Category Archives: Authentic

Go Along to Get Along… Not so much…

25 Friday Feb 2022

Posted by in Actions, Authentic, Choice, Courage, Decisions, Insecurity, Leader, Leadership

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Bob Marley wrote a song titled One Love, and one of the lines is… “Let’s get together and feel alright.” Does anyone remember that? Sorry if that is stuck in your head now… Anyway, too often in leadership, that is what is wanted. Leaders are saying, “Let’s get together and say that you agree, and we will all feel alright.” Have you ever been in that conversation? Well, I call that… Go along to get along mentality.

Go along to get along… I found this definition on the internet of this idiom… To conform to general expectations so as not to disrupt or endanger one’s sense of security or belonging or to agree with others or do what they want in order to preserve harmony. Is it the right thing to do? Is it ok for you to speak up if you disagree? Will you be labeled as one of those who does not fall in line? You look around the table, and everyone is in agreement, knowing that half of them are thinking the same thing that you are but unwilling to be “that person.”

I think it boils down to the security or insecurity of the leader and of you as well. Why do we live in a society where we must put our values aside to “keep the peace?” Now, I’ll be the first to say that we should major on the majors and let the minor stuff stay minor. I also believe that we must choose our battles, per se. However, when the line in the sand has to be put on notice… This is where insecure leaders are not welcoming of others’ questions or suggestions and forbid a disagreement, for they feel they are always correct in their own infinite wisdom. They want everyone to go along… Leadership that carries this mantle only wants the “yes” people.

In his first inaugural address, Thomas Jefferson stated, “Every difference of opinion was not and could not be a difference of principle.” But guess what… That is exactly what happens when we set aside our voice when we are asked or sometimes told… go along. Finding value in what we know instead of what we think carries greater leadership responsibility. Truth becomes irrelevant when someone’s personal agenda takes priority. But yet… this is said, “I need you all to go along with this…” Strong, secure leaders put what is right ahead of their personal feelings for the greater good. It takes courage.

I acknowledge that there might be a person and charge that makes the final decision, and that is their prerogative. But when they limit the thoughts of others, they steal what could be. I’m pretty sure I’m not the “go along to get along” person. Are you? There will always be a reason why or why not, and you are the only one who can answer…

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.

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National School Counseling Week…

11 Friday Feb 2022

Posted by in Actions, Amazing, Appreciation, Attention, Authentic, Counseling, Effective, Encouragement, Intentional, Kindness, Promotion, Purpose, Servant, Sincerity, Value

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This week, February 7-11, is National School Counseling Week. According to the American School Counselors Association, the emphasis is to focus public attention on the unique contribution of school counselors within U.S. school systems. Well, I just happen to know a school counselor who fits that emphasis quite well.

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Let me introduce you to a school counselor I know. She is a school counselor with 21 years of experience. What she does day in and day out amazes me. Of all the things she does, the one that amazes me the most is that she takes an intentional interest in every student in the school building. Along with that, there are individual and small groups, peer leadership, helping with after-school clubs, scheduling, new student meetings, parent meetings, student plans, encouragement, etc… you get the idea…

I don’t really remember school counselors growing up. I do not remember one in elementary or middle school. If we had one, I did not know. We had one in high school, but all I thought he did was make out our student schedules. His name was Mr. Leonard. He and I talked about baseball cards a lot, and my senior year, he was our assistant baseball coach.

Anyway, as I think about what this school counselor does and her role as a school counselor, I can see her passion for promoting it. She works after hours at home and during the summers. So many things are behind the scenes. She is a staunch advocate for what the definition of a school counselor should be. Most importantly, she is for all students and their success.

I’m not sure about all the counselors out there, but I do know a good many. Those who are successful have a servant’s heart and a genuine concern for students’ social and emotional needs. And I think to myself, isn’t that what educators and all of education should also do?

Over time, I have seen many counselors who impact not only at the school but also in the community. In many ways, they are the unsung heroes of schools. Since this is National High School Counselors Week, tell your counselors thank you. I’m pretty sure they will appreciate it.

And by the way, for those who do not know the school counselor I talking about, it’s Heather, and I’m married to her, and she’s the counselor at Sumner Hill Junior High School in the Clinton Public School District. For those who know us, many say she is a great counselor because she lives a daily practicum of counseling me… and they are probably right. But, nonetheless… she’s a great school counselor.

Happy National High School Counselors Week to the school counselors who make a difference. The value you bring makes changes in many lives.

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…

“A Great Teacher” is what I want to be…

14 Friday May 2021

Posted by in Actions, Authentic, Character, Culture, Education, Educational Leadership, Effective, Encouragement, Engagement, Heart, Inspiration, Leader, Leadership, Legacy, Memories, Passion, Purpose, Reality, Reflection, Servant, Sincerity, Teacher Appreciation, Teachers, Value

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Do you ever wonder if you make a connection with your students? What will they remember about you? With teaching being as much about classroom psychology as it is knowing your subject matter, how students remember us lasts forever in their minds. In a previous blog Memories so thick…, I mentioned the idea of how educators/leaders can create an atmosphere where students make memories, but today, I wanted to take a different look at the same idea.

