Category Archives: Distractions

(T)Issues of Leadership… It’s just one letter away! 

27 Friday Sep 2024

Posted by in Choice, Circumstances, Conflict, Consistency, Crisis, Culture, Deciding, Decisions, Disaster, Distractions, Education, Educational Leadership, Emotion, Emotional Temperature, Importance, Influence, Insecurity, Inspiration, Integrity, Intentional, Intentions, Issues, Knowledge, Leader, Leadership, Reality, Transparent, Trust, Understanding, Unity, Useful, Value

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I love analogies. I believe they are a better part of describing situations and are key in leadership thinking and reflection. So, today’s topic…

Let’s start with a simple yet profound observation: the word “issues” is just one letter away from “tissues.” This clever play on words serves as a powerful analogy for how personal issues can influence leadership.

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This simple play on words is a powerful reminder of how personal struggles can influence leadership. No leader has it all together, and those who think they do need to quit believing it; others know the truth. By default, I would venture into saying that many leaders carry some form of unresolved issues, good or bad. These issues might be deep-seeded from past experiences and might even be people in your unwanted circle. Still, when leaders carry unresolved issues, they burden themselves first and then affect the emotional and operational well-being of everyone around them. It’s like having the box of tissues ready handy for emotional spills (these can be good or bad also) – except, in this case, it’s needing those tissues to clean up the mess caused by unchecked issues that a leader has caused.

Leaders with unresolved issues often project their insecurities or frustrations onto others. What’s worse is that they make it seem as if you are the one at fault. I hate it when this happens. It’s like knowing a tornado is coming, and you need to run, take cover, at a right angle from that path. Whether it’s stress, poor communication, or unchecked ego (hello!), these personal challenges create a ripple effect. Everyone around becomes confused (for sure), demoralized (yes, it can happen), or even disengaged (probably so) because of the leader’s inconsistency or emotional volatility.

When leaders bring their personal issues into the working environment, they can inadvertently stifle innovation, breed negativity, and weaken the overall culture. This is where it gets serious…

But the sun is always shining behind the clouds… great leadership is about recognizing those issues and addressing them head-on. No leader is perfect, but the best ones are self-aware. They understand that their personal issues can affect their ability to make clear decisions, offer effective guidance, and create a positive culture.

Instead of burdening the team with their issues, emotionally intelligent leaders create an environment where challenges are tackled together—turning potential “tissue moments” into opportunities for growth and connection. Leadership is not about being flawless but about continually striving for improvement and ensuring personal issues don’t bleed into professional spaces. Sometimes, it is worth hearing to get out of your own way… and let’s leave the tissues for blowing our nose instead…

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

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2024 J Clay Norton

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

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Leadership About Nothing…

22 Friday Sep 2023

Posted by in Actions, Character, Connections, Culture, Deciding, Decisions, Distractions, Leader, Leadership, Vision

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For many of us, we are showing our age now. From 1989 – 1998, Seinfeld was on the air. The plot… Nothing. Unless you heard Jerry and George say it when they were trying to pitch their show in one of the episodes, I wonder if it really ever registered. Now, we watch the reruns on Netflix, fast-forwarding thirty-plus years; I pick up on different aspects of the episodes and the nuisances.

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Thinking on this the other day, I realized I couldn’t wrap my mind around a topic that wasn’t a needed discussion for this week’s blog. So I thought, “How do I write about nothing?” That’s when I realized that maybe I do have something…

Think about it this way: society constantly urges us to be on the move, achieve more, and accumulate stuff. These unofficial mandates bring to mind the profound lessons that “nothing” can teach and help us with our leadership. Now, you might be thinking, where is this going, and isn’t “nothing” about leadership paradoxical?

Well, a few thoughts… the more I think about it, the more I realize that “nothing” provides valuable insights into the effectiveness of our leadership and its self-awareness…

When “nothing” happens, a state of stillness happens, and the mind is clear of preconceived notions. This allows for the open space of creativity, critical thinking, and, most importantly, active listening (something that I will continue to work on personally).

Many leaders who have the characteristics of “look at me,” “see me,” and “hear me” cannot set aside their ego. They constantly want to assert themselves, creating an environment where others are fearful to speak and contribute. These are the leaders who definitely think they are and have “something.”

Leadership is also about letting go of unnecessary burdens, distractions, and clutter… essentially embracing “nothingness” to focus on what truly matters. Quality leadership prioritizes goals and actions aligned with the overall well-being of others. They simplify the complexities and remove barriers to progress. They discern what is essential from what is not needed, leading successfully with clarity and purpose.

“Nothing” also symbolizes humility and the willingness to admit when one doesn’t know or understand something. We need more leaders who can accept this. Great leadership is not afraid to acknowledge gaps in their knowledge or experience, seeking guidance and learning from others. When this happens, humility fosters a culture of continuous growth and improvement, benefiting everyone.

My great mentor, Dr. Hassleman, used to say, “Leadership is not hard; just do the right thing by people.” In some way, I see the value of “nothingness” in this. By taking myself out and putting others in, we open ourselves up to endless possibilities. It’s a fascinating concept when we think of leadership this way. Our decision-making will be better, and connections will become more genuine. That’s what leadership needs… genuineness. It’s amazing what you can get out of nothing.

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…

Stop all the noise, I’m distracted and can’t hear myself think…

03 Friday Sep 2021

Posted by in Captive, Classroom Leadership, Deciding, Decisions, Distractions, Importance, Intentional, Leader, Leadership, Teachers, Time

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Two ideas got my attention this week… One, I was listening to a radio segment this past Saturday morning. The topic was about freedom and being held captive; we can be captive to others, and we can be held captive to ourselves. The other idea is from a statement our pastor said this past Sunday about how we allow noise of the outside world in our lives. If we are not able to set it aside, it will hinder our focus.  When I combined these two ideas in my head…

Well, as you know… it got me thinking…

We now live in a world of instant information. What one time took days and months to reach our ears are now at the touch of a button. I will confess, I am fascinated with news of what all is going on “out there.” If I let it, it will distract me, and it does to an extent. Our willingness to put that aside, in some ways, speaks to our mindset. And it does not have to be technology distractions. There are so many things that distract us; other people, family, your job, financials, sports… that putt I missed last Saturday morning, etc…

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That said, it now leads to what holds us captive. Are we held captive to our distractions? Individual freedom can only exist when we are no longer captive to the distractions of our own minds. At some point, they can very well become weapons of “mass distractions.” 

Don’t get distracted 🙂 stay with me here…

As educational leaders (by the way, that is what all people in education should want to be), are we distracted from doing our jobs? What interferes with us so much that our minds are held captive? If they keep us from doing what we are supposed to be doing, it is not good. For me, one distraction is idle curiosity. I will Google almost anything. I will chase rabbits with or without meat on it. Does it benefit my life? In my world, yes, but big picture, not really.

Nonetheless…

As we educate, as we lead, our minds really need to be clear of distractions. I know, easier said than done. Can we hone in on our objectives? There is a clip in the movie “For the Love of the Game” where Kevin Costner’s role is a baseball picther. When pitching, he mentally says, “Clear the mechanism.” It is often very hard to do this, but I believe we are at our best when we do.

Bottom line… distractions disengage us. I would suspect that most people would want us to be engaged and the flipside of that as well. I guess, in the end, it boils down to what we are willing and not willing to control in our minds. What do we want freedom from? Don’t be held captive to the noise.

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…