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~ J Clay Norton, Ed.D.

The Book Chamber

Monthly Archives: February 2021

The Two Sides of Leadership Debt…

26 Friday Feb 2021

Posted by The Book Chamber in Advantage, Agenda, Authentic, Conversations, Expectations, Future, Leader, Leadership, Transactional, Transformational

≈ 1 Comment

On the way home from school in the afternoons, I listen to talk radio. It can vary from local to national news, sports, and even money. The other day I was scanning the channels and stopped on The Dave Ramsey Show. In his intro, after a break, many times, he will say, “Welcome to the Dave Ramsey Show where debt is dumb, and cash is king.” And as usual, that got me to thinking.

Debt… to owe someone else. Most of the time, we think about debt as being related to money. However, many times I see leaders who have what I call “leadership debt.” Yes, I believe “leadership debt” is a thing, it is happening to many, and there is also another side to it.

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As you look and listen, we often see transactional leadership taking place – “do this for me, and I’ll do this for you.” I believe that leadership should be a healthy mix of transformational and transactional leadership, with a higher percentage leaning toward transformational. However, when transactional leadership takes place, usually we end up owing.

It goes something like this…
“Hey, I need a favor.
     Ok, what can I do for you?
Well, I need such and such, and if you can come through for me, I will return the favor.
     When?
Well, I’m not in a position to do it now, but when I am… I will take care of you.”

It seems to me only one person in the conversation got what they wanted. The other person just sits and waits. So, who owes the debt? I guess you would probably say the person who received the favor. But… what about the person who made good on their end? What did they get? If we think about it in terms of money, they “paid” for something and did not get anything in return but a future promise, and we know how promises are kept… Ultimately, there seems to be only one winner, but do they really win? I see both parties in some form of debt isolation.

The hard part of all of this is many leaders can help others. That is one of the main characteristics of leadership – helping. Do they sometimes need favors? Sure. I do think, however, that they do not need to go around owing others on future promises, while at the same time, the ones who are “paying” need to make sure the return of their investment is healthy, but the return needs to be almost immediate. And when that leader does get to where they can repay… leadership amnesia sets in all the sudden.

I guess what I am trying to say is this… If someone asks you for a “favor,” do it because you want to, not expecting anything in return. Quit giving of yourself to make others look good for their own agenda, and they will start seeking out other weak-minded people. Be true to yourself. When you are, you will be seen as true to others. While at the same time, if you are the one always asking for favors, quit “getting” others to help you get what you want. Do it on your own merit. Yes, it might take more time, and it might cramp your style that you cannot do something you want now, but you will be seen as a much better person.

Yes, Dave Ramsey is right… debt is dumb, but it is even dumber to pay for something and receive nothing in return. As James states, “Let your ‘yes’ be yes, and your ‘no’ be no” (ESV, 2001, James 5:12).

Go be a great educator and leader today… Our future needs it…

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2021 J Clay Norton

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Valentine’s Musings…

11 Thursday Feb 2021

Posted by The Book Chamber in Actions, Family, Heart, Listening, Love, Relationships

≈ Leave a comment

Valentine’s…

The day we are told to celebrate our love for others…

Chocolates, flowers, and cards… Priced much higher than usual, just to show how much more we love for only one day? It is amazing to me how the price suddenly drops on February 15.

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Those chocolates taste the same, you know, and they are 75% off. You can truly get an assortment of assorted flavors. Also, you don’t feel bad about not liking a particular type and spitting it out. Paying full price makes you eat the ones you don’t care for.

And the flowers… aka ROSES. Yes, the ones that will die, even if you do use the plant food packet that comes with it… don’t we know they are dead already when they are cut? I tell Heather, “I’ll buy you a rose bush… that way we can plant it, and you can have roses anytime you want, all year long. You pick out the spot, and I’ll dig the hole.” Now that’s what I call love.

And the cards… You know the ones that bring the response, “Oh, that was so sweet of you.” The funny thing about cards… Someone else is really doing the talking for $7.95, and three days later… the garbage can. And if it is not a Hallmark, well… you just didn’t “…care enough to send the very best.”

