Author Archives: The Book Chamber

Friendship Thankfulness…

13 Friday Nov 2020

Posted by in Encouragement, Engagement, Friendship, Honest, Leadership, Relationships, Thankful, Thanksgiving, Transparent, Trust, Understanding, Value

≈ 7 Comments

In keeping with the theme of Thanksgiving…

This past Sunday, our pastor, in his sermon, alluded to the idea of what true friendship really is and is not. As I listened and thought about that idea this week, as always… “it got me to thinking.”

We all have friendships in our lives. They come and go, change, etc. As I look back, it is funny to see our “friendship map” and where it has taken us.

Friendship is tough to define. Often, our definition of friendship is what we make it in order to meet our needs at a specific time in our lives…

Anyway, as I have been thinking about friendships this week, I am very thankful for the friends I have. Those who accept and take me for who and what I am, and most importantly – my well-being. I think there lies the true measure of friendship.

I’m a HUGE Charlie Brown fan…

So… friendship…

First, I believe friendship only happens with people you actually spend time with. It is hard to develop a friendship if you are never around a person. And no, friendship is not the number of “friends” you have on social media.

Second, friendship needs to enjoy one another’s company. We are around a lot of people daily. Friends, sure… but is the measure of that only surface, or does it cut deep?

Third, it is hard to have friendships without common interests. I have said it time and time again, “There is something to be said about having like-minded, kindred-spirited people” in your lives. There are only so many conversations one can have on family and the weather.

Fourth, this is where it will get interesting. We have to have friends that will “get into your business.” If you cannot have honest, heartfelt conversations, then the friend status might need to be “un”checked.

Lastly, friendship must not only offer encouragement, but it must also be willing to help in a time of need. I am not talking about times where “I need a favor.” I’m talking about no matter who, what, when, why, or where… that friend will be there, no questions asked.

I hope you have friends who have the characteristics above. I do, and for that, I am whatever is beyond thankful. If you get a chance, you might want to tell them that.

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

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2020 J Clay Norton

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My Pet Peeves… Drives Me Crazy…

06 Friday Nov 2020

Posted by in Attitude, Balance, Choice, Emotion, Family, Importance, Intentions, Leader, Leadership, Pet Peeves, Reflection, Relationships

≈ 5 Comments

Ok… showing our age now…

How many of you remember the song “She Drives Me Crazy” by Fine Young Cannibals? Sorry if that song is stuck in your head now…

“…She drives me crazy
And I can’t help myself…”

Well, consider everything that is going on around us and the differences of many opinions we each have; instead of opening the phrase with “she,” open it up with “whatever” drives me/you crazy…

I have a lot of pet peeves. I have so many; I have a zoo. The bad thing is, I feed every one of those peeves; messy little critters, they are. Just like any other pets, I love on them, play fetch, rub their belly, scratch their ears… You get the idea. Also, those peeves rub me the wrong way, make me cringe, get under my skin, pull what little hair I have out, wake me up at night, and shut down my breathing sometimes (my mom and dad should get a laugh out of that one).

But… what I have come to realize, while those peeves are always going to be there, it is ME that drives myself crazy. I have a choice as to if I feed them and welcome them into my life… or not. Also, I choose what I want to think about, and for some part, how I feel about them. I know it is hard to get “stuff” out of your mind, and for some reason, “things” will always linger around, triggered by something or someone to make you start thinking again.

I do acknowledge that there are real problems in people’s lives. I am not dismissing or diminishing that fact. What I am talking about is trying NOT driving yourself crazy with all those peeves.

Things that I have to sometimes tell myself…
Go to sleep and don’t wake up at midnight about something you saw on social media.
Quit keeping up with what all you have done wrong lately. Laugh at your trivial mistakes.
Set some reasonable, attainable goals. Get things done early; that way, you can have accomplishments.
Hang out with like-minded, kindred-spirited people. This is huge…
Most of all, be thankful for the love of family and your real pets (not those peeves).

