Monthly Archives: February 2023

Guard Your Attention…

24 Friday Feb 2023

Posted by in Actions, Attention, Choice, Deciding, Decisions, Importance, Intentional, Leader, Leadership

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Scrolling through my Twitter feed the other day, I noticed a post regarding “guard your attention.” The post stated that television screens are beginning to appear in elevators showing the latest news worldwide. It went on to say that it was mostly bad news being offered and that if we don’t guard our attention, we can become consumed by the negativity surrounding everything of such nature.

As I thought about that and what all went along with it, I wondered how much of what I do “gets” my attention. Like all those bad snacks I enjoy, especially late at night, what I put into my stomach is as unhealthy as what I put into my mind and, ultimately, my heart. When my mind and heart get distracted, it can threaten everything and everyone around me. The world and society are ready to tear us down.

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For me, guarding my attention is not giving in to wanting to shift focus. How do you do that? Well, it continues to be a work in progress. That’s why we guard. The first line of defense is just a matter of saying NO, not going there.

Our attention is a limited resource, per se, especially in leadership. We only have so much we can pay attention to. But we continue to give it away to trivial matters that bear no fruit for our lives. Often I think about guarding our attention like managing money. When I allocate my attention, what kind of return do I get? Is it something that will profit me or something that could cause financial hardships or ruin? I like having money in my pocket, so I must make certain my attention is on what can strengthen my account.

Do we even realize how much is out there; the voices, the visuals, the… it can wear you out, and it does. It’s like silly putty and the stretch man toy; pulled in all directions and gets bent out of shape. If we do not guard our attention, it will be a hostile takeover of our minds. Let’s do what we need to set the boundary and draw the line in the sand that guards our attention and tells everyone and everything, “You shall not pass” (think Gandalf in LOTR).

Let’s go fight the good fight of leadership. Someone has to…

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

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2023 J Clay Norton

Want more Leadership Thoughts? Follow me on… Twitter @thebookchamber or follow the blog directly.

Marginal Teachers… Not A Label You Want As An Educator!

17 Friday Feb 2023

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What makes a marginal teacher? This question is loaded with beliefs and answers… I recently read that a marginal teacher is incompetent and lacks enthusiasm. Harsh descriptors of a person who has a degree to teach… ?

I also read this statement the other day, “These teachers can also have a lack of motivation and accountability for their actions.” My question is why are they labeled as such? Is this because they are disheartened, or have they become content? Both have lasting ramifications for students in their classroom and the school. 

For me, a marginal teacher knows what to do but lacks in getting it done. They just might be on the cusp of being a good teacher. However, they are just shy of doing a few things needed. What are these? It could be and probably is different for each, but there is something. However, not knowing what to do versus choosing not to do quickly separates a marginal teacher from others. One can be taught, the other… well?  

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I guess we can get caught up with definitions of a marginal teacher. Now, much of that depends upon how much the marginal teacher wants to grow. That will tell the difference between them actually losing the label or not. 

The marginal teacher may be more reluctant to try and improve. This is where they take on the characteristic of being content: and in terms of Rain Man (watch the movie), average sucks. Average, content, marginal… they all begin to spell the same for education. 

Just like growing students, we must grow teachers. The best way to get rid of a marginal teacher is to develop them into a good teacher. It takes time and effort. It takes mentoring, conversations, building a trusting relationship, etc. But time is of the essence. Just like a wound, marginal teachers will fester, become contagious, and we all know band-aids will not fix the problem. 

This seems to be a trend in education. Teachers who are in the classroom, binding their time, and working for the weekend. Teacher shortage is a real thing. A question I always ponder is, is a warm body in the classroom better than a nobody in the classroom?

Deep down, I believe we can grow a marginal teacher into a good/great teacher. Maybe they just lost their why. Perhaps they didn’t have a why, to begin with. Regardless, those marginal teachers are in our school buildings. Just maybe, they need to be shown why… we are educating the future. 

Let’s go fight the good fight of leadership. Someone has to…

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

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2023 J Clay Norton

Want more Leadership Thoughts? Follow me on… Twitter @thebookchamber or follow the blog directly.

Sage Advice – Don’t get all your exercise by jumping to conclusions…

10 Friday Feb 2023

Posted by in Actions, Advice, Consistency, Deciding, Decisions, Exercise, Importance, Influence, Leader, Leadership, Relationships, Teachers, Useful

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First, to quote the great Paul Harvey, “You learn two things from everyone you meet. Either something that you like or dislike.” Sage advice…

I am always appreciative of the good stuff we see on social media. It is also good to follow like-minded friends. So, the other day I ran across this great post from my friend Joe Odenwald who posted the below picture with thoughts…

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So, the masterful quote by Joe’s grandfather, “Don’t get all your exercise by jumping to conclusions.” When I saw and read that, I responded to Joe that I would put it on my quote list of quotes to remember. I love hearing and learning new stuff; that quote is one of the best lately.

So, about those people who jump to conclusions… they seem to be everywhere. I’ll admit, I’ve done it a time or two myself. Not so much the older I get, but I can remember the times I have; it didn’t work out all so well. Can you remember times you have? But the question remains, why do we?

