Category Archives: Actions

Knowledge by acquaintance leadership – Boots on the ground, sleeves rolled up, get in the trenches, and get dirty…

02 Friday May 2025

Posted by in Acquaintance, Actions, Christian Worldview, Classroom Leadership, Description, Education, Educational Leadership, Empathy, Encouragement, Inspiration, Knowledge, Leader, Leadership, Listening, Teachers, Trust, Uncategorized, Understanding, Value, Wisdom

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This past week, I finished reading The Beauty of Divine Grace by Gabriel N .E. Fluhrer. In chapter five, Fluhrer cites Bertrand Russell’s famous distinction between knowledge by acquaintance and knowledge by description with the following thought by Fluhrer…

“If we know God’s providence, only by description, if all we possess is a secondhand knowledge of it, we will acknowledge His providence but we will not fall in love with it. If, on the other hand, we know God’s providence by acquaintance, we have fallen in love with the God of the sun and the storm, we will not have just intellectual ascent to his providence. We will also have a deep affection for the incomparable, glorious, sovereign God.”¹

Fluhrer’s quote should be a great perspective for our Christian Worldview, and Russell’s distinction is so simple and profound for leadership. Knowing something through description is entirely different from knowing it through personal experience, and that’s where I believe we have a problem with leadership today, and it got me thinking…

In a world overflowing with topical books, theoretical knowledge, or secondhand “expertise,” many leaders operate solely with knowledge by description. They make decisions based on what they have read or seen, reports, analytics, someone else’s summaries, or better yet – what they have been told. While this type of knowledge is valuable and needed to make informed decisions (think data-driven decision-making), it can never replace the deep understanding that comes through direct engagement.

Strong leadership requires knowledge by acquaintance. I call it “boots on the ground, sleeves rolled up, get in the trenches, and get dirty leadership.” Leaders must be familiar with the real dynamics of their leadership roles, how they transcend to the team they represent, and their assigned tasks. It’s a contrast between the true challenges of any organization and the difference between a manager/boss who reads about what the mission is and a leader who spends time alongside their teams, listening, learning firsthand, and working.

Here is what experience does… it helps others, it builds credibility, it shapes judgment, it fosters empathy, it creates understanding. Leaders who only rely on knowledge by description risk becoming detached, making decisions that sound good on paper but fail in practice because they have never been in the trenches with those they lead. Those with direct acquaintance, however, lead with wisdom rooted in reality.

It seems that most people today want and reward quick knowledge over deep understanding. But enduring leadership, the kind that builds trust and achieves lasting success, comes from leaders willing to engage personally, take risks, and learn through experience. They get dirty in the practice of acquaintance.

True leadership isn’t about knowing of the path; it’s about walking it and helping others do the same.

¹Fluhrer, G. N. E. (2022). The beauty of divine grace. Ligonier Ministries.

As you step into your role today, remember that you are not just an educator and leader but a shaper of the future. Your actions and decisions profoundly impact the lives of those you guide. Go, be the great educator and leader that our future needs.

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2025 J Clay Norton

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

Stop Leading to Survive – Start Leading with Purpose

25 Friday Apr 2025

Posted by in Actions, Anchored, Character, Circumstances, Clarity, Classroom Leadership, Compassion, Conviction, Education, Educational Leadership, Emotion, Emotional Temperature, Empathy, Empower, Know Your Why, Leader, Leadership, Mixed Signals, Purpose, Teachers, Transformational, Trust

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Have you noticed lately how society wants to make leadership complex and move at a speed that is too fast? All you have to do is just look around. Also, you may notice that many leaders are not leading from a deep sense of purpose; they’re leading from a place of longing. Longing for meaning, for validation, and for results, often defaulting to a “whatever works” philosophy. However, when they start chasing effectiveness without direction, they sacrifice the very essence of leadership – clarity, conviction, and character.

Leadership is meant to be anchored in purpose – with a strong, stable, and consistent foundation. Without it, even the most charismatic or skilled leaders drift, and depending on the strength and speed of the current, they can be taken anywhere. When purpose is missing, decisions become reactive rather than proactive, and strategies become short-sighted rather than transformative. A leader may gain temporary success, but the tell-tale signs of losing something far more valuable will be seen, which are trust, direction, and emotional resilience.

The tragedy is that the longing for meaning, validation, and results, when left unmet, often leads to purposeless leadership. It becomes a cycle; the more leaders seek to find purpose in external wins, the more disconnected they become from internal values. Without emotional alignment, leadership becomes mechanical and goes through the motions. The spark is gone, passion is replaced by pressure, and vision gives way to vagueness.

True leadership flows from inner conviction, not circumstantial or situational convenience. It requires doing the hard work of defining your “why” before driving the “what.” Purpose brings focus and fuels positive emotions of hope, empathy, and courage, all of which are essential for inspiration and creating a lasting impact.

Time-trusted leadership does not settle for what merely works – that’s survival. Instead, it pursues what matters – that’s significance. The world doesn’t need more successful leaders. It needs and requires more purposeful ones! Those who lead with clarity, conviction, and character.

It doesn’t matter where or at what level your leadership takes place, when leaders are clear about their purpose, they can offer others a reason to follow. At the heart of all great leadership is not just action but meaning, purposeful meaning.