As we approach Thanksgiving, start thinking about your “thankfulness” and quit feeding the pet peeves. They don’t taste very well anyway, and they are tough to chew.

Yes, some things drive me crazy, and maybe, I can help myself…

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

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2020 J Clay Norton

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What are your thoughts of what a leader should be?

30 Friday Oct 2020

Posted by in Attitude, Leader, Leadership

≈ 2 Comments

Have you ever made this statement, “We need better leadership?”

Yes, I have. More often than not, here lately. We need better leadership in many areas. You can just start a running list…

The older I get, the more I am amazed at leadership in general, and these are my opinions only… I see both strong and weak leadership everywhere. I see people who need to be in leadership and are not. I see people who are in leadership and should not be. I see people in positions of leadership and wonder how they got there (I have many thoughts on that, but that is a different blog post…). Nonetheless, what constitutes better leadership, regardless of who is leading or the area of leadership?

If you look up the definition of leadership, you will get a general definition. Here is the Google answer: “The action of leading a group of people or an organization.” But what actually makes the person a leader by definition? Is it more than influencing others and just leading? Yes, because the leading could actually be bad. Good, great, quality leadership is what we are after.

A few quick thoughts on what I think a “leader” needs to have…

Mindset – What you have to be.
Knowledge – What you need to know.
Performance – What you need to do.
Growth – What you need to develop yourself.
Wisdom – What you need to lead others.
Service – What you do to help grow others.

The list above goes against much of where we are in society. We live in a time where the “me first” mentality gets what they want without any notion of how others are affected. Somewhere between yesterday and tomorrow, we have a one-day chance to help change leadership for the better, and it seems every day, we are missing the opportunity to do so.

Yes, we need better leadership, but it starts with each one of us wanting to be a better leader. It is much more than a “title” and a “following.” What will you do today to help make it happen?

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

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2020 J Clay Norton

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Expiration Dates and Fresh Leadership…

23 Friday Oct 2020

Posted by in Decisions, Effective, Expiration dates, Leader, Leadership, Listening, Servant

≈ 4 Comments

The other night I was getting a glass of milk before I went to bed and finished the container; there was not much left. I went to get another container out of the other fridge, and as I bent over to get it, there it was… the expiration date, staring me in the face. Somehow the lettering seemed much larger and more significant than it had in the past. I said to myself, “October 23, wow… I can literally live my days marked out on time based on milk carton expiration dates.”

Others in my household will look at the expiration date, on any item, on the day of and immediately say, “I’m throwing this out. It has expired.” I look at the date and say, “Let me see,” taste it and say, “It’s still good.” The way I look at it is expiration dates just mean hurry up.

Smart shoppers check expiration dates at the grocery store. Why would you not? We really do want fresh items. You know what? We really want everything fresh, even leadership. However, it is too bad that leadership does not have a stamp on it, letting others know that the particular leadership style is about to be or already is… growing stale, stale, about to expire or even has.

So, how do we know if leadership is expired or growing stale? To answer that question, we must look at the leader themselves and the trend they promote. Strong leadership with a growth mindset that does not keep repeatedly doing the same old thing over and over is what people want. Remember, the worst words in leadership are, “We have always done it this way.” Now, that does not mean we change ideas and concepts that are working and for the good of others, but…

Leadership that has worked in the past often does not work now. Leadership that works now does not mean it will work in the future.

Fresh leadership finds a way of keeping good ideas previously used on the cutting edge, changing and tweaking it here and there as needed. While at the same time, leaders who involve others in “talks” and actually listen will find support to continually move forward with new ideas and help foster current and future success. And please, acknowledge good ideas from others and give them credit. It will do wonders for your credibility.

As we all live our lives, we “clock” it by some time factor. And then I began to think more (this is where many of my problems occur)… How much time after the expiration date is the milk still good. Well, that answer depends on how much you like soured milk. I guess at some point, it will become undrinkable, but who knows. And just like milk, leadership will eventually sour as well. Don’t let your leadership expire…

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

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2020 J Clay Norton

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