Monthly Archives: September 2024

(T)Issues of Leadership… It’s just one letter away! 

27 Friday Sep 2024

Posted by in Choice, Circumstances, Conflict, Consistency, Crisis, Culture, Deciding, Decisions, Disaster, Distractions, Education, Educational Leadership, Emotion, Emotional Temperature, Importance, Influence, Insecurity, Inspiration, Integrity, Intentional, Intentions, Issues, Knowledge, Leader, Leadership, Reality, Transparent, Trust, Understanding, Unity, Useful, Value

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I love analogies. I believe they are a better part of describing situations and are key in leadership thinking and reflection. So, today’s topic…

Let’s start with a simple yet profound observation: the word “issues” is just one letter away from “tissues.” This clever play on words serves as a powerful analogy for how personal issues can influence leadership.

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This simple play on words is a powerful reminder of how personal struggles can influence leadership. No leader has it all together, and those who think they do need to quit believing it; others know the truth. By default, I would venture into saying that many leaders carry some form of unresolved issues, good or bad. These issues might be deep-seeded from past experiences and might even be people in your unwanted circle. Still, when leaders carry unresolved issues, they burden themselves first and then affect the emotional and operational well-being of everyone around them. It’s like having the box of tissues ready handy for emotional spills (these can be good or bad also) – except, in this case, it’s needing those tissues to clean up the mess caused by unchecked issues that a leader has caused.

Leaders with unresolved issues often project their insecurities or frustrations onto others. What’s worse is that they make it seem as if you are the one at fault. I hate it when this happens. It’s like knowing a tornado is coming, and you need to run, take cover, at a right angle from that path. Whether it’s stress, poor communication, or unchecked ego (hello!), these personal challenges create a ripple effect. Everyone around becomes confused (for sure), demoralized (yes, it can happen), or even disengaged (probably so) because of the leader’s inconsistency or emotional volatility.

When leaders bring their personal issues into the working environment, they can inadvertently stifle innovation, breed negativity, and weaken the overall culture. This is where it gets serious…

But the sun is always shining behind the clouds… great leadership is about recognizing those issues and addressing them head-on. No leader is perfect, but the best ones are self-aware. They understand that their personal issues can affect their ability to make clear decisions, offer effective guidance, and create a positive culture.

Instead of burdening the team with their issues, emotionally intelligent leaders create an environment where challenges are tackled together—turning potential “tissue moments” into opportunities for growth and connection. Leadership is not about being flawless but about continually striving for improvement and ensuring personal issues don’t bleed into professional spaces. Sometimes, it is worth hearing to get out of your own way… and let’s leave the tissues for blowing our nose instead…

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

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2024 J Clay Norton

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

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One size fits all? Not in education, especially when force-feeding a student how they should learn…

20 Friday Sep 2024

Posted by in Adaptability, Classroom Leadership, confidence, Consistency, Decisions, Education, Educational Leadership, Effective, Empower, Encouragement, Intentional, Leader, Leadership, Learning, Students, Teachers, Understanding

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Have you ever seen the clothing tag, one size fits all? Well, there are some “all” that it doesn’t fit. I see it a lot in caps with the adjustable back strap. Do they know the size of people’s heads when they sew that tag? Since they are more than likely being mass-produced, I would say no.

Segue to education with me now…

Do we educate with a one-size-fits-all approach? I would argue that we do. But is this truly effective? Your exceptional teachers know how to tailor their teaching to each student, while many others simply follow a standard curriculum which offers a cookie-cutter approach. This approach, however, fails to account for each student’s unique learning styles and needs.

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Every student has their own unique way of absorbing, processing, reflecting, and applying information. Effective educational leadership acknowledges and embraces these differences. My good friend, Dr. Nason Lollar, and I have some really good educational conversations (and we have most of the answers…). Anyway, the other day, we were discussing how “best practices” exist for educators, so I asked rhetorically, “Why don’t we actually use them?” His response, “Exactly!” And the answer we came up with was… The key is creating an environment where students can learn the way they do best, increasing their confidence and potential.

So, I have three thoughts.

Let’s embrace learning styles…

If students have diverse learning styles, why do we not embrace those? Some are visual learners, others auditory, kinesthetic, or a mixed bag of different styles. As educational leaders, we must ensure that the curriculum and the way we teach are flexible enough to cater to these differences and provide a variety of teaching methods that speak to each student’s strengths. I can remember teachers telling me, “You must have this kind of notebook, you must write in a pen, you must have…, etc.” If the end goal is to have students learn and apply that learning, then let’s let them learn the best way they know how.

Why is personalized learning important?

Personalized learning is more than just an educational buzzword. I believe it is more of a philosophy that encourages educators to recognize and respect each student’s individuality. I can hear some teacher out there saying, “That would be so many different lesson plans.” No, it doesn’t have to be that way. The teacher teaches by offering multiple avenues to understanding the material. Some students prefer working independently, while others do their best in collaborative group settings. And by the way, what the world calls collaboration, education calls cheating. Allowing students to choose how they learn and express their knowledge can lead to better engagement and deeper understanding.

Encourages autonomy and responsibility…

When students are allowed to learn in ways that suit them best, they grasp the material more effectively, develop an innate connection to the material, and hopefully take more responsibility for their education. This promotes lifelong learning and self-awareness—skills that go far beyond the classroom, and we really cannot start this concept too early.

By doing so, we empower students to take charge of their learning journey and succeed on their own terms. In education, a one-size-fits-all approach to learning simply doesn’t work. No one enjoys being force-fed.

