Nina Simosko isn't ready for the full panoply of social media offerings. "I recently joined Twitter and I'm enjoying learning more about the various tools available to interact across the internet," she says. "To me, these technologies have tremendous potentialâ€"but I must admit, I'm not an early adopter. Usually, I slowly begin to adopt them as I see the benefits."Blogging is Nina's game, and she blogs with the specific goal of providing "aspiring leaders with a forum to investigate ideas, innovations and approaches to leadership." She's been doing just that for about a year now at Nina Nets It Out, as readers at our sister site MyVenturePad will attest. Â
"I focus on leadership, because I have hadâ€"as so many people I know have hadâ€"poor leaders who simply did not inspire those they worked with or managed. I want to help others be better leaders so that the working world can be a better place," she says.
Her full-time position at SAP has given her the opportunity "to bring real-world examples and personal experiences to my writing." (At the same time: "I certainly avoid anything that might be specific to my employer so as not to create any conflicts of interest.")
"I try to offer insights that can be beneficial to others working their own way up the corporate ladder. I focus on offering very practical, yet different kernels of information that I have found to be valuable to me during my own career in the hopes that they can help others."
Nina's posts typically generate lots of readership at MyVenturePad and are often wide-ranging. Her latest, "Smart Growth for Leaders," piggy-backs on Umair Haque's Smart Growth Manifesto. Nina applies Haque's "four pillars" for action to the business of leadership and the challenges and opportunities that these present.
Blogging styles vary. Some bloggers punch out mini posts several times a week, or even a day, as topics strike their fancy. Nina's posts fall into the "essay" category: carefully crafted pieces about once a week, her busy SAP schedule permitting.
"Typically, I take anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes to write an post," she says. "Sometimes the writing just flows and sometimes it requires a bit more time. It just depends on my mood.
"Of course, I love it most when I can start a new post and just bang out my thoughts. I don't do much editing, so I try really hard to make sure the writing is coherent, or at least as coherent as possible, the first time around."
Resident in the Bay Area, Nina is a self-described "exercise freak" who usually works out "5-7 times per week," a regime that no doubt helps her sustain a busy travel schedule. Â
Next up for Nina? Nothing formal to report, but she's been giving thought to  turning her posts into a book. Meanwhile, you can listen to Nina talk about the elusive art of leading in this podcast at MyVenturePad.
