Category Archives: Attitude

How Powerful Is Your SERVE?

06 Friday Oct 2017

Posted by in Attitude, Heart, Inspiration, Leader, Leadership, Servant

≈ Leave a comment

“Leadership is an opportunity to serve. It is not a trumpet to call to self-importance.” – J. Donald Walters

 

1423771996696731

Why do some leaders not serve? Are they too __________… you can fill in the blank.

 

I once heard an adage that stated, “It is very hard to give or receive anything with a closed hand.” That statement can also go for anyone who has a closed heart. A closed heart has got to be one of the saddest things out there. A leader with a closed heart is even worse.

This I believe… Having a closed heart slams the door on you being able to serve.

The amount of influence a leader has is extraordinary. But that influence has both positive and negative measurements. Why do we not understand the value we bring to any situation when we serve? I fear that most leaders today would rather be served than to serve others. Serving has become a lost commodity in leadership.

So… What must we do to make sure we have a powerful SERVE?

Inspire…

Believe it or not, there are people who want you to lead them. When you lead, give others the feeling that makes them believe in themselves.

 

Respect…

Give others the respect you would want yourself. For a true leader, it takes zero effort to be nice and respect others. Let others see you value them and their commitment.

 

Give…

Not only of yourself, but give everything that others will need. Please do not put someone in a situation where they do not have the resources to complete a job.

 

Help…

Help those around you. Do not be that leader who does everything themselves. Convey the knowledge you have and allow others to glean. Help them become successful. The better they look, the better you look.

 

We do not have to go very far to find an opportunity to serve. And when you do have that opportunity, please do not blow your own horn. It does not sound as good as you think it does anyway. Serving is not about you. It is about those who you are serving. In the end, you will make a difference and will have an impact on others.

The powerfulness of your SERVE is about others working hard with you and not for you. This happens when you work hard with and for others. Please notice the difference between the two sentences.

An opportunity to SERVE awaits us all. We just have to have the “want to”…

 

Remember… #thinkleadership

©2017 J Clay Norton

Follow me on Twitter at TheBookChamber

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

 

 

“Entitled” Leadership?

29 Friday Sep 2017

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

≈ Leave a comment

“Leadership is not about a title or a designation. It’s about impact, influence and inspiration. Impact involves getting results, influence is about spreading the passion you have for your work, and you have to inspire team-mates and customers.” – Robin S. Sharma

 

I need a title!

Why?

It makes me look better.

Does it or will it make you lead better?

I don’t know, but it makes me look better!

Screen Shot 2017-09-29 at 8.53.59 AM

 

Let’s start with this fact… and it is a fact: A title does not make you a leader. But oh, how many people live in that fictitious world.

So… Some thoughts about leaders being “entitled”…

Titles are like business cards. Anyone can get one… Make one up and hit print.

Leadership is a melting pot of complex, different attributes. A good leader will rally those around for the good of the group and have their support. But… a true leader will be able to step in when difficult situations occur and make the hard decisions. Given almost any situation, a leader will emerge from within a group. Natural leadership ability will always rise.  The need to self-appoint will not be necessary.

It would be great if titles meant effective leadership ability. But that is not the case. Many leaders with titles cannot or chose not to lead. Either case, sooner or later, failure will happen. When it does, the lack of leadership will show.

Leaders who are “entitled” are blind and have limits to their leadership. Their ego and self-centeredness become known for what they are. “Entitled” leaders take credit for others work, give orders for something they do not want to do, or place blame on others for their own mistakes and failures.

But why are these people in positions to lead? Who knows… the problem is that they are there. It does not take us long to figure out that “entitled” leaders surround us every day. What is worse, they have the power to make decisions that affect a lot of different areas.

But where does a title come in? It doesn’t. Please quit thinking it does.

Some of the best leaders we know do one thing well, they lead. Leadership is a verb, not a noun. It is action. It is the form of doing. Those who lead by title only do so because they have a title.

Anyone and everyone has the capability to be a leader. But leadership is not for everyone and that’s OK. A person chooses leadership when they make a decision for the greater good of a cause and stand for it. They lead by example. They do not ask others to do something they are not willing to do themselves.

.…And most of all, leaders act like leaders even when they do not have a title.

