Monthly Archives: December 2017

In The Fullness Of Time…

22 Friday Dec 2017

Posted by in Christmas, Heroes, Humility, Inspiration, Integrity, Leader, Leadership, Power, Purpose, Sacrifice, Servant, Unity

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I hope each of you have a Merry Christmas.  Enjoy the time you have for yourself and your family.  Above all else, remember the gift of God, that came in the fullness of time.

“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son…” – Galatians 4:4 ESV

 

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 In the fullness of time… God, in His rich mercy and love,

reached down to do the one thing we could not do.

It was at this time, planned before time,

that God chose for Jesus to come and humble Himself

to save mankind.

To leave the throne of Heaven,

the glory of His righteousness.

To come to this world, created by Him,

to save us from our frailty.

The Incarnate who can relate, know our hearts;

to save us from our world of death and offer us eternity.

Lowly shepherds heard this Good News.

Their hearts were stirred to belief,

that they went and bowed at The New Born’s feet.

This same news, we hear too.

Angels we have heard on high;

the sound of their voices still cry…

Peace on earth and goodwill to man…

A Redeemer we needed, and still do.

God, in His Majesty, provided a Savior, born for you!

In the fullness of time… Christ was born.

Merry Christmas!

 

Remember… THINK LEADERSHIP!

©2017 J Clay Norton

Follow me on Twitter at TheBookChamber

Subscribe via email to my blog at the top of the page.

 

 

 

Leadership “Wrapped Up”

15 Friday Dec 2017

Posted by in Actions, Authentic, Leader, Leadership, Servant

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It is what is in the box that matters…

christmas-Gift

Now, let’s consider the wrapping of your presents and equate it with leadership. With Christmas time upon us, many are wrapping packages and a lot of time and thought goes into it.

As I have considered this topic for writing, I thought about the breakdown of wrapping a present. It is funny to consider the unintentional intentional aspects of wrapping a present.

Let’s work backwards…

The Name Tag
Obviously, this is who receives the present. But notice how it is intentional. It is to someone specific. We know who the present is for, we just want to make sure everyone else does. Who is your leadership for?

The Bow or Ribbon
Have you ever thought about the nicer the present, the more beautiful the bow? We can put a store-bought bow on anything. It is generic. But when we start making our bows, we send a message about the value of the present and possibly the value of the person. Do we change our leadership depending on who it is for. Is it generic or intentional?

The Wrapping Paper
Same thought process as the bow or ribbon. We sometimes choose the wrapping paper depending on the present or the person.  Sometimes we wrap our presents all in the same paper.

The Box
Now, this is not hard to consider. We find a box the present fits in and go from there. However, there are sometimes we will use a box to try to deceive the present (now we are getting somewhere). It conceals what is inside.

The Present
The present is your leadership. It is what is inside the box that matters. Regardless of the box, paper, the bow or ribbon, or even the name tag, what is inside the box counts.

Everything on the outside does little to represent what is on the inside. With leadership, everyone gets “wrapped up” with what we show, and seldom for what it is inside. It is easy to get fixated on how our “leadership” should look. Many leaders do things to deceive or conceal what their leadership is. It is short-term, and eventually, the outside will tear up and be thrown away. The box will reveal what is inside.

Trying to “wrap up” your leadership to look like something it is not is awful. It is nothing more than a facade. It is just plain fake. It is easy to spot quality leadership, all you have to do is see the treatment of others. Does your leadership follow one path or does it change depending upon the circumstances?

Good leadership is not trying to be something you are not. We give our leadership away every day. It is a gift of ourselves to others. Just do not let it be “wrapped up” as something that it is not.

If your leadership is bad, it will go in the garbage just like that boxed fruitcake no one likes. There is no way to “wrap up” a fruitcake to make it any better than it is.

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Remember… THINK LEADERSHIP!

©2017 J Clay Norton

Follow me on Twitter at TheBookChamber

Subscribe via email to my blog at the top of the page.

The Golden Rule – It would be great if…

08 Friday Dec 2017

Posted by in Uncategorized

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“We have committed the golden rule to memory; let us now commit it to life.” – Edwin Markham

golden

First, watch this video on the “Golden Rule.”

