Category Archives: Attitude

Thanksgiving in Three Words

17 Friday Nov 2017

Posted by in Actions, Attitude, Authentic, Family, Freedom, Giving, Gratitude, Humility, Leader, Leadership, Servant

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“What if today, we were just grateful for everything?” – Charlie Brown

15-inspirational-thanksgiving-quotes-944818

Have you ever considered what “makes” Thanksgiving work? Not the “works” of turkey and dressing and the other fixings, but the “works” of our thoughts and why we are thankful. I am sure we have many ideas as to why we are thankful, and you can probably start the sentence off with “I am thankful because…”

If you are on twitter, you might follow @goodreads. It is a site for book lovers. Often, it will tweet out, “Describe the book you are currently reading in three words.” I find this interesting because I catch myself asking this with a lot of my general activities. Simple questions like this sometimes provide the most thought.

So, my statement for you today and next week is, “Describe your thoughts on Thanksgiving in three words.”

It would be interesting to know what each of you would say. I am very sure that there would be an overwhelming amount of the same words from person to person. The idea here is not to limit our thinking, but to be intentional about our thinking.

My three words for describing my thoughts on Thanksgiving are:

Authentic
I once heard someone say, “You can never separate who you are with what you say you believe in.” One reason I admire the Pilgrims is that they were a group that held firm to their beliefs of who they were. May we unapologetically do the same.

Generosity
Another saying I once heard was, “Your level of generosity is not determined by how much you give, but by how much you hold onto.” How often do we give of ourselves? While giving is not a natural born characteristic, we can learn how to give of ourselves and be generous. It takes time and most of all, effort.

Gratitude
Everyone has something to be thankful for, and only you know what those things are. Allow your gratitude to be intentional. Let it show as a helping example for others but not in a boastful manner.

This Thanksgiving, as you celebrate, take time to consider the statement, “Describe your thoughts on Thanksgiving in three words.” You might even decide to have this as a topic for conversation with friends and family at the table.

But most of all, make sure you take time to give thanks. By doing so, we bow before the Lord in our humility. Thankful that He is willing to save our souls as we look forward to an inheritance of eternal life which He has promised.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Remember… THINKLEADERSHIP

©2017 J Clay Norton

Follow me on Twitter at TheBookChamber

Subscribe via email to my blog at the top of the page.

 

 

Dysfunctional Leaders

10 Friday Nov 2017

Posted by in Actions, Attitude, Culture, Leader, Leadership

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“Egotistical leaders look for and want exposure.  In the end, they will be exposed.” – J. Clay Norton

Dysfunctional leaders; they are everywhere, and their population continues to grow. Please quit moving to their town and taking up residence.

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Picture by Due by Monday – duebymonday.com

It seems like every aspect of our culture is under attack, so is leadership. I am convinced that as leaders, we must do everything we can to avoid the label of dysfunctional. For that matter, any other label that creates a negative.

So, how do we avoid having the label of dysfunctional? Here are some thoughts…

Avoid being moody.
No one enjoys being around a moody person, much less if they are in a leadership position. We will have bad days, but we choose to have a bad disposition.

Avoid the EGO.
Do not be a self-promoter and stuck on yourself. No, the world does not revolve around you. Quit thinking that it does.

Avoid the “Poor Me” syndrome.
Quit playing the victim. For the most part, everyone is not out to get you.

Avoid being passive-aggressive.
Do not use side stabs and silent insults to get your way.

Avoid being the leader that says, “Do as I say, not as I do.”
Talk about inconsistency. Functional leaders say and do.

Leadership is in trouble when these characteristics are noticeable. Leaders like this live in a world of denial.

Have you ever noticed the word “fun” in dysfunctional? Probably not, because there is none. Everyone walks on egg-shells around dysfunctional leaders. They are the ringmaster of their circus. Remember this; every entertainer needs an audience to perform. Let their performance be for themselves. Tippy-toe, drama-making, face-saving dysfunctional style leaders can stay in their own “one-ring” circus.

Good leadership will have its challenges. It is not a matter of if, but when. It is a guarantee, especially when we are doing our jobs. Staying grounded and cultivating a strong leadership culture is a must. Let’s be intentional in taking the “dys” out and be functional leaders and do what is right and be a joy to be around.

Everyone around will appreciate it.

