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5 Surprising Reasons You Should Write Every Day if You Want to Succeed

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Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald made writing look like a playboy’s game. Given to hard drinking and high living, they were famously careless and spendthrift. Fitzgerald squandered his fortune on the French Riviera, and Hemingway burned through the royalties from his Nobel-prize winning books paying for African safaris and fishing trips. By the end of his life, Hemingway had even acquired a large number of cats.

In many ways their fame has given their work a bad name. Their lives suggest that great writers and geniuses are spontaneous, impulsive and erratic—traits nearly the opposite of those sought in business leaders. Competent executives must be able to strategize and prioritize, understand markets and opportunities, adhere to budgets and acknowledge constraints.

First-class leaders are also known for their charisma, their ability to make solid decisions with incomplete information, and for their capacity to think on their feet. But developing a daily writing habit will sharpen your thinking and enhance your public speaking skills. It’ll make you more persuasive and more self-confident. You’ll find it easier to win arguments, motivate others, and drive results.

It’s a simple process: set aside 20 minutes every day for putting your thoughts into words. In time, you will watch yourself soar towards success in business as well as in life.

Here’s how writing each day can boost your leadership ability:

1. Writing builds your vocabulary

Writing helps build your vocabulary, making you more articulate in person as well as on paper.

Every time you write, you’ll be stretching yourself mentally as you reach for the right words. You might turn to Google or an old-fashioned thesaurus, or you might dig through your memories of reading and speaking, but each time you practice, you’ll be increasing the number and complexity of the words you know. You’ll also rev up your recall speed.

Not only will this make you a faster writer, but you’ll also become a smoother talker, and smooth talkers are persuasive leaders. Have an innovative insight you’d like to share? Want to take your elevator pitch to the next level? If you can find the best words, you’ll have taken the biggest step in convincing others that your ideas have value.

2. Writing hones your thinking

How often do you think about thinking? This process, called metacognition, helps you understand how your mind works as you form judgments, make decisions or conduct analyses. As you write, you’re practicing this special type of mental movement between impulse and action, between abstract thought patterns and the concrete form of words.

Every sentence has a logic, and so does every paragraph. When you write, you’re taking what inspires and excites you and crystallizing it into a logical format. As you re-read and revise what you’ve written, asking yourself if it’s clear and makes sense, you’ll be strengthening your logic even further.

Logic is your most powerful weapon in any argument, and your strongest ally in the battle to get your ideas heard.

“Writing is an exploration. You start from nothing and learn as you go.” – E. L. Doctorow

3. Writing boosts creativity

People often assume that highly creative people are born that way, and that their great ideas grow organically within them like apples on a tree. Nothing could be further from the truth. Edison couldn’t have perfected the incandescent light bulb if he hadn’t spent years tinkering in a lab, and Bell wouldn’t have patented the telephone if he hadn’t first experimented extensively with the telegraph.

Great ideas don’t come from nowhere, they’re the fruits of habit, the gems that come at the end of a solid idea-development process. Writing is quite simply the finest idea-development process known to humankind. Revision and review allow the very best of your ideas to shine through.

4. Writing increases your self-confidence and charisma

When you know what you’re talking about, other people can sense it. True self-confidence radiates from within, and it’s infectious. Leaders who believe in their own abilities and knowledge are the ones everyone will want to follow. And nothing develops that knowledge and self-confidence as well as practice. Rehearse your thinking by writing it down, and you’ll naturally become more sure of yourself.  

“Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.” – Benjamin Franklin

5. Writing is a way to practice mindfulness

Today’s leaders are aware of the advantages to cultivating mindfulness on a daily basis—from decreasing stress to increasing listening skills and interpersonal effectiveness. We know that building these skills will help us grow. However, it remains difficult for many of us to fit daily meditation into our busy schedules.

Daily writing offers similar benefits. It allows you to slow down and take stock of your thoughts and feelings, to gain clarity about your impulses. It provides a comprehensive catalog of your state of mind—one that you can draw upon to orient yourself as well as to convince others.

Building a writing habit offers you one other big advantage: in time, you’ll end up with a big pile of words.

Words that you can turn into blog posts or articles, words that you can package and sell as a book. Releasing these words out into the world can transform you into a thought leader, or perhaps even a celebrated (and well-paid) author. Your words might even make you as famous as Dale Carnegie or dare I mention Fitzgerald and Hemingway.

Have you tried expressing yourself in writing? If so, is it simple or challenging for you? Let us know in the comments below!

Image courtesy of Twenty20.com

Dawn Blizard, PhD, was trained as an English professor and seasoned as a technical editor before becoming a freelance copywriter and content creator. She helps research-driven B2B companies educate their target audiences in the digital space with standout white papers, blog and feature articles, website copy and more. As a ghostwriter, she’s passionate about helping her clients transform themselves into thought leaders and known experts.

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Success Advice

Why One-Size-Fits-All Leadership Will Always Fail (and What Works Instead)

The surprising truth about leadership styles that can make or break your team’s success.

