I asked Rod Drury (Ceo of Xero Ltd) a question about Ceo bloggers this morning. He was speaking at the Lowndes Associates Business Intelligence Series breakfast session in association with the National Business Review and The Auckland Chamber of Commerce on the topic of  ”Emerging A Winner From The Recession.”

It’s a question that I have asked many executives and Ceo’s over the last 3 years and received varied responses - the usual good, bad and ugly rule applies.

I remarked that he has been a profilic blogger over many years and whether any of the current successes he and his company have had can be specifically ascribed to writing a regular blog about his thoughts about his industry , his company and his personal experiences? Rod was an extremely active blogger for over 5 years, 1626 posts, 3 companies, 3 children and 10 kilos (he says) and while he has moved now to an occassional post on Xero’s blog  and in some other mainstream media blogs, he absolutely believes that blogging has made a significant contribution to his personal and business succcess. He went further to say that he probably wouldn’t have been able to raise the capital he did unless he had that rich repository of his “back story” readily available for investors and interested parties to see his track record and credibility.

Another Ceo who blogs is Carey Smith , Ceo of Ray White who has a personal blog about leadership and all things related on his personal site (including promoting his book – Deliver -36 Life Stories on Leadership) , and has created a company blog to discuss meaningful events with loyal followers of Ray White, his staff, suppliers, media and the market in general. The blogging has created opportunities to share his story with all stakeholders in a personal, regular and meaningful way.

More and more Ceo’s, business owners and executives are now taking this out of the”too hard” box and beginning to think how they can use blogging to further their own personal and business goals. Many of our clients for example executives from Results.com , Switch Business and others have begun blogging in the last two years – with dramatic results.

What are the benefits of blogging for CEO’s?

• Blogging creates discipline for developing worthwhile ideas and content that will enrich your audience and add value to readers, who include staff, suppliers, clients, prospects, media and (yes) competitors.
• The idea written up in a post creates the perfect opportunity to have open dialogue about an idea and get  feedback – instantly.
• Especially if you are in the intellectual capital or service related business , it’s the perfect opportunity to merchandise your teams IP and case studies that create value and bring readers benefit. But don’t be fooled – even people who are product manaufacturers or distributors can be successful bloggers.
• Each post becomes a “syndication opportunity” for influential online news sites and blogs that can spread your ideas further afield and attact like minded people into the debate.
• The blog shows your personal and company milestones along the way and helps communicate your intent and “backstory” in a meaningful way.
• Blogging and your style and “voice” can be a source of differentiation from your competitors.
•  Your latest blog post can be shared by your “community” – at least the ones that find your latest idea interesting on Twitter, Linkedin.com and elsewhere on the bloggosphere.
• People who understand their business and industry in detail have a dramatic advantage when it comes to blogging- and when you can translate this into words in a blog- then its adds instant credibility if you have been at it for some time and have developed a following.
• The blog and its associated tags and posts are found easily on Google and all the other search engines – all working together to show your vision, intent and actions – all usefull when engaging with existing and potential clients.

So when executives tell me that they are too busy minding their business to do any of that nonsense, I usually tell them that blogging can be a very useful instrument for Ceo’s in business. The Ceo blogger can achieve more depth and engagement with all his or her stakeholders than someone who only practices management by walk-about (which is also a necessity !) Of course the Ceo who engages their team in the process and gets the team involved in posting has that one further advantage- multiplying the ideas and thoughts that attract other like minded people.

So I say to would be bloggers who are Ceo’s – carry on minding your business – and start a blog. Start small. Be authentic. be purposeful.

Yes, make a calendar entry for the first one, by the end of the quarter. (Lets be realistic now) Start a plan for what you would like to write about and give it a go.

Independent contractors a vulnerable group says Ross Crotty, Special counsel, Employment Law at Lowndes Associates in a recent article in www.nzherald.co.nz . Particularly in current economic circumstances, they can be persuaded to enter in to so-called contracts for services as opposed to employment agreements, so desperate are they for the work…more

Ross has also been quoted in LawFuel about how the Court of Appeal Refuses to Cap Compensation for Humiliation, Loss of Dignity Etc. in Employment Law … more

Waikato-based businesspeople received crucial guidance on optimal current business practice from two senior corporate and commercial lawyers at a March 4 seminar in Hamilton.

Mark Lowndes and Mike Whale of the Auckland and Wellington law firm Lowndes Associates gave attendees, including chartered accountants, advisers and business owners, timely advice regarding recent changes to insolvency law, and directions for ‘bullet-proofing’ their own companies and those of clients during the recession.

Mr Lowndes is the managing partner and founder of the firm, while Mr Whale is a consultant to Lowndes Associates and co-editor, with Justice Paul Heath, of Heath & Whale on Insolvency, published in late 2008.

The pair examined positive steps available to businesses to improve their ability to weather the current financial turbulence. They took a fresh look, from a commercial law perspective, at the ways businesspeople can manage both risk and key business relationships.

The seminar also presented the various options for dealing with insolvency and restructuring issues for the business, its debtors and other stakeholders – with an emphasis on practical, cost-effective and early actions.

Mr Lowndes and Mr Whale addressed people at a time when the prospects for many businesses are grim: Insolvency and Trustee Service figures at late 2008 showed that personal insolvencies in New Zealand were up by one third on the same time a year earlier. The number of corporate liquidations and receiverships is also gaining momentum.

Mr Whale, one of the leading authorities in the area of corporate and personal insolvency, provided authoritative guidance on the new voluntary administration procedure. Adapted from Australia, voluntary administration as a new rescue regime provides an alternative, broader option for businesses which need to consider rescue or better outcomes than liquidation.

Mr Lowndes said the type of advice given at the seminar would be helpful to all involved in navigating their way through the current economic problems, from lawyers to accountants and general business owners. “In addition to addressing all the options available to business in a financial crisis, we presented a commercial law health check, looking at all aspects of this area of the law, from terms of trade, supplier and employment contracts to intellectual property, directors’ liability and business sale and purchase.”

The details:
Date:    Wednesday 4 March 2009
Time:    4– 6pm
Cost:    $60 (incl GST) includes refreshments
Venue:  Genesis Energy Lounge
              Stadium Waikato, Hamilton
ends
For further information, please contact:

Kate Alexander
Alexander Communications Ltd
+(64) 27 244 6094
kate@alexandercomms.co.nz

About Lowndes Associates
Lowndes Associates is a leading corporate and commercial law firm with a network of trusted associates around the world. It exclusively represents the Multilaw and Legalink international networks in New Zealand.
The firm comprises carefully selected teams of industry-leading specialists. Together they reinforce the firm’s reputation as a law firm with a strong sense of commerce.  Lowndes Associates prides itself on its ability to integrate specialist input from different areas of the law into seamless advice focused on what matters – the commercial outcome. Many of the firm’s lawyers have second degrees in business and management, and have qualifications and major international firm experience, including in Asia, Europe, the United States, the UK and Australia.
In the 2007 to 2009 editions of the Asia Pacific Legal 500 Guide to Asia’s Commercial Law Firms directory, Lowndes Associates has received listings as a leading commercial law firm in the following categories:
• Corporate/M&A
• Dispute Resolution
• Intellectual Property
• Restructuring and Insolvency
• Technology Media & Telecommunications
In the most recent editions of the IFLR1000 guide to the world’s leading financial law firms and the Chambers directory of top lawyers, the firm is highly ranked in the insolvency and restructuring areas.

Lowndes Associates acts for a number of Waikato clients in the commercial, research and IP areas.