Remember… #thinkleadership

©2017 J Clay Norton

Follow me on Twitter at TheBookChamber

Subscribe via email to my blog at the top of the page.

 

Let’s Talk About Me… No, Let’s Don’t

20 Friday Oct 2017

Posted by in Attitude, Leader, Leadership, Servant

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Let’s start this week with some lyrics of Toby Keith’s song, “Let’s Talk About Me.”

“But every once in awhile

I want to talk about me

Want to talk about I

Want to talk about number one

Oh my me my

What I think, what I like, what I know, what I want, what I see

I like talking about you, you, you, you usually, but occasionally

I want to talk about me

I want to talk about me“

 

 

While this is a comical song with some hidden truths… There is a great message of leadership within it.

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Let’s Talk About Me…

 

Well, do you know leaders like this? (I can imagine you counting them now.) All a “me leader” wants to talk about is themselves…  How I do this or that… What I have accomplished… What I mean to the organization… What I etc…

You might not agree with this but… there are a lot of selfish leaders out there.  After all, isn’t leadership actually about the leader? Here is what the selfish leader is saying, “Feed me, feed my ego.”

Well, let’s punt all the above and not talk about the “me leader.” Let’s talk about others. Let’s take everything you want recognition for and give it to others.

But you might be thinking, “I do not get to talk about me?” NO! and I am glad you finally figured it out… Let’s turn the conversations around.

Here is the deal… No one wants “you” to be the topic of the conversation when you are the one speaking. If all you have or want to talk about is you, you are sending a powerful message to everyone around. It is a message that is loud and clear.

The hard part of leadership is making it about others. It is not natural for some. True servant-leaders see people as an end instead of a means to an end. It should be what you strive for every day in your leadership.

At the end of the day, it is about other people receiving the glory. Take the spotlight off of you and place it on others. How ironic it is… When you decide to do this, you will end up receiving the recognition you deserve. Let it happen on its own.

We need leaders who are intentional for the right reasons of leadership. One of the right reasons is putting others first and losing the “Let’s Talk About Me” attitude.

Remember… #thinkleadership

 

©2017 J Clay Norton

Follow me on Twitter at TheBookChamber

Subscribe via email to my blog at the top of the page.

 

That Ugly Word… Conflict​

13 Friday Oct 2017

Posted by in Actions, Attitude, Clarity, Conflict, Deciding, Leader, Leadership

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“Whenever you’re in conflict with someone, there is one factor that can make the difference between damaging your relationship and deepening it. That factor is attitude.” – William James

 

Hiding head in sand

Conflict… It is a disease and it is contagious. Run for your lives…

And that is what many leaders do, they run.

Have you ever been around that leader who would not deal with conflict? Or, if they did deal with it, they made the matter worse. Why is this? What is it that they do not understand? As we often say… “The handwriting is on the wall…”

Bottom line… Many leaders avoid conflict. Like it or not, conflict is out there and we have to deal with it. Sometimes sooner rather than later. Either leaders do not like it or they do not want to deal with it. It may be that they want everyone to like them and hope that everyone can just get along. Which begs the question, “Why are some people in a leadership position anyway?”

So what happens when conflict is staring them in the face? Something has to happen, right? Well, here are some thoughts…

They…

Bury It – Put this away somewhere and hope it gets lost and never found. Hope no one remembers where it is. If things go right, they will not even remember where they put it.

Deny It – There is no conflict. What are you talking about?

Diminish It – It is not that big of a deal. You are making way too much out of this.

Drown It – Busy themselves with so much other stuff and not have time to deal with it.

Redirect It – Put the situation on someone else and make it their problem.

In each of these thoughts, the conflict is still there. We live in a fantasy world when we believe the situation will take care of itself. That’s the problem… Someone will dig it back up, refuse to let you be in denial, save it, or direct it back.

A leader’s job is to lead. How we handle conflict shows our leadership. Issues will arise and sometimes conflict hitches a ride. Not dealing with conflict or letting it go unresolved traps and backs us into a corner.

When leaders avoid conflict, they put everyone and everything at risk. They even put themselves at risk. Avoiding conflict causes a ripple effect that turns into tidal waves.

Be a leader who knows how to handle conflict. Everyone around you will appreciate it and you.

Remember… #thinkleadership

©2017 J Clay Norton

Follow me on Twitter at TheBookChamber

Subscribe via email to my blog at the top of the page.