The effect of doing so is normally unwanted. I see jumping to conclusions as ignorant of the facts and not knowing the situation or the person (we see this constantly with social media and the hiding behind a keyboard).

There are actually psychological studies done on this subject. I guess there is enough material; go figure. In a blog post (and a good read) by Leandra McIntosh and Nick Hobson, People Who Jump to Conclusions Show Reasoning Errors, False Beliefs, Overconfidence and Impaired Learning a study was done by the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. In that study, the researchers found that people who displayed high JTC (Jumping to Conclusions) behavior made significantly more errors, were more likely to endorse conspiracy theories, and demonstrated more knowledge corruption. I’m like, I know a lot of folks that fit these characteristics.

Let’s segue into the leadership world and tie this into education. Leaders/teachers should edge on the side of being sensitive of not jumping to conclusions. The ones who do, turn it into an art that is not a pretty picture. It takes us only a short time to see how really ineffective they are on a daily basis.

The more information out there, the more opportunity we have not to know everything. However, when it comes to making conclusions, more information is better. Without time, effort, a little digging, and, most of all, thinking, all we can do is make assumptions. When we do this, we create a persona that leads people to say, “It sure is scary how they think.”

Even worse, when leaders jump to conclusions, they will seek out others for affirmation who share a similar point of view, or they will find others who are afraid of the ramifications if disagreement is not allowed.

Really good leaders are aware that they are not perfect. We all have blind spots and biases. That’s why it is so important to be open, have independent facts, not always your own, and seek others for helpful information, even if they disagree. But many of you know this, and I’ve said before, if a person has their mind made up, it doesn’t matter what the truth is.

So, I have never thought about an exercise that could actually weaken your muscles. Still, if jumping to conclusions is the only exercise you do, I believe it weakens your mind to the fullest extent and, by default, weakens your creditability.

I’m glad my friend posted something good earlier this week that strengthened my thought process. I’m also glad that he mentioned receiving sage advice. I’m glad I have people who can provide me with the same. I hope you do as well. Now, time to exercise…

Let’s go fight the good fight of leadership. Someone has to…

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

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2023 J Clay Norton

Want more Leadership Thoughts? Follow me on… Twitter @thebookchamber or follow the blog directly.

Leadership That Can “Pass Muster” – It Is More Than An Idiom…

03 Friday Feb 2023

Posted by in Actions, Attitude, Authentic, Education, Educational Leadership, Expectations, Idioms, Importance, Intentions, Leader, Leadership, Observation, Purpose

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This past week I heard the idiom “pass muster” three times. Before then, I could not tell you when I heard it last. But three times in one week got me thinking.

The first hearing of it this week was from Heather’s grandmother. She is 101 years old and now lives in an assistive-living center. We went to visit her this past Sunday, and when I asked her how her lunch was, she said it was good and that she finally had a meal that “passed muster.” I just laughed. The second time was listening to the radio of an interview about company CEOs stating that some employees were not “passing muster” since coming back to the office and not working from home anymore due to Covid. The third was from my friend Dr. Thane Ury in discussing apologetics in his Theology class on Creation, Science and The Problem of Pain, that he lets me jump in via Zoom to listen and glean.

So… a quick recap on the etymology of this idiom… a quick internet search will show: from pass (“to undergo successfully”) + muster (“military assemblage or review”); from 1570s, originally as pass musters. Comes from the military and means “to pass inspection.” If you join the military, you muster in and when you leave, you muster out. A muster also refers to lining up for a formal military inspection, the goal of which is to pass muster. From Old French mostrer “appear, show, reveal,” also in a military sense (10c., Modern French montrer).

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Ok… enough history, you say. Where is this going? Well, education and leadership, of course.

First, “to pass muster” … this has to be defined. What are we meaning? To look good? To act the part? To __________? Or, in the real sense, to formally pass an inspection?

Too often in leadership positions, and I include teachers here, we see the effects of those who just “go through the motions” to pass inspection. Since we all are creatures of habit, we do what comes naturally to us. By looking at the real sense of the idiom, the really good ones are so good at what they do; they actually pass inspection every day. Therefore by default, they really do not need a “formal” inspection, per se. So, when the “formal” inspection comes around, they are just who they are; really good to begin with. Good leaders lead, and good teachers teach.

However (here’s the but), do we rely on others to let us know if and when we “pass muster,” or do we live in constant denial of our true self-inspection of knowing if we do or do not? It’s easy to inspect others, but not so much ourselves. And there lies the problem of leadership… There will be many who pass the “eyeball” test and those who do not. With each case, when it happens, leadership negligence takes place. That’s something I do not want any part of. We must inspect what we expect for the right reasons and eliminate the false pretensions many lead with.

I’m glad I heard the phrase this past week. It made me self-inspect a little deeper. Maybe, this will work for you as well.

Side note… It is not “pass the mustard!”

Let’s go fight the good fight of leadership. Someone has to…

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

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2023 J Clay Norton

Want more Leadership Thoughts? Follow me on… Twitter @thebookchamber or follow the blog directly.

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