As you step into your role today, remember that you are not just an educator and leader but a shaper of the future. Your actions and decisions profoundly impact the lives of those you guide. Go, be the great educator and leader that our future needs.

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2025 J Clay Norton

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

The Masters: A Comparison of Augusta and the Leadership Needed in Education

11 Friday Apr 2025

Posted by in Actions, Classroom Leadership, Decisions, Education, Educational Leadership, Emotional Temperature, Intentions, Leader, Leadership, Patience, Teachers, The Masters, Wisdom

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Leadership always has many comparisons. But, for my golfing and leadership friends, comparing the two to each other brings about time-tested leadership skills. Navigating leadership in education and playing in the Masters Tournament may seem unrelated at first thought (and oh, how I wish I could get on the course). Still, both require focus, adaptability, and a deep understanding of strategy. Both settings demand high performance under pressure. In the end, it’s about delivering results in the classroom or on one of golf’s most demanding courses.

Educational leaders, like PGA golfers, are constantly analyzing their environment. At Augusta, players must read the slope of massive, undulating greens and adjust to changing wind conditions. Likewise, schools and educational leaders must understand the shifting of student needs, curriculum changes, broader social dynamics, and any other nuance thrown at it. Every decision, whether selecting what club to hit or an educator’s instructional strategy, carries weight and long-term impact where feedback is immediate.

Both roles require preparation and foresight; think of it as an ongoing scouting report. A golfer walks the course, visualizes (paints) each shot, and practices relentlessly every part of their game. Similarly, school leaders plan, implement, and reflect, constantly learning and improving. Vision matters, and so does consistency. Just as a player can’t rely on a great round, educational success isn’t about one strong lesson but sustained excellence over time.

There’s also a personal component. Both educational leadership and golf demand emotional intelligence and resilience; weak-minded individuals need not participate. How one responds when things go wrong, a double bogey or a failed initiative is everything, and the ability to stay calm, breathe, refocus, and remember what happened but not dwell on it while pressing forward defines true leadership and separates the fakes from the rest.

Finally, both disciplines celebrate growth. While winning the green jacket of the Masters is the goal, it’s also about mastering oneself. In education, leadership is measured not just by test scores but by the growth of teachers, students, and the learning culture. Both arenas reward those who lead with integrity, remain coachable, and never stop learning. Those who can and do usually end up winning.

Ultimately, whether walking the fairways of Augusta or the halls of a school, leading well means playing the long game with patience, purpose, and heart, creating “A Tradition Unlike Any Other.”

As you step into your role today, remember that you are not just an educator and leader but a shaper of the future. Your actions and decisions profoundly impact the lives of those you guide. Go, be the great educator and leader that our future needs.

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2025 J Clay Norton

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

The Gradual Decay of Leadership: Lessons from Mississippi’s Drought-Stricken Pines…

04 Friday Apr 2025

Posted by in Actions, Decisions, Decline, Education, Educational Leadership, Facade, Leader, Leadership, Teachers

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Have you seen any dead pine trees lately? It doesn’t take long to see them everywhere you look…

It’s the South, it’s hot, it’s Mississippi, and the drought last summer has devastated pine trees that once stood strong and full of life up and down our highways and roads. Now, many stand lifeless, discolored, brittle, and unable to fulfill their purpose. The slow, gradual decay… decay reflecting what happens when leadership begins to die, often long before anyone notices.

The Subtle Beginning: Stress and Decline

Drought doesn’t kill a pine tree overnight, incrementally weakening its defenses. The tree struggles to absorb nutrients to thrive; its needles begin to yellow, the bark sheds, and the top branches snap and fall. Neglect, ignoring problems, failing to adapt, and losing sight of vision (that should be shared) are the starting points for dead leadership. Leadership under self-inflicted and/or outward tension may stop investing in their team’s growth, becoming reactive instead of proactive.

The Unseen Transition: Vulnerability to Invasion

Once weakened, pine trees become prime targets for pests like the southern pine beetle. Have you seen what they can do to a tree? These wood-boring tree-killer invaders finish what the drought started, killing from the inside out. Similarly, weak leadership allows toxicity to spread. Poor communication, mistrust, and disengagement take root, eroding the culture from within. Without outside intervention, the leadership structure becomes hollow, a façade…

The Inevitable End: Structural Collapse

“The sky is falling.” No, those are dead pine trees falling. Eventually, a dead pine tree will not be able to stand. The wood dries out and erodes with the right pressure; time takes over. When it can no longer stand, it falls; when it does, it destroys anything it hits. Dead leadership follows the same path. When leadership lacks vision, integrity, and adaptability, it cannot and will not weather storms. Leadership decisions will become erratic and often moody, leading to plummeting morale and collapse, and ignoring certain situations will become all the easier.

But, there are preventative measures… Unlike dead pine trees, there is a chance to restore leadership before it reaches the point of no return. The preparations you would use in a drought to save a pine tree (watering, fertilizer, insecticide sprays) are great comparisons that can be used for leadership; awareness, renewal, and intentional action can bring fresh life. Great leaders recognize stress early, address vulnerabilities, and build resilience.

The question is—are you, in your leadership, a thriving pine or a dead pine tree waiting to fall?

As you step into your role today, remember that you are not just an educator and leader but a shaper of the future. Your actions and decisions profoundly impact the lives of those you guide. Go, be the great educator and leader that our future needs.

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2025 J Clay Norton

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