Category Archives: coronavirus

An Educational Pandemic…?

15 Friday May 2020

Posted by in coronavirus, covid19, Culture, Education, Educational Leadership, Intentions, Leader, Leadership, Purpose, Teachers, Whole

≈ 6 Comments

A little long today, but it is the last one for the year…

Well, here we are again at the end of another school year. And yes, it has gone by very fast considering what education has been through this spring semester with the Covid19 and the effects of the pandemic.

As always, many people have many opinions about many things they know nothing about… Just stand in line and take a number to be heard… However, one thing teachers know is education, and I believe that this is an excellent thought to end the 2019-2020 school year.

The Covid19 pandemic has caused a significant shift in many areas of our lives; education being one of them. As a person who is passionate about educational leadership, I feel that we have this one chance to help change education, as a whole, for the better. If we do not, then our future generations will continue on the same path education is now.

Not too long ago, I was having a conversation with my daughter. Now, understand we are a family of educators. My wife is also in education as a school counselor. We were discussing the idea of our “distance learning” and how it is either helping or hurting students. As we talked, I stated that I believe if done correctly on both ends, teacher and student, it would be beneficial. I also told her, that in all practical matters, “education” has this one chance, as I said above, to get “how we educate” right for the future. I gave her the following example, which I saw in a YouTube video…

A long time ago a phone looked like this…images

Now, it looks like this..iphone-xs-iphone-xs-max-21-1

A long time ago, an automobile looked like this…images-3

Now, it looks like this… (I hope you see where this is going)141843-cars-feature-techrules-at96-trev-image1-lffzvrp3ql

A long time ago, a school classroom looked like this…old-school-sarah-akers

And now…?
What has changed?Empty classroom with whiteboard

The above picture can probably be the standard of most classrooms across America.  Desks are lined up neatly, 25 to 30 in a classroom, teacher desk up front, etc. If this continues to be our model, then we might as just well label a school as a factory setting. I am sure many teachers would want to change the look of their classroom, but either they are told they cannot due to “classroom management” concerns or the school does not have the financial resources to change. Which leads me to this…

Educators are the experts in their field of study, yet we are told how and what we are to teach. Now, I am not saying we do not need direction and structure… However, I am saying that if we are going to educate the whole child and help them to become productive citizens of society, we must stop viewing them as a “test score” sitting in a desk… Like then, Like now…

I like reading articles that pertain to schools that are changing the paradigm shift to how they instruct. With that being said, I recently read an article where it stated that when school does start back (whenever that may be) that teachers should focus on students’ social and emotional learning due to the Covid19.

i-am-more-than-just-a-test-score-1024x683My mental response to that is this: If we were educating the whole child, to begin with, then we would not have to worry about their social and emotional learning because it should be an innate teaching characteristic, to start with. It seems that we would be trying to do what was undone, to begin with, somewhere down the road in the past when the education system sold its soul to the idea that we need a “score” to be labeled a success.

School should be a place that edifies a student. Where teachers lead by example and can provide positive emulation. I like to call that the “3 E’s of teaching, which provides “ease.” (I hope you got that)… When we do that, we are actually building the social and emotional aspects of students. Too many times, just as in life, we look to see what makes us look good (test scores) instead of focusing on the whole so we can all look good.

We have a chance to revamp, reconstruct, reorganize, re… “whatever” education, and now is the time. It will take a group of people who are willing to listen to teachers first and set aside predetermined thoughts as to what they think is best for a school. Every school is different, but if we continue to gauge every school’s success the same way, we will create another pandemic, one that there might not be a cure for…

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

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2020 J Clay Norton

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Your Leadership Brand…

01 Friday May 2020

Posted by in Actions, Brand, coronavirus, covid19, Crisis, Leader, Leadership, Value

≈ 1 Comment

The value of branding your leadership is not always measured by how many times we hear “Well done,” or “You did a great job,” or “I know you worked long and hard on that project.” Oh, but how we often want it to be measured that way… Our leadership is measured on the impact it makes, not in short, but in the value of the long term, it has on the organization and, most importantly, the people. And that value… unconscionably creates your brand…

As that opening paragraph begins to simmer and resonate in your mind, I think it is timely to talk about our leadership “brand” and the effects of it, especially in a time such as we are experiencing now. I would think it would be safe to say that we all aspire to be quality leaders. Reflectively speaking, it can be creative and fun. Finding new ideas and ways that help the overall picture of what we know “something” can be and then, with the help of others, bring a common good for all is the best feeling.

I also believe one of the hardest things to do is “hope” that your leadership brand has enough weight to carry itself and a group when it is time to have a plan without having a plan ready to go. I once heard the old adage, “It is better to build a plane on the ground, instead of in the air.”

The “brand” we talk with is heard, and we walk with is seen. What are people hearing and seeing as you lead with your brand? It is hard enough to “sell” your brand, much less wanting people to understand your brand and what it is. My leadership style has to be made by me from a summation of lifetime experiences. However, how I lead cannot be a copy based on the brand of other leaders. More times than not, when we copy leadership, it just doesn’t fit well. And we all know when something doesn’t’ fit well, it sure doesn’t wear well.

I think of a person’s leadership brand like I do a company’s logo. Take the company “XYZ” for example (insert whatever company you want). When we hear or see the company’s name or logo, a mental explosion takes place, and everything we have ever seen, heard, tasted, tried, etc… comes to thought. I would dare say the same thing happens when we see or hear the leadership around us.

With all of that being said, I feel the importance, now, of others knowing what our leadership brand is. One thing our brand cannot do is change like the weather. Our leadership brand is what we make it. Needless to say, through all of your leadership tenure, your leadership brand will be remembered. Maybe now more than ever.