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

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2024 J Clay Norton

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

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Squeezing Every Drop of Potential: Leadership Lessons from a Tube of Toothpaste

13 Friday Sep 2024

Posted by in Achieve, Classroom Leadership, Education, Educational Leadership, Leader, Leadership, Motivation, Teachers, Uncategorized

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When to throw it away? That is the question. The other night, I was getting ready to brush my teeth, and there it was… lying on the counter… the tube of toothpaste staring at me. Who would win? I know toothpaste is left in there, but could I squeeze it all out? Who would win? The fight began… I smoothed it out with the edge of my toothbrush. I pulled it across the top edge of the counter. I even maxed out rolling it up and got a black binder clip (I remember my dad doing this) to hold. Oh, the fight. That was four days ago, and yes, I’m still squeezing some out, yet the struggle remains…

In leadership, getting the best out of others is akin to getting the last bit of toothpaste out of a tube. This can be applied to any level of an organization or even as an educator trying to get the most they can out of students. At first, it’s easy—just a gentle squeeze and you get a full portion with little or no effort. But as the tube empties and time goes on, extracting the last bit of potential takes more effort and finesse, just like getting that stubborn final bit of toothpaste.

So, the leadership tube of toothpaste connection… (think of how you tackle your own tube of toothpaste…)

Gentle Pressure, Focused Impact

Initially, toothpaste flows easily, much like how people will deliver results with general guidance. However, as with anything, relationships mature, and quality leadership has to apply a more focused, deliberate approach. Leaders must shift from giving broad directions to providing more specific guidance tailored to each individual’s strengths. It’s no longer about squeezing randomly—it’s about applying pressure strategically, knowing when to push and when to ease off. As you know, there is an art to getting the final remains out.

Maximize Efficiency

Only a little toothpaste comes out if we always squeeze near the nozzle where the cap is (I guess that is what we call it) when we use it often. Just like rolling up the toothpaste tube to push everything toward the nozzle, leaders need to help during the processes, find and eliminate inefficiencies, and optimize resources. This isn’t about working harder, but working smarter. Leaders should empower team members with the right tools, training, and opportunities for growth to unlock hidden potential. And then, please let them do their job… Trust in their abilities and empower them to take charge.

Don’t Let Anything Go to Waste

A good leader knows there’s more inside people than meets the eye, but this is done through establishing a leadership relationship and allowing an environment to work with and not for. Just like there’s always a little more toothpaste in the tube than you first thought when it gets down to the end. Sometimes, it’s about digging deeper, identifying untapped skills, finding a way to transform, and encouraging team members to stretch their capabilities.

Ultimately, leadership is about a hands-on strategy and belief in the potential of others. Like a well-squeezed tube of toothpaste, people who are guided and supported well will deliver value until the very end.

I believe I can get a few more squeezes out over the next few days. I’m going to apply pressure, fold, squeeze, and maybe put the tube in a vice grip… However, I’m drawing the line at filleting the tube open and scraping the sides…

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

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2024 J Clay Norton

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

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Leadership, in the movie “Reagan”

06 Friday Sep 2024

Posted by in Adversity, Appreciation, Clarity, Communication, Consistency, Decisions, Effective, Influence, Inspiration, Leader, Leadership, Mission, Perseverance, Purpose, Relationships, Respect, Sacrifice, Vision

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This past Monday, we went to the movies, enjoying our Labor Day afternoon to see the new film, Reagan, staring Dennis Quaid. I was eight years old in 1980 when Reagan was first elected as president. Over the course of the next eight years of his presidency, the movie allowed me to remember a few things here and there. Obviously, as I got older, and even now, I appreciate his leadership and the legacy he left America.

As I sat there, names and events from the past started surfacing in my mind. Looking back allows so much more reflection and enables us to see insights and the effect you didn’t know was happening in real time. At any present time, you can see leadership at work. However, looking past tense is where you see the starting results of leadership.

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Here are a few leadership takeaways from the movie Reagan that I gleaned…

Reagan was known as “The Great Communicator” and “The Great Persuader.” While he exhibited several leadership traits that resonated with political and business leaders alike, his ability to inspire through communication to the general public awarded him an audience of supporters. He knew when to be serious and when levity was needed. Being a great communicator allowed him to speak purposefully and to give and maintain direction, even when others doubted his approach to situations.

His optimism in the face of adversity and his strong sense of purpose emerged as key themes seen throughout the entire film. In all of his leadership, a sense of clear vision makes this possible. Reagan knew exactly what he wanted to do and when to do it. Many tried to hold him back from being who he was meant to be, while at the same time, there were those who championed him and encouraged him to be who he was meant to be.

Reagan embodied a rare talent for simplifying complex issues without diluting their importance. What impressed me most about watching his earlier life in Hollywood was his sacrifice of knowing his stance against the influx of communism would hurt his image and alienate him in Hollywood’s future. However, if there was ever anyone to look to for an example of having a vision and a mission, it was Reagan.

As with any great leader, Reagan’s willingness to listen to different perspectives is another hallmark of his leadership. He surrounded himself with a strong team of advisors and trusted them to help make decisions, demonstrating confidence in others while maintaining accountability (in one scene, Reagan asked a cabinet member, “What did I hire you for?”).

All in all, political differences and ideologies aside, Reagan was a dynamic leader. He always took every opportunity to rally people around a shared goal, inspiring pursuit while at the same time remaining resilient, even when faced with challenges. That’s what great leaders do.

If you get a chance, go watch Reagan. You will find leadership that can inspire and motivate you.

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

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2024 J Clay Norton

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

Want to share this leadership thought with others? Click on one of the social media sharing buttons below and help spread the good…