Second, this is not an endorsement for Marriott.  I just really liked the message of the video and thought about the connection it has with leadership.

Now, the video begs the statement, “It would be great if….”  Well, it would be great. Simple but direct thoughts as to why we should and how we can use the Golden Rule. There are numerous great one-line statements in the video.  The statement that stands out the most to me is, “It would be spectacular if the golden rule was golden to every man.” So easy to say, so hard to do.

The video made me consider how would someone practice and live the Golden Rule.  I convinced myself the reason more people do not, is because they, themselves get in their own way.

How can we be better stewards of the Golden Rule? Here are three ideas that we can think over…

You need to know who you are.
The real you is inside, and it will eventually come out. Great leaders know who they are. They know their strengths and weaknesses. It is hard to live the Golden Rule, as a hypocrite. The Bible is very clear on this, “You will recognize them by their fruits.” (Matthew 7:16, English Standard Version). The difference is leaders who think they are great need someone constantly affirming their “greatness.”

Do right by people.
Doing right by people does not mean “give them their way.” When we “do right by people,” we put ourselves in their shoes and consider them first. I believe this embodies the Golden Rule more than anything else. That notion of “treat others the way you would want to be treated” does not go both ways. We want “right treatment,” but do not always give “right treatment.”

Have humility.
Humility does not come naturally for some. Some of us even find it the hard way, if you know what I mean. It is hard to help others and do right by them if we are always looking out for “me.” Humility is part of being a servant leader; it is not stepping on them to help yourself.  Do something for someone without always looking for something in return.

The Golden Rule puts others first, and it shows sacrifice on our part. It is what we want for ourselves, so why not give it to others? “It would be great if…” we truly tried the Golden Rule. A lot of the statements in the video could be turned into reality.

Let’s look for ways we can use the Golden Rule in our leadership.  Be intentional and watch how others will appreciate your service to and for them.

Remember… THINK LEADERSHIP!

©2017 J Clay Norton

Follow me on Twitter at TheBookChamber

Subscribe via email to my blog at the top of the page.

Clear the Static of Communication

01 Friday Dec 2017

Posted by in Clarity, Communication, Leader, Leadership, Understanding

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“Every time you have to speak, you are auditioning for leadership.” – James Humes

Have we ever considered the way we communicate reflects our leadership style? The more that I am around people, the more I am trying to be observant. For anyone to do this, they must shut up and listen. We can learn a lot from doing just that.

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I have three general ideas about our communication. We should strive for our leadership to equate with what we say our leadership is. To do this, we need to be conscious and intentional about how we communicate. There are three parties involved in communication: you, the other person, and bystanders. Each one of these is essential for understanding the other, and each one causes static within the conversation.

1. You
The best advice I have received on communicating was, “It’s not what you say, it is how you say it.” It has taken me a lot of years and conversations to figure this out. Good leaders are usually good communicators. If not by the way we speak, but also by our actions that speak. It is easy to spot a leader who talks out of both sides of their mouth or whose speech does not match up with their actions. Even when we have to convey bad news, there is a way to say it. Communicate with a servant heart. It benefit everyone listening.

2. The other person
Now, this is where it is hard. We have no way to control how the other person is going to perceive and receive what we say. Often, others will already have their mind made up. When this happens, it puts the speaker (you) in a no-win situation. Whatever the case may be, we must make sure that what we are saying is where we need to be with what we are conveying.

3. Bystanders
Know this; someone is always listening, intentionally or unintentionally. We are breathing social media access 24/7. It does not take what we said long to get “out there.” Regardless what the conversation was about; bystanders will interpret what they want. What we must do is to make sure our actions match our words and intentions. We cannot allow others to take our communication for what it is not (even though many will do just that).

Of the three, we can only control one. We have limited if no control of the other two. So, how should we communicate? We have to try our best to make sure what we say is effective and true. Let’s give people a reason to walk away and say something positive.  Most of all, we must do what is necessary to clear the static.

Remember… THINKLEADERSHIP

©2017 J Clay Norton

Follow me on Twitter at TheBookChamber

Subscribe via email to my blog at the top of the page.