Category Archives: Authentic

Cast Your Own Shadow…

11 Friday Aug 2023

Posted by in Actions, Authentic, Choice, Deciding, Decisions, Empower, Encouragement, Importance, Influence, Insecurity, Leader, Leadership, Passion, Shadows, Value

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Currently, we are watching the second season of Lincoln Lawyer on Netflix. During episode two, this quote was made “The more you live in someone’s shadow, kid, the longer it takes to cast your own.” I hit the pause button and told Heather, there is my blog for the week.

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The more I chewed on that, the more I realized that quote has gravity in so many areas of leadership. Not only individually but also as groups and corporate entities. The casting your shadow part of the quote made me realize how important it is to provide a reminder of the need to be who we are (not to say that we can do better, for we can, but that is not the point of today’s blog).

First, let me say we can always learn from others. That is valuable. However, true leadership emerges when we step into the light and let what we bring and can do be seen. Staying in the shadow of others is always comfortable, per se. At least you will always have shade… We need light to grow. Others need to see you doing that, and it helps us develop into who we are.

When we see what others are doing and succeeding, our default is to do what they are exactly doing. Take their template, stamp it onto ourselves, and wha la… we are the same. I think not. There are so many variables to consider, yet copy, we do.

With good reason, copying others can only take us so far. Leaders should be willing to cast their shadows and embrace their strengths and passions for who they are and whom they want to become based on a change that makes them better, not because they are “wanting to be what others are.” I’ve been trying to imitate Rory McIlroy’s golf swing and guess what… It ain’t working (bad grammar to prove the point).

Secondly, leadership should never overshadow others. To keep someone “shadowed” is nothing more than true insecurity. True leaders uplift their teams by providing guidance, support, and opportunities. By setting forth a leadership path, we should encourage others to do the same, creating a culture of empowerment and growth.

Casting your own shadow reflects on your strengths, weaknesses, and aspirations. Your unique qualities that drive your decisions are the foundation of your leadership identity. We push ourselves to improve our distinctive skills, not afraid to make mistakes. Casting your own shadow creates an authenticity that is leadership worthy. Leadership is not about imitation; it’s about inspiration. Leadership is not about mimicking others; it’s about harnessing your light to illuminate the way forward for yourself and those around you. Better yet, set a trail on fire.

Remember, “The more you live in someone’s shadow, kid, the longer it takes to cast your own.”

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

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2023 J Clay Norton

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

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Leadership and Warning Labels – What is your message?

21 Friday Apr 2023

Posted by in Actions, Attitude, Authentic, Conflict, Consistency, Decisions, Education, Educational Leadership, Influence, Insecurity, Integrity, Kindness, Leader, Leadership, Passive-Agressive, Perception, Perceptions, Sensitive

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When is the last time you read a warning label on a product? Some are quite funny, while others seem plain dumb with the question, “Who would do that anyway?” But nonetheless, they are printed right there on the product (fine print sometimes).

Here are just a few…
A cup of coffee – Caution, content may be hot.
Hairdryer – Do no use while sleeping
Wheelbarrow – Not intended for highway use
Baby Stroller – Remove child before folding
Nyquil – May cause drowsiness

You get the idea. I often wonder who made the particular blunder for that specific warning label?

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Segue to leadership…
It is often said that perception is not reality. But can everybody be wrong? A very good friend of mine says, “Everybody can’t be wrong about the same thing.” Perception becomes a way of understanding or interpreting things. At the same time, reality is the state of things as they actually exist rather than as they may be perceived or might be imagined. That said, what if we had a warning label about us for others to see printed right there on the package, that package being us?

Here might be a few…
Warning:
Do not think on your own – I micromanage
Do not disagree with me – I am moody
Do not cause conflict – I am insecure
Do not outshine me – I am passive-aggressive
Do not have a different opinion – I am highly flammable
Please handle with care – I get my feelings hurt easily
Be a yes person – If you are not, I will find fault
I’m sure you can add to the list…

How refreshing would it be if these warning labels were reversed?
Warning:
Think on your own – I delegate
It’s ok to disagree with me – Does not mean that you are wrong
Sometimes there will be conflict – I will not run from it, and I will support you
Outshine me – The better you are, the better we are
Have a different opinion – I encourage diverse thinking
Please handle with honesty – I will not get my feelings hurt easily
Do not be a yes person – I do not want minions around me

However, I believe the leadership we lead with does carry labels. You might say, “Well, that’s not how I lead,” or “I don’t care what someone else thinks.” But at the same time, we would quickly say that’s not the reputation we want. Well, is everyone wrong, then?

What are you doing to ensure that you have positive leadership labels instead of warning labels? In the end, we are all wearing some type of leadership label. The question is, what does your leadership label say about you?

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

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2023 J Clay Norton

Want more Leadership Thoughts? Follow me on… Twitter @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…

Leadership That Can “Pass Muster” – It Is More Than An Idiom…

03 Friday Feb 2023

Posted by in Actions, Attitude, Authentic, Education, Educational Leadership, Expectations, Idioms, Importance, Intentions, Leader, Leadership, Observation, Purpose

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This past week I heard the idiom “pass muster” three times. Before then, I could not tell you when I heard it last. But three times in one week got me thinking.

The first hearing of it this week was from Heather’s grandmother. She is 101 years old and now lives in an assistive-living center. We went to visit her this past Sunday, and when I asked her how her lunch was, she said it was good and that she finally had a meal that “passed muster.” I just laughed. The second time was listening to the radio of an interview about company CEOs stating that some employees were not “passing muster” since coming back to the office and not working from home anymore due to Covid. The third was from my friend Dr. Thane Ury in discussing apologetics in his Theology class on Creation, Science and The Problem of Pain, that he lets me jump in via Zoom to listen and glean.