One of many joys I have as an educator is being able to adjunct teach at the college level. One of my running statements is that I try to “positively corrupt” future educators on how the educational world actually is. It’s harder than you think, by the way. And then there are those current teachers who are working on an advanced degree in education… more than anything else, I try to convey to them the much-needed characteristic of being a servant-leader.

With saying all of that, I have to be minded of the educator I am as well. In my own mind, I think I know what type of educator I am. However, the students throughout my career are the ones who can testify as to what type of educator I actually was.

I love how movie snippets that can say exactly what you are wanting to say, and I have one for us. I highly encourage you to watch the Emperor’s Club with Kevin Kline, if you have never seen it. I believe it should be required of all educators. There is one scene near the end of the movie that sends a message for the type of educator I hope I am and the type of educator I want to be. The message sent is what I wish all teachers/leaders in education would strive to become and be. Not only for themselves but for their students as well. I believe this one clip to be so powerful; I show it at the end of each semester to the class of future educators in hopes they will understand the passion I have for teaching and educational leadership.

Please take 2 minutes and 4 seconds to watch what I am talking about… Maybe get a tissue ready?

Emperors Club – “A Great Teacher” Clip

Here it is in print…

“A great teacher has little external history to record. His life goes over into other lives. These men are pillars in the intimate structure of our schools. They are more essential than its stones or beams, and they will continue to be a kindling force and a revealing power in our lives.” 

This is about as good as it gets for me. This is the type of teacher I hope I am. This is the type of teacher I want to be. I have been very fortunate to have some teachers and mentors like this and they have had an ever lasting influence in one way or another on my life. This is the type of teacher education needs, now more than ever. As we begin to wrap of this school year, make an effort to be this type of teacher. 

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

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2021 J Clay Norton

Want more Leadership Thoughts? Follow me on…

Twitter @thebookchamber

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Sinkholes and Leadership… It’s a Foundational Problem

09 Friday Apr 2021

Posted by in Authentic, Foundation, Leader, Leadership, Passive-Agressive, Sinkholes

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Sinkholes – You never know they are there… until the last moment when you step into one. A mirage on the surface, a bottomless abyss under… Indeed, a foundation problem, and we only see the results of them after time.

Over time, in either case, underlying “shifting” goes on. The same can be said for leadership in society and, in some cases, within ourselves.

Think about it in these terms… a sinkhole is an area of ground where water drains no other way than down and stays right there—all that water, all the junk; nowhere to go. Somewhere, something is going on underneath the surface. Sinkholes “just don’t happen.” Slowly, small incremental changes over time, and… wow, there it is. And that is when we ask ourselves, “How did that get there?”

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I offer this analogy as to what we see in many areas of leadership today. What happened with leadership where it is no longer loyal, servant-based, others first? One could argue that some leaders are just a sinkhole, to begin with; yes, that is probably true. But what about leaders who start out with a great foundation? No one sees the eroding, wasting away.

Trust in authentic leadership is quickly dissolving in our society, but it has gradually happened, and we have allowed it. Somewhere, we have compromised here and there. While others have taken a hard-line stance, others just agree to disagree and move closer to their thinking. Through said compromise and our own passiveness, we are the ones who are helping create sinkholes. Instead of filling them up and hardening the foundation to stand, we will still allow it to be watered down, knowing that the water has no place to go beyond staying in that sinkhole.

I always end my classes with this, “Society needs good people, go forth and prosper.” We know what good leadership should be and what it should look like. However, we must also affirm that. When we/others start leading with self-based interests, no loyalty, passive-aggressiveness, you name it… the leadership foundation disappears. Unseen to the eye, until we have stepped into it or the crack is so big, no amount of repair can help.

We had a sinkhole in our yard a good time back, maybe ten years or so. It was big. I asked that same question as stated above, “How did that get there?” That sinkhole does not exist anymore. I went to HomeDepot and bought a weeping willow sapling for $9.95, end of the year plant sale. That sapling looked bad (think Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree). We planted that tree in that sinkhole with good dirt, staked it to grow upright, and of course… showed it some love. We rebuilt the foundation, the roots took hold, and we now have a huge weeping willow in our yard.

As leaders, let’s do our part to at least try to see areas where sinkholes and foundation problems can occur and be proactive in making sure that we do what we need to do to keep it from falling in. Once it falls, much work has to be done for it to become solid again.

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

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2021 J Clay Norton

Want more Leadership Thoughts? Follow me on…

Twitter @thebookchamber

Want to share this leadership thought with others? Click on one of the social media sharing buttons below and help spread the good…