Category Archives: Deciding

“Ride The Fence” Leadership

02 Friday Nov 2018

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

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“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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Unmistakable… Authentic Leadership

27 Friday Apr 2018

Posted by in Actions, Attitude, Authentic, Choice, Deciding, Expectations, Ideals, Inspiration, Integrity, Leader, Leadership, Purpose, Servant

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I heard someone the other day say the word “unmistakable,” and thought to myself, “I had not heard that word in a while.”  Then I thought if “something” was unmistakable, then it is without denying its realness, in essence; authentic. Put the two words together with their meanings, and you have…

Unmistakable… Very distinctive
Authentic… Genuine

Now, let’s put leadership with them. You now have awakened something powerful; Unmistakable Authentic Leadership. It even sounds powerful. When you find that leader who has all three, you will not have to worry about their words. Thier actions will radiate the meaning of each.

So, who is a person with Unmistakable Authentic Leadership? I am glad you wanted to know.

I believe leaders who have unmistakable authentic leadership lead with values that are…

Optimistic
This attribute is not rooted in the fact that one is never unrealistic. It is not as if you are “putting on a grin and bear it” mentality. Sometimes, bad things happen. There is hurt, pain, loss, etc., but an optimistic person does not drown and wallow in the pleasure of self-pity.

Impactful
As a leader, what and who do you effect? I would say most everything and everyone around you. Let’s vision your leadership barometer here. When people are around you, do they leave as a better person? Or better yet, do they want to be around you? Wow… What a question that we can see immediately. If you ever wonder why people avoid you, you do not have to ask; you already know the answer.

Integrity
One of the best words of leadership. I have mentioned before in other blogs the best line I have ever heard about integrity is, “If I have to define integrity for you, then you do not have it.” Now, that does not mean that many leaders do not have a misconception about integrity, they do. Those who do are the leaders who usually tailor their needs and wants to and for themselves and not for the benefit of the grander scheme or others.

Realistic
There is no phoniness or putting up a good front for realistic leaders. Most of all, they are not living a “fake it til you make it” mentality. Most people can be categorized as either positive or negative, but how many leaders do you know who are purely realistic? My grandfather once said, “Make the most of whatever comes, and the least of whatever goes.” In my mind, this sums up a realistic leader.

Collectively, these four components can leave a lasting effect on others. We need leaders who are unmistakable and authentic. The world creates a blinding facade that is masked over with gloss, counterfeiting true servant-based leadership. It is not being or called an unmistakable authentic leader that produces each of the above ideas, but living out the ideals of each.

Start today… Strive for Unmistakable Authentic Leadership. You and everyone around you will be better for it.

Remember… THINK LEADERSHIP!

©2018 J Clay Norton

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Your Choices Mean A “Lot”

09 Friday Mar 2018

Posted by in Actions, Attitude, Choice, Conflict, Deciding, Decisions, Leader, Leadership

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“It is our choices… that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” – J.K. Rowling

Choices

Photo Credit: taylorintime.com

The other night for Bible Study, we looked at Genesis 13-14 and 18-19, with a focus on the choices that Lot made and how they affected him and his family.   As I was riding home, I begin to think, while maybe not on the same “extreme” level, we as leaders have a “Lot” riding on the choices we make.

I will let you read the verses in Genesis on your own to see the “before and after” of the choices Lot made.  What I would like to do is highlight three of them and show how they coincide with our leadership.

Because of Lot’s choices, He faced:

WAR (Genesis 14:11)

Now, we might not face war such as Lot did, but we fight inward and outward battles every day.  Most of them are just petty conflicts that have nothing to do with nothing, and we get caught in the middle.  What we should do is let our fight be for others.

KIDNAPPING (Genesis 14:12)

Most of us have never been kidnapped and held hostage.  However, from a leadership point of view, our minds can be easily kidnapped.  When we let “things” invade our mind and consume our thoughts and time, we are kidnapped.  I firmly believe that social media is kidnapping our society.  I am sure you can add to the list of the “things.”  What we should do is make sure we are letting our minds be captivated by what will not only build ourselves to be better but also others.

OPPRESSION and TORMENT (Genesis 19:1-11)

One word:  Drama… It can wear you out mentally.  Drama is everywhere.  If you do not go looking for it, it will find you. You know that saying, “Run for your lives.”  That is what we should do to avoid being associated with drama.

There are some other results of Lot’s choices, but I thought that these three were very pertinent to leadership today.  What we should realize is every choice we make as a leader dramatically affects our lives and the lives of others.

Decision making is an art that evolves with time.  We learn from our right and wrong choices, in the hope that we can do better every opportunity that comes next.  If I could impress one thought on today’s topic is that we should never make our choices lightly.

Remember… THINK LEADERSHIP!

©2018 J Clay Norton

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Memory Moments

09 Friday Feb 2018

Posted by in Actions, Communication, Deciding, Decisions, Family, Inspiration, Leader, Leadership, Legacy, Purpose, Servant, Understanding

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The older I get, the more I have “memory moments.”

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Photo Credit: LearnZillion.com

This past weekend my wife and I, along with our daughter attended an Academic Insight Day at Mississippi State University. Our daughter is a senior this year and will be attending MSU next fall. As my daughter was driving up to Starkville (and back), I begin to think about our first driving experience in the visitor’s gravel parking lot across from Clinton High School. She was 14, and I was a nervous wreck. Fast-forward to today, and all I have are memories of that moment.

My brother and his family live in another state and we keep up regularly. Many times we will call each other to have a conversation on nothing more than, “You remember when?” Usually, it is some funny experience regarding our family growing up. Then we will call our parents and ask the same thing to make sure they remember as well. Even though we are both grown with our own families, we are still making “memory moments.”

I give you this background to say this… “memory moments” have a way of shaping who we are. “Memory moments” come in all areas of our lives, from family, friends, jobs, etc. What is most important is what we do with those “memory moments.”

So… How does this relate to leadership or does it even at all?

Our leadership if full of “memory moments.” Those moments we have made for ourselves, and those that we have been apart of with others. With each, there are good and bad “memory moments.” We only like to think about or bring up the good, but oh how does the bad make us mad or tugs at our hearts. We recall what we want to and try to forget the things we wish we could.

Every leadership decision you have ever made falls into one of these two categories. “Memory moments” have a way of shaping our leadership style and how it affects our whole world as it pertains to you and everyone around. What is crucial to understand and often we do not, is when we make decisions, our “memory moments” should serve as a guide that helps us understand we are dealing with real things and real people. Too often we fail (or do not want to) acknowledge this.

How many times do we make decisions just to be making them? As to say, going through the motions? We can chase a lot of rabbits with this idea. The critical concept to realize is there are no “flippant” decisions when it comes to leadership. Everything means something to someone. Like it or not, they leave a lasting impression.

As you think about your own “memory moments,” let them be what they are. If good, then enjoy the time and the rewards. If bad, then learn from it and make sure you do not repeat. Either way, the next leadership moment you have will leave a memory for you and someone else.

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