I know… but you are saying, “It’s the thought that counts.”

Yes, the thought… Where is that same thought for the other 364 days of the year?

The thought… Why don’t we ever say, “It’s the action that counts.” Is love not suppose to be a verb, the action of doing? I can think a lot of stuff, but if action is never there, then what good is the thought. It just falls on deaf ears, mine and yours alone.

So, what does love look like in action? I cannot answer that for you, nor can you answer that for me. What works for you might not work for me and vice versa. But I do have some ideas…

Love…
Makes the bed, picks up in the house, does the laundry, feeds the dogs, bathes the dogs, sacrifices their time for others, watches an action-killing movie instead of a chick-flick (or the other way around), goes to the grocery store, takes walks, rides bikes, drives the vehicle because you don’t like to drive, plans meals to make sure we eat healthy, empties the dishwasher, holds your hand, brags on you, provides a Godly example to our daughter, prays for the family… Love will even read your blog on Thursday nights to make sure it is all in order.

Love can also listen, laugh, and even cry. But more important than all of the above…

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends…” (I Corinthians 13:4-8b, ESV).

Happy Valentine’s Day

Go be a great educator and leader today… Our future needs it…

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2021 J Clay Norton

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Time to Detox Your Mind…

05 Friday Feb 2021

Posted by The Book Chamber in Actions, Choice, coronavirus, COVID-19, Crisis, Detox, Future, Kindness, Leader, Leadership, Memories, Purpose, Thankful, Useful

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The other night, Heather asked me to order her some more “detox” herbal tea. We will detox our bodies to get the “bad” stuff out (and go major hungry at the same time) and cleanse for so many days. Why? So we can believe the labels that we will feel better and be healthier. After I placed the order, I started thinking about the detox idea and our bodies (I didn’t think long), which lead me to think about detox and our minds.

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But what about our minds? Do we ever detox them? Do you know what all we have stored up there? Yes, much of it is needed as a reservoir to glean from for the future. There are also many happy memory moments. But do you also know what we hang on to? (This is where I tell you, I am really good at this part. Not something I should probably be airing out anyway).

Nonetheless, it happens for all of us. More damaging than that is putting all the negatives that are happening in society in our minds. Now I believe we have to be well-versed on current topics to know what is happening, but if the negatives are all we dwell on, what chance do we have to emit positive leadership?

Think about this for just a moment… We are almost a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, our country is divided, some voices are shouted while others are muzzled, businesses are closed, school is Zoomed, events with little or no spectators, etc… Normal as we know it is not happening for the foreseeable future. TALK ABOUT NEGATIVE!

I guess I am just rambling… that’s what blogs are for anyway, right? Somehow, we have to detox and reset our thinking. If not for ourselves, then especially for others.

So, I figure here are a few things we can do to detox our minds… and yes, it will take a few days…

Hang out with “real” people.
Stay current on what’s happening in the world, but don’t read the threads…
Find something positive to read. By the way, if you are going to believe everything you read, start with the Bible. 
Be thankful about something.
As much as it causes distress when your favorite sports team does not win, it is not the end of the world.
Just be kind (see last week’s blog for this).

Nothing you have read today is a new or original thought. That’s the funny thing about writing a blog on leadership. Almost everything has already been said over time. The only “newness” comes from a different perspective or a twist on how something is presented. However, the problem lies in the fact that there is still “not good” leadership from many. Leadership conventions and seminars are still selling tickets. Books, papers, blogs are still being written. Surveys are still being conducted, and stats are studied to tell us what good leadership should look like.

So… why don’t we know, or why have we not figured it out yet? Your guess is as good as mine, but I will always believe it hinges on the idea of selfishness and what we put into our minds. We could all use a little detoxing; our minds and, I guess, our bodies too.

Go be a great educator and leader today… Our future needs it…

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2021 J Clay Norton

Want more Leadership Thoughts? Follow me on…

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