Category Archives: Choice

“Ride The Fence” Leadership

02 Friday Nov 2018

Posted by in Actions, Authentic, Choice, Clarity, Consistency, Deciding, Decisions, Leader, Leadership, Purpose, Servant

≈ 9 Comments

“I wish I knew what they were thinking.” “I wish they would make a decision.” “If they change their mind one more time…” Have you ever had these thoughts with the leadership in your organization? While these are common, the question that needs to be answered is why are leaders this way?

Why do they “ride the fence?”

The main reason I believe leaders ride the fence is for self-protection. They put their needs first, which are often in direct opposition to what is best for the people of the organization or the organization as a whole. While they feel like the “have to” make a decision at the end, it only protects themselves.  Most of the time it is to save face. I also believe insecurity is the underlying foundation to people who look to self-protect themselves first (I will write about insecure leadership in the future). Leaders with insecurity issues are only for themselves. They are desperate to keep their power and the appearance of control.

When a leader’s actions do not match their words; riding the fence occurs. No one likes “ride the fence” leaders, and it does not take long to figure out who rides and who does not. All you have to do is look at their butt (see last sentence in bold at end of blog). But who are these leaders and what are their characteristics?

Riding-Fence-Editorial-Photo

“Ride the fence” leaders have…

Inconsistency
One group hears this and another group hears that. This and that are not the same. What is said is what the leader thinks each group needs to hear.

Favoritism
Like it or not, it exists. The problem with this is leaders will go to their “favorite” people to get their input. Most of the time, they already think like the leader, or they would not be the favorite.

Indecisiveness
When a leader sits on the fence, it is because they do not want to be on one side or the other. They just sit there not deciding at all, hoping that “whatever” will work itself out.

I like to call these characteristics the “if-i” of riding the fence. When leaders ride the fence, their leadership is always “if-i” do this or “if-i” do that. While it is good to weigh options and gather facts to make a decision, nothing of value comes from being an “if-i” leader. Please get off the fence and be who you need to be for your people not for yourself.

One thing is for sure, when you ride the fence, you are going to get splinters.

Remember… THINK LEADERSHIP!

©2018 J Clay Norton

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“AAA” Calculator Leadership – Are You Leading With A Basic Or Scientific Mindset?

26 Friday Oct 2018

Posted by in Achieve, Advantage, Align, Assist, Choice, Leader, Leadership, Opportunity, Servant, Understanding, Useful, Value

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534078_LI have in my hand a calculator; the old four function one. The one, many of us remember having for the first time after we set our abacus aside. Yes, the one that only you could add, subtract, multiply and divide with and was about the size of a wallet.

In my other hand, I have a scientific/graphing calculator that has an untold amount of functions. Many of the functions, never been used. But none the less, it does more than the basic calculator. TEXTI84PLUSCE

It is like that in leadership also. Either we can be “basic” with our leadership, or we can have many functions available. Most importantly, we must know what buttons to use. Any calculator, like any tool, is only as good as the person using it. Every day we have opportunities to lead; some more than others, but lead we do. The more functions you have as a leader allows you to know and understand which to use at the appropriate time.

The compare and contrast between the two different styles are not very complicated. Either you have the functions to do all that is possible, or you limit yourself because you only have the basics. Looking more closely, we can determine what style we lead with easily and establish why one is better.

When we lead “scientifically” instead of “basic” we…

Are ALIGNED with almost anything that comes our way.
Different situations will occur and the more functions you have to add value and show significant concern provides a calming effect. If all we have is “basic,” then we can only make one to four decisions. Sometimes you just need more to align yourself to make sure you provide the right leadership.

Have the ADVANTAGE to better the opportunity.
I also like to think that here, we have the advantage to connect. For me, that is one of the fundamental ideas of leadership. If we have more “buttons” to use, then our connection with others can only increase. Being “basic” does not carry an advantage. It limits our ability to function properly.

Can ACHIEVE more.
“Basic” is what it is, basic. We all know that the more functions we have, the more we can do, the more we can be. Achievement is satisfying. It provides success. It completes the desired outcome of what we want to achieve.

ASSIST to the overall good.
Assist, to help. Better yet, to serve. That is what all leaders should strive to do. To assist others, we have to go beyond a “basic” mentality of giving an effort of just what we have. When we assist, we move beyond the idea of selfishness by placing the importance on someone or something else above our thoughts.

images-3Have you ever noticed what is needed to make a scientific calculator work? Most of the time it is four “AAA” batteries, and they all need to be working together. Make sure your four “AAA” batteries are charged and ready to lead. Your leadership will not be able to provide as many functions if they are not.

 

Remember… THINK LEADERSHIP!