So… a quick recap on the etymology of this idiom… a quick internet search will show: from pass (“to undergo successfully”) + muster (“military assemblage or review”); from 1570s, originally as pass musters. Comes from the military and means “to pass inspection.” If you join the military, you muster in and when you leave, you muster out. A muster also refers to lining up for a formal military inspection, the goal of which is to pass muster. From Old French mostrer “appear, show, reveal,” also in a military sense (10c., Modern French montrer).

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Ok… enough history, you say. Where is this going? Well, education and leadership, of course.

First, “to pass muster” … this has to be defined. What are we meaning? To look good? To act the part? To __________? Or, in the real sense, to formally pass an inspection?

Too often in leadership positions, and I include teachers here, we see the effects of those who just “go through the motions” to pass inspection. Since we all are creatures of habit, we do what comes naturally to us. By looking at the real sense of the idiom, the really good ones are so good at what they do; they actually pass inspection every day. Therefore by default, they really do not need a “formal” inspection, per se. So, when the “formal” inspection comes around, they are just who they are; really good to begin with. Good leaders lead, and good teachers teach.

However (here’s the but), do we rely on others to let us know if and when we “pass muster,” or do we live in constant denial of our true self-inspection of knowing if we do or do not? It’s easy to inspect others, but not so much ourselves. And there lies the problem of leadership… There will be many who pass the “eyeball” test and those who do not. With each case, when it happens, leadership negligence takes place. That’s something I do not want any part of. We must inspect what we expect for the right reasons and eliminate the false pretensions many lead with.

I’m glad I heard the phrase this past week. It made me self-inspect a little deeper. Maybe, this will work for you as well.

Side note… It is not “pass the mustard!”

Let’s go fight the good fight of leadership. Someone has to…

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

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2023 J Clay Norton

Want more Leadership Thoughts? Follow me on… Twitter @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…

“A Christmas Story” Leadership Lesson…

09 Friday Dec 2022

Posted by in A Christmas Story, Actions, Authentic, Christmas, Leader, Leadership

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A few years ago, I wrote in my blog that my three favorite Christmas shows are A Charlie Brown Christmas, Christmas Vacation, and A Christmas Story. I have written about the leadership of the first two in the past. So, to close the trifecta of shows here is the leadership I find in A Christmas Story… 

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Don’t fall for gimmicks

The decoder… Ralphie waited on it to come in the mail. All excited and everything. When it did, a special code on that night’s Little Orphan Annie Radio Show… Ralphie locks himself in the bathroom, stressed out as the anxiety comes to the point of solving the clue… “Be sure to drink your Ovaltine,” it read. The Decoder Scene

To listen to Ralphie’s thoughts and see his face is where we all have been at some time or another. Wanting to believe something was the “real deal” or believing in someone who eventually showed their leadership was a gimmick. We might not know it until the last possible moment, but when we do, we throw it in the garbage. I bet that’s what Ralphie did with the decoder. Like many in leadership, all it is is an ad for a crummy commercial.

Keep dreaming

Ralphie takes many different approaches to getting his Red Rider BB Gun. From planting advertisements in his parent’s magazines, blurting it out at the table while eating, writing a school essay on it, and even telling Santa. Everyone responds the same, “You’ll shoot your eye out.” But somewhere, in all that, his dad made good (he had one when he was eight). The funny thing, though… they were all almost right. Ralphie’s Pursuit of the Red Rider BB gun

People are standing in line to destroy your dreams. It’s up to you if you let them. Your dreams might not work out or come to fruition when you want them to, but keep them from dying because you didn’t quit dreaming. 

Reward the people

It’s a major award. The classic leg lamp. A Statue. Front and center in the living room for all to see. The amber glow. Delivered in a box that spelled “Fragile.” It could be Italian; who knows? A major award. The Leg Lamp

People, by nature, love accolades. Find ways to acknowledge and give them credit. Let them be celebrated. It doesn’t even have to cost anything. Create something… you get the idea; just make sure it’s not lip service. It’s not always about the reward but the acknowledgment of a well-done job. 

Enough is enough

Ralphie, Randy, Flick, and Schwartz were constantly being bullied by Scut and Grover. Day after day, before and after school. The dread of going to school and coming home. Until… Ralphie had had enough. The whole gang and others were watching the unleashing of pure fear and hatred that had been bottled up explode. If Ralphie’s mom hadn’t come, he would still be hitting Scut Farkus. Ralphie’s Fight

No one likes a leadership bully. Contrary to popular belief, they are out there. They are the ones who are using gimmicks to fool you. Leadership bullies lead with fear until they cannot. Anyway… when people have had enough, they have had enough. At some point, they explode. Like Scut Farkus, they have a small following (Grover), and once they get hit, you really get to see how weak they are.  

A Christmas Story is a family favorite for us. We watch it right after Christmas Vacation on Thanksgiving night and whenever it’s on TV. We will find good or bad leadership if we watch shows close enough. 

At any time of the year, the key to leadership is to put others first. It should not take a Christmas season to make that happen. Let the Christmas spirit take hold of your leadership and let others know, see, and feel it. It should be the gift we give others. 

Next week will be my Christmas Thoughts 2022. 

Let’s go fight the good fight of leadership. Someone has to…

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

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2022 J Clay Norton

Want more Leadership Thoughts? Follow me on… Twitter @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…