republic. Shaun heads up this effort for us over at CompassionBloggers.com.

Here’s the list of those who will be blogging on this trip.

Angie Smith

Anne Jackson

Melissa Fitzpatrick

Robin Dance

Patricia Jones

Keely Scott

Pete Wilson

Shaun Groves

and ME!