One more thought, you know those cattle branding irons? They tend to leave a permanent marking… Well, so does your leadership…

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

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others

©2020 J Clay Norton

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Mandate and Motivation…

24 Friday Apr 2020

Posted by in coronavirus, covid19, Crisis, Education, Educational Leadership, Leader, Leadership, Mandates, Motivation, Relationships

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Liberal and weak leadership that openly questions the accuracy and trustworthiness of strong leadership must be called out. Especially in times of crisis, such as we have now. Too many leaders are putting themselves first, taking center stage on decisions, and giving “after the fact congratulations” to the people who are actually doing something.

Nothing like getting right to the point without an introduction, lead-in paragraph, right?

The call for quality leadership is ongoing. We must rally around strong leaders and help them help others to maintain consistent leadership that can block skeptical attacks by those who subscribe to the “me first” attitude.

How can we flesh that out in practical ways? I think the first and foremost answer is in the way in which we proclaim the good that quality leaders are doing. This can easily be seen in the conviction of the way they lead. This conviction leads to the two ideas I have, that in a crisis, every quality leader leads with a mandate and motivation.

Mandate

There is a mandate for quality leadership. Leadership is a ground that many “want” to walk on, but many cannot. Leaders are called to lead, point-blank, pure and simple. That is the mandate. Any leadership that is weak, self-serving, wants popularity… ignores the mandated purpose of what a quality leadership plan is supposed to be. What’s that? To do right by people. How easy that mandate can and should be. When the mandate of doing right by people is accomplished, it creates accuracy and completeness that many strive for. The mandate is carried out entirely and precisely for others first.

As simple as carrying out this mandate seems, it has to have harmony with the right motivation as to why a leader leads the way they do.

Motivation

We are in a different season with our lives right now, due to COVID19. The motivation we lead with can be very dangerous if we are not careful. Make no mistake, there will always be difficult times in the days to come. With that being said, this is an opportune time to make sure our motivation to lead is set accordingly and not threatened. I believe that the number one way our motivation gets threatened is through compromise. This compromise is usually placed in motion by impulses to put self first.

That is why the right mandate and motivation to lead is all the more necessary and urgent in this time of calling. Weak, self-first leaders are what I want to call… Leadership Terrorists. They sneak up, backstab, connive with other evil to make way for themselves, provide “truth” in the actual falsehood that leads to deception and ultimately leaves a path of destruction behind.

All of this is why we need the right leadership, mandates and motivation, now more than ever before. Despite all the dangers that threaten quality leadership, putting others first will always be the right thing to do. Lead from behind or follow from the front, I do not care… just lead for the right reasons and leading for yourself is not one.

Mandates and motivation… what are yours today?

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

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others

©2020 J Clay Norton

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Staying Close with Your “Distance” Leadership…

17 Friday Apr 2020

Posted by in Communication, Conversations, coronavirus, covid19, Distance, Education, Educational Leadership, Leader, Leadership, Relationships, Teachers, Trust, Understanding, Value

≈ 3 Comments

The educational world, as now, most definitely, has moved into the distance-learning mode. As educators, we can adapt as well as any profession. Try teaching 150 students with different personalities and different learning styles throughout one to two days. Yep… Did I say the ability to adapt?

You get the idea… However, what about leadership when it comes to the distance-learning mode? How does that look? Can we adapt? Yes, due to recent circumstances, most everything is done by remote, even leadership.

Let’s not talk about the collective decisions of leadership, let’s talk about the relationships of leadership. The decisions we make as leaders are usually made by a consensus, well-informed group, and then disseminated to everyone. I believe that it is just part of doing our jobs as leaders.

Now… on to the relationship part of leadership during these “distance” times…

More than ever, people are looking for leaders to guide them during uncertain times. Rest assured, a leader will always emerge in times of need. Leadership is challenging enough, without all the extra “stuff” that goes on. However, quality leaders probably do not have to change their “style” very much. On the other hand, if a leader leads from a “distance” to begin with, the need to change is now. At some point, if you do not change, then your “distance” leadership will turn into leadership that is so far away, it will be nonexistent leadership.

Here are a few quick thoughts that I have (and this goes for teachers as well)…

While a “blanket” text or email is fine, make a point to be intentional with a few people each day. Just create a running list… Communicate with them individually. If you call, they probably will answer and carry on a conversation. Showing some intentionality will create and possibly strengthen a bond you have with others. People, by nature, work better in a friendly environment. This environment carries over remotely. We really have no excuse, technology has made this so easy.

With regard to “distance” leadership, another thing is to trust. Yes, even remotely. In education, we must trust the teachers. They have more “jobs” going on remotely, then they do when at school. Let them do what they do best; teach. Tell teachers what needs to be done and let them go. Check on them, not their work, per se.

Leading from a distance requires more effort on our part. Now is an excellent time to really invest in the lives of our teams. Ask them something other than work or even weather-related. Ask their opinion on something that could benefit the whole (but do not ask, if you do not want to hear).

The unknown… that is where we are with educational leadership at the moment. However, we are becoming more familiar with it day by day.  The only known is that we have had to adapt and change. Many a leader will rise or fall due to the choices of the decisions that they make during this pandemic. We will need the support of our teams. Make every effort and give your team a reason to support you.

Remember, as a leader, it is up to you to lead. If you do not, someone else will. If that happens, do not get upset. You had your chance… Do not be a “from a distance” leader, stay close. Society already has enough “distance” leaders as it is…

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

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others

©2020 J Clay Norton

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