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Why one-size-fits-all leadership doesn’t work
Image Credit: Midjourney

Leadership has always been as much about people as it is about performance. Ken Blanchard, in his influential book, “The One Minute Manager”, put it simply: different strokes for different folks. (more…)

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Success Advice

What Every New CEO Must Do in Their First 100 Days (or Risk Failure)

Your first 100 days as CEO could define your entire legacy, here’s how to make every move count

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leadership tips for new CEO
Image Credit: Midjourney

When Tim Cook took over from Steve Jobs at Apple, the world watched with bated breath. Jobs wasn’t just a CEO; he was a visionary, an icon, and a legend of innovative leadership. (more…)

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Entrepreneurs

The Leadership Shift Every Company Needs in 2025

Struggling to keep your team engaged? Here’s how leaders can turn frustrated employees into loyal advocates.

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Bridging the gap between employees and employers
Image Credit: Midjourney

In workplaces around the world, there’s a growing gap between employers and employees and between superiors and their teams. It’s a common refrain: “People don’t leave companies, they leave bad bosses.”

While there are, of course, cases where management could do better, this isn’t just a “bad boss” problem. The relationship between leaders and employees is complex. Instead of assigning blame, we should explore practical solutions to build stronger, healthier workplaces where everyone thrives.

Why This Gap Exists

Every workplace needs someone to guide, supervise, and provide feedback. That’s essential for productivity and performance. But because there are usually far more employees than managers, dissatisfaction, fair or not, spreads quickly.

What if, instead of focusing on blame, we focused on building trust, empathy, and communication? This is where modern leadership and human-centered management can make a difference.

Tools and Techniques to Bridge the Gap

Here are proven strategies leaders and employees can use to foster stronger relationships and create a workplace where people actually want to stay.

1. Practice Mutual Empathy

Both managers and employees need to recognize they are ultimately on the same team. Leaders have to balance people and performance, and often face intense pressure to hit targets. Employees who understand this reality are more likely to cooperate and problem-solve collaboratively.

2. Maintain Professional Boundaries

Superiors should separate personal issues from professional decision-making. Consistency, fairness, and integrity build trust, and trust is the foundation of a motivated team.

3. Follow the Golden Rule

Treat people how you would like to be treated. This simple principle encourages compassion and respect, two qualities every effective leader must demonstrate.

4. Avoid Micromanagement

Micromanaging stifles creativity and damages morale. Great leaders see themselves as partners, not just bosses, and treat their teams as collaborators working toward a shared goal.

5. Empower Employees to Grow

Empowerment means giving employees responsibility that matches their capacity, and then trusting them to deliver. Encourage them to take calculated risks, learn from mistakes, and problem-solve independently. If something goes wrong, turn it into a learning opportunity, not a reprimand.

6. Communicate in All Directions

Communication shouldn’t just be top-down. Invite feedback, create open channels for suggestions, and genuinely listen to what your people have to say. Healthy upward communication closes gaps before they become conflicts.

7. Overcome Insecurities

Many leaders secretly fear being outshone by younger, more tech-savvy employees. Instead of resisting, embrace the chance to learn from them. Humility earns respect and helps the team innovate faster.

8. Invest in Coaching and Mentorship

True leaders grow other leaders. Provide mentorship, career guidance, and stretch opportunities so employees can develop new skills. Leadership is learned through experience, but guided experience is even more powerful.

9. Eliminate Favoritism

Avoid cliques and office politics. Decisions should be based on facts and fairness, not gossip. Objective, transparent decision-making builds credibility.

10. Recognize Efforts Promptly

Recognition often matters more than rewards. Publicly appreciate employees’ contributions and do so consistently and fairly. A timely “thank you” can be more motivating than a quarterly bonus.

11. Conduct Thoughtful Exit Interviews

When employees leave, treat it as an opportunity to learn. Keep interviews confidential and use the insights to improve management practices and culture.

12. Provide Leadership Development

Train managers to lead, not just supervise. Leadership development programs help shift mindsets from “command and control” to “coach and empower.” This transformation has a direct impact on morale and retention.

13. Adopt Soft Leadership Principles

Today’s workforce, largely millennials and Gen Z, value collaboration over hierarchy. Soft leadership focuses on partnership, mutual respect, and shared purpose, rather than rigid top-down control.

The Bigger Picture: HR’s Role

Mercer’s global research highlights five key priorities for organizations:

  • Build diverse talent pipelines

  • Embrace flexible work models

  • Design compelling career paths

  • Simplify HR processes

  • Redefine the value HR brings

The challenge? Employers and employees often view these priorities differently. Bridging that perception gap is just as important as bridging the relational gap between leaders and staff.

Treat Employees Like Associates, Not Just Staff

When you treat employees like partners, they bring their best selves to work. HR leaders must develop strategies to keep talent engaged, empowered, and prepared for the future.

Organizational success starts with people, always. Build the relationship with your team first, and the results will follow.

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Entrepreneurs

What Makes an Entrepreneurial Leader? Traits of the World’s Best Innovators

Inside the mindset of entrepreneurial leaders who transform risk, passion, and vision into world-changing results.

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entrepreneurial leadership skills and traits
Image Credit: Midjourney

When you think of Richard Branson (Virgin Group), Bill Gates (Microsoft), Steve Jobs (Apple), Rupert Murdoch (News Corporation), and Ted Turner (CNN), one thing becomes clear: they are not just entrepreneurs, they are entrepreneurial leaders. (more…)

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