 

Remember… #thinkleadership

©2017 J Clay Norton

Follow me on Twitter at TheBookChamber

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

“We Walk Together” – Unity Leadership

08 Friday Sep 2017

Posted by in Attitude, Culture, Leader, Leadership, Power, Servant, Team, Unity

≈ Leave a comment

“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing themselves.” – Leo Tolstoy

 


 

 

Slide1

When you think of unity, what comes to mind? I would assume most of you would say something like “coming together as one” but is it that easy and simple? How many times do you hear of leadership as it relates to unity? Do you believe that leaders actually want unity? This will usually depend on if the leader is servant-minded or self-serving minded. I guess if we knew these answers, we would all have unity in our leadership.

Leadership unity requires an investment in others. The hard part is getting others to invest in you. This is true… people either agree or not agree with your leadership direction. The problem lies with those who may agree and support your leadership but not invested. Because someone supports your leadership does not equate with unity with your leadership. They follow you on the surface, go through the motions to make sure all is well and the “apple cart” does not tip over.

If people invest in you, then your leadership has power. This is a good thing. Why? Because they are “with” you. The “with” means they want what you want. They commit to your vision. They have your back. They have the backs of others. Most of all, their investment in you shows in public and private. No one likes the “two-face” leader or follower.

So… why is there not more unity with leadership? Do you realize how many different people have different agendas? There is so much negative out there and that negative becomes contagious. I am sure we can provide an infinite list of reasons… Conspiracy theory or not, there are actually people who want to see your success not happen.

Leadership unity provides a path for success. Our job as leaders is to bring people together. Together for a common cause, for the good of all. As a leader, you either help or hinder the cause for unity. Unity is essential for leadership. When unity happens, “we walk together” becomes a reality. Mindsets change, personal agendas are set aside and total contribution of all exists.

As we move forward with our leadership, let’s put a focus on unity and see what the outcome will be. I would dare say the results will be positive and you will find that “we walk together.”

Remember… THINK LEADERSHIP

©2017 J Clay Norton

Follow me on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/thebookchamber

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

 

Inspiring Ourselves by Inspiring Others

11 Friday Aug 2017

Posted by in Actions, Attitude, Heart, Inspiration, Leader, Leadership, Passion, Purpose, Servant, Trust, Understanding

≈ 2 Comments

“Clarity of purpose is inspirational.  When your job description is clear and there is no confusion or when you are crystal clear of what is required of you to do your job or task, that is inspirational.  It allows you to go full stream ahead without thinking…” – Tony Alford, Running Back Coach, The Ohio State University   (I think this quote can be used for life as well)

inspire

If you had to pick four or five ideas that would inspire the greatness inside of you, what would you choose?  I’m pretty sure we would get many different answers and there would be a few that would overlap.  Finding ways to inspire others should be relatively easy.  Finding ways to inspire ourselves is much harder. 

Why do you think there is a gap between inspiring others and ourselves?  Self-inspiring will always be an ongoing battle.  Not only for our minds but also with our hearts.  But here is what I believe… One sure way to inspire greatness in ourselves is to inspire greatness in others.

So… How can we inspire ourselves?  Let’s begin with…

Inspiring others with your passion.  When this happens, passion becomes contagious.  Helping others find meaning and purpose can ignite their passion.  A “shared-passion” creates an exciting atmosphere to be a part of.

Inspiring others by letting them know you are authentic.  Quit being fake.  The world is full of fake, phony leaders.  People want a real you.  Our leadership must show the ability to relate, understand, and when needed have empathy.  You also need to have their back.  Fake leaders only talk about it while authentic leaders show and prove it.

Inspiring others by having a servant leadership heart.  If you are not willing to serve, get out of leadership now (see above statement).  Eventually, people will know where your heart is and your true leadership will show.  Leadership is often measured in time and time always will tell the truth.  What does this mean?  Never ask someone to do a task that you are not willing to do yourself.  No one really wants to be around a finger-pointer.

Inspiring others by investing in their lives.  The more you know about others enables you to understand them on a different level.  When we truly care about the lives of others, there is a deeper understanding of what makes them tick, what makes them “stop and go,” what makes them… them.  All of this will show you truly care and see them as someone and not something.  Using people for your benefit is not cool.

By understanding the value of others, maybe we can begin to understand the value of ourselves.  If we are not inspired by what we do, how can we ever expect others to be inspired by what we want them to do?

A good quote to end on… “You really never had a good day, until you can do something for someone that they can never repay you for.” – A lot of different people are given credit for saying this. Now that’s inspiring…

Some good stuff to think about.

Remember… THINK LEADERSHIP

©2017  J Clay Norton

Follow me on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/thebookchamber

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