©2018 J Clay Norton

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The Heartbeat Of Leadership

28 Friday Sep 2018

Posted by in Actions, Attitude, Choice, Clear, Compassion, Heart, Honest, Leader, Leadership, Relationships, Understanding

≈ 2 Comments

An agreed-upon statement (I hope)… Regardless of the setting or situation, just like your heartbeat, everything rises and falls with leadership or any relationship for that matter.

“I wish they understood.” “I wish they knew what all was going on.” “Why do they never listen to us?” “I wish…,” “Why…?”

Every one of us, at some time or another, make statements or ask questions like these, leaders and followers both.

What is more important than the above comments?  How they are being answered. How do you as a leader, respond? Often, events happen that can be stressful (and stress is not good for the heart), but it does not always have to be the case. Many times, we create the stress ourselves. We start “over-thinking,” and “reacting” and that becomes the problem.

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To make sure your leadership “rises and falls” like your heartbeat and stress is limited, you need to be the following…

BE CLEAR
Do you model the expectations you have for others? Do others even know what your expectations are? As brilliant as people think they are, they are not mind-readers. Too many times, people are left guessing at what leadership wants, and it needs to be clear for all.  At the same time, never believe that expectations are a one-way street.  Others have expectations of you as well.  Allow the road to go both ways.

BE HONEST
It would go without saying; leaders must be honest with themselves and others. Pretending to be a super-leader with all the answers and a “my way” attitude is a quick way to alienate and limit the growth of others. Be honest and humble enough to recognize that others might just have a good idea that is not yours. It is ok to let others know that you are not always the fabulous piece of work that you currently think you are.  It is very hard, to be honest with others if we cannot be truly honest with ourselves.

BE COMPASSIONATE
Being compassionate does not mean not correcting when you have to. However, it does mean having some level of understanding of what goes on in the lives of others. How many leaders do you know that walk around looking for that “gotcha” moment? Usually, when this happens, it is an opportunity for a leader to look better or to put someone down. Too many times a leader will only have “surface” knowledge and not “depth” knowledge of a situation. Being compassionate is not a weakness.  It is a strength that shows you are giving grace and mercy just like you would want to receive.

Are there more or different leadership characteristics? Yes. But if you do not have these three in your leadership repertoire, your leadership heartbeat does not and will not function very well. Your leadership heart will rise and fall in an unhealthy rhythm, causing that stress that is not good for you or anyone else.

The heart drives all three of these characteristics.  When we lead with our heart instead of our minds, we lead with a level of motivation that can be felt by others.

Remember… THINK LEADERSHIP!

©2018 J Clay Norton

Follow me on Twitter at TheBookChamber

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Teaching With Dignity

14 Friday Sep 2018

Posted by in Actions, Attitude, Character, Choice, Dignity, Giving, Leader, Leadership, Opportunity, Purpose, Servant, Teachers, Understanding

≈ 1 Comment

A quick web search for the definition of dignity… “bearing, conduct, or speech indicative of self-respect or appreciation of the formality or gravity of an occasion or situation.”

I like the part “… appreciation of the gravity of a situation.”

My questions for you today are:

“Does your job as a teacher reflect the dignity it should?” and “Do we understand the gravity of what a teacher should be?”

dignity

A few weeks ago, I alluded to the notion that I believe too many teachers downplay that teaching is a privilege, and not everyone can or wants to do it.  Many people say they have respect for teachers and they are probably sincere.  However, teaching has to be a profession that represents your self-respect.

How does that look?

Having dignity as a teacher shows…

An endless opportunity to give.

Every teacher should teach with a goal of helping others in mind. Teachers are part of a solution that has the opportunity to improve society.  I am sure that other professions can have that type of empowerment, but teaching has to be at the top of the list.

Doing what is right.

When we do what is right, we often have to forgo what is easy.  Do we teach the “right way?” Do we teach the children that walk into the classrooms the same way we teach our children at home? If we ever take the time to see the students we teach as our own; teaching and learning will take on a whole new level.

Changing the way we look at others.

Understand this: it is not about YOU.  When we realize this, our ability to listen to and learn from others enables us to be better. When it is about ourselves, we miss the opportunity to treat others with respect.  If you can ever have an appreciation of your dignity, then you can begin to have an appreciation of others.

No one can give you dignity. There is not a “dignity” line to stand in.  It is one of the few characteristics that we must go out and get for ourselves.  As teachers (and leaders for that matter), our dignity reveals so much about us.  Let others see that we take pride in what we do, that we have self-respect, and accept the gravity of the situation of educating the future.

We might not always see the light at the end of the tunnel, but that does not mean we don’t use our flashlights or light candles to help shine the way until we do.

Remember… THINK LEADERSHIP!

©2018 J Clay Norton

Follow me on Twitter at TheBookChamber

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