Wow, I sit here wondering where the month has gone. Shocked and amazed that October has ended and November is beginning.
Halloween was a bit of a disappointment. I was hoping we’d be able to pass out candy to the trick or treaters but the rain seemed to held them back from knocking on our doors. When we realized this, we chose to go to the theater and see the hilarious movie Despicable Me 2. This movie had my wife laughing throughout the whole film. Definitely go see, or rent, it if you’re looking for a good laugh.
Image via Wordle
But now it’s time to get down to business. Let’s look at how the blog did last month and what’s coming up.
Top Posts
1. 10 Facts You Should Know About Modern Day Slavery – Modern day slavery has to be an important topic. This post has been in the top spot the past couple of months. Lets not forget there are still slaves in the land.
2. Catalyst Atlanta 2013 Recap – Catalyst Atlanta 2013 was a blast. I learned so much and met so many awesome leaders. Here, I recap what I learned and connect all of my notes so you can find them in one place.
3. Your Past Doesn’t Define You, It Helps Shape You – Sometimes we get beaten down by our past. We needn’t do that. Instead, we need to learn we’re shaped but not defined by the past.
4. How To Encourage Creative Thinking Within Your Organization – Creative thinkers aren’t dead but there’s also a tendency to not recognize their talents. Is it time you begin encouraging creative thinking within your organization?
5. 5 Ways Introverts Rock At Leadership – Introverts can be overlooked because of their quiet nature. We’ve missed many great leaders because of this. Don’t neglect what could be the greatest leader you’ve known because they’re introverted.
6. Making The Choice To Move On – There comes a time and day when we’ve got to make a choice. Do you move on or do you stay?
7. How To Give Effective Praise – With the aggressive nature of leadership, praise can be a hard thing to give to your team. And yet they need it more than you recognize. Learn how to give effective praise in this post.
8. 5 Reasons Your Leadership Is Ineffective – A look into leadership and what causes it to be ineffective. If you’re struggling, see if you’re doing any of these things ineffective leaders do.
9. Controlling Your Emotions Using Emotional Intelligence – My second video interview. Linda Hoenigsberg and I discuss emotional intelligence, what you can do to control your emotions, and Linda’s free eBook.
10. Catalyst Atlanta 2013 Andy Stanley Final Session – Andy Stanley closed Catalyst Atlanta 2013 with a smashing session. Learn what he had to say by checking out this recap.
Honorable mention: The Toughest Decision I’ve Had To Make – While it didn’t make the top 10, this heartfelt post came really close. Leaders have to make tough choices every day. Some days they’re tougher than others. Learn what my toughest choice was and how it’s affected my life.
Top Commenters
1. Jon Stolpe
2. Linda Lochridge Hoenigsberg
4. Dan Black
6. Zech Newman
7. Rich Langton
8. Bill
9. Bob Sinclair
10. TC Avey
It was a fantastic month for commenters. I thank each and every one of you who joins the conversation and adds valuable insights. You’re the lifeblood of the blog!
Site Statistics
Visits – Increased 10.42%
Unique Visitors – Increased 11.53%
Pageviews – Increased 21.46%
Pages Per Visit – Increased 9.99%
Average Visit Duration – Increased 11.51%
Bounce Rate – Decreased 23.37%
New Visits – Increased 1.77%
Ads – Lost 5 advertisers
The site statistics for October are encouraging. Growth is happening, visitors are staying longer, and more pages are being visited.
There was a bit of disappointment when I lost 5 of my 6 advertisers. While this is discouraging, I know advertisers move on. More will come. And if you want to become an advertiser, click on one of the Advertise Here boxes in the sidebar. The rates are reasonable and I’d love to promote your product.
Site News
A lot happened at the blog this month. And I don’t think I’m exaggerating.
For starters, I was able to live blog from Catalyst Atlanta, bringing you knowledge from some of the biggest and brightest leaders in the world.
I partnered with FatihVillage. If you frequent that site, you should see my content being reused over there.
I am in the process of acquiring another domain. This one is really exciting and I hope it will be a great resource for youth ministers and youth leaders. BTW, if you’re either of those and would like to contribute to the new site, please hit me up and let me know. I’m looking for regular contributors.
And last, but certainly not least, I released my first eBook – Leadership Is Dangerous. You can get it for free by subscribing to the blog and receiving regular email updates. Not a subscriber? Click HERE and become one today.
Question: If you’re a blogger, what was your top post? If you’re not a blogger, share a post that had a great impact. Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
Please note: I reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive or off-topic.