Confab with Kim Charlie, the new president of Cebu Bloggers Society

Hello, readers! It is always exciting to meet inspiring people and listen to their intimate thoughts, however briefly, from which we can draw life lessons. Our first discourse published last week featured Noelle and Sofia and their positive thoughts on self-care. This week, our conversation on A Woman of Letters (#AWOLconfab) puts another lovely person under the spotlight. Meet Kim Charlie Cruz, the new president of the Cebu Bloggers Society (CBS), a remarkable and deserving ascent from being the group’s treasurer in the past term. He blogs at iamkimcharlie.com, focusing on events, style, food, and travel, and satiates his stronghold of more than 10,000 followers with a beautiful repository of photos on Instagram—all these while working on a full-time job and maintaining his position as a multimedia talent at baisocial. In this second discourse, I got the opportunity to get to know him a little better after asking him about his leadership style and plans for CBS. Here’s what he said.

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Nancy: Describe the leadership style you plan to demonstrate in Cebu Bloggers Society?

Kim Charlie: Most likely it will be a combination of democratic and affiliative kinds of leadership. My role as a president and my profession as a project manager is very much the same. Democratic in a sense that I want to hear our members’ ideas and opinions for us to sustain and to be more effective in the organization. It's more like the members come first. CBS will not be where we are now if not because of our creative and loyal members. They are the backbone of this organization and I'm very grateful that up to now they are still with CBS.

N: Share the time when you were a member of a successful team. What was your role in the success of that group?

Kim Charlie: CBS organizes a lot of internal as well as external activities, such CBS Talks, Food Crawls, membership orientations, etc. But I think the most successful and memorable for me was during our Bloggers Social Responsibility (BSR) initiative in August 2019 when we aimed to promote empowerment and resiliency through the smiles on the faces of 50 angels of Children's Shelter of Cebu. At the time, I was the VP-Finance and I was tasked to purchase everything we need—from food, supplies, and transportation for our BSR. Actually, it was all a group effort, from planning, transporting goods up to the actual event—we did all that. The feeling to help the community is very rewarding and I got to share this with people who are passionate to help.

N: What lessons and aspects in lifestyle blogging can be applied in your efforts to lead the organization?

Kim Charlie: I've been blogging for 9 years now and I learned that:

•  Never underestimate yourself. Believe in your own craft and be passionate to do it. Just create and use your influence to inspire others.
• Don't be afraid to try new things. Step outside of your comfort zone and explore other things that can help you grow.
• There's no perfect timing; you'll know when the time is right. I believe that if you manifest what you want and focus on it, the universe will provide it to you.

Leading with passion and influence in this type of organization is one thing that I'm prepared to do. It’s a responsibility that I should take into action and put my heart into to continue the legacy of CBS.

N: How do you plan to measure your success as a leader?

Kim Charlie: We in the CBS Executive Committee have set plans to achieve our goals. This year, it’s important to develop strategies and give importance to our current and future members.

Leading an organization as big as CBS is not a one-man show. I always respect and put into consideration the advice from my executive officers and members of the board.

The satisfaction we get from our members, the number of new bloggers who want to be part of this society, collaborations, and engagements are some of the measurements that I can see as a leader.

N: What is the future you envision for Cebu Bloggers Society, especially during your term?

Kim Charlie: When you say CBS, automatically we are known as the premier blogging organization in the Visayas. Cebu Bloggers Society is the home of leading influential bloggers not only in Cebu but in the whole region.

I envisioned that CBS will not only be just for bloggers, but also for vloggers and aspiring social media influencers, that CBS can help hone their skills to elevate their influence and become top in their chosen niche.

(Note: Kim Charlie provided his profile photos for this post.)