Category Archives: Heart

How Well Do You Listen and Can You Hear Me Now?

18 Friday May 2018

Posted by in Clarity, Communication, Heart, Leader, Leadership, Listening, Servant, Understanding

≈ 1 Comment

Do you remember the Verizon Phone Company’s commercial of “Can you hear me now?” While that “jingle” might be slightly funny, the question itself with regards to leadership is profound. How many times, do others have conversations with us, and they walk away wondering if they were ever heard?

One of many essential characteristics of great leadership is listening. It sounds simple, but… as you well know, some leaders simply do not listen, or they do not listen as to understand. I believe that there are times when people come to us, they have something to say. They want our attention, and they know real quick if they have it or not.

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As I think about the different time’s people have wanted to speak with me, did I listen to hear? I can also ask that same question for when I wanted to be also heard. For those times when the answer was “no” in both cases, after hard lessons learned, I begin thinking of what type of listener leaders are and the type of listener I wanted to be.

To always keep it simple, I have three ideas about what type of ears a listener you may have…

CLOSED EARS

When a leader has closed ears, it is tough for others to talk to them. They cannot ask questions or explain anything. It becomes more of a task and chore. The issue here is with the listener. It has nothing to do with the person or what is being said. I believe there is a direct correlation between leaders with closed ears having a closed heart.

SELECTIVE EARS

We have all heard that notion of someone having selective hearing. Well, here it is. Leaders who have this, only listen to what they want to. They want to hear what is pleasing to them. Leaders like this will surround themselves with people who say the “right thing” and are basically “yes people.”

HEART EARS

For a portion of my life, I listened to others with my brain (and I am still guilty of it at times). Listening this way means I would think of how I would respond to the other person instead of listening with my heart to truly hear what they were saying. This is the type of listening leader we should strive to be, listening with heart ears.

What type of listener are you with your leadership? If you do not know, odds are others do. Like me, I am sure each of you can name a leader whose listening style reflects one of the above.

If leaders care for their people, then having heart ears is the only way to listen. You and everyone around you will be better for it.

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

The Heart Of The Matter… Your Words

13 Friday Apr 2018

Posted by in Actions, Attitude, Authentic, Choice, Communication, Heart, Humility, Inspiration, Integrity, Leader, Leadership, Purpose, Servant, Trust

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“Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.” Dan Rockwell of Leadership Freak

This I believe… You can never separate who you are with what you say you believe in. This is a powerful statement of leadership. We are walking “billboards” of our belief system; not only in leadership but all areas of life. What are people “seeing” and “hearing” from us?

The central question today for this post is, “Do the words of your heart matter?” If you answer “no,” then please check your leadership at the door and quit “trying” to be a leader. If you answer “I’m not sure,” please keep reading. If you answer “yes,” then you are where you need to be and know your words do matter (but please do not be satisfied).

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Photo Credit: dreamstime.com

There is no mistaking, what a person is inwardly, their mouth will sooner or later reveal outwardly. That is why our words matter and they are at the heart of our leadership.

Please understand, we are not speaking of areas where rightful anger exists. We are talking about areas where one’s speech is crude, rude, evil, hateful, manipulative, etc. You get the picture… When people speak like this, it reveals their heart. Our hearts carry so much. It is a large holding compartment of your character.

Our heart is the ultimate revealer of who we actually are. More often than not, it can also represent the people we surround ourselves with the most. If you can be “labeled” by who you “hang out” with, what would your label represent?

That is why one of my goals is to find and be with like-minded, kindred-spirited people. Our lives are too short, and our leadership is too important to be seen as uncharacteristic of quality.

Our mouths express our hearts. Like it or not, it is what it is. We will try to justify and explain our thoughts to the point of no end, only to make ourselves look good or feel superior. There are not any excuses that can undo this.

Do the words of our heart matter? You bet they do and everyone listening to you can tell. Be the leader others need. Be the leader others need to hear. Have good qualities in your heart. When you do, your mouth will reveal each one. You and everyone around you will be better for it.

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

 

The Cross and The Grave

29 Thursday Mar 2018

Posted by in Easter, Freedom, Heart, Heroes, Humility, Leader, Leadership, Passion, Power, Purpose, Sacrifice, Servant

≈ 4 Comments

“… Why do you seek the living among the dead?  He is not here, but has risen…” – Luke 24: 5-6 ESV

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Printer Friendly version click here:  The Cross and The Grave

The Cross and The Grave

O Death where is your sting?
O Hell where is your victory?

There is none of either,
For it is Easter!

For it pleased God to bruise His heel,
And by His stripes, we are healed.

A Savior… beaten, flogged, spit upon, ridiculed.
Humble through it all.

On that rugged cross, the blood of Jesus dropped.
Securing our salvation, once and for all.

Carrying the sin of humanity upon His heart,
Crying to the Father, forsake me not.

A cry of “It is finished.”
Fulfilling prophecy that Satan could not stop.

Buried in a grave, not His own
Sealed by a stone, Dark.

Three days later.
The grave could not hold Him down.

God, looking down, said…
“Arise, My Love.”

Bursting forth, Light.
The stone was rolled away.

The Son of God, Jesus.
Sin, Death, Hell all have been defeated.

Easter…

The Day that Christ rose from the grave,
The moment captives of sin were set free.

That includes you and me.
Christ is risen, indeed!

Our God is not dead; He is ALIVE.

 

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

An Approved, Pure, Blameless Heart For Leadership

02 Friday Feb 2018

Posted by in Actions, Attitude, Authentic, Heart, Humility, Integrity, Leader, Leadership, Servant

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“Great leadership usually starts with a willing heart, a positive attitude, and a desire to make a difference.” – Mac Anderson

This past week during our Wednesday night Bible study we looked at Philippians 1:10 and the focus on three words of the verse: approved, pure and blameless. While each of these has a spiritual connotation as to how we should live our lives, I began thinking about how each of them could help us live our leadership.

Each of these three words can describe if your leadership has a pulse or is dead leadership walking? There is a two-part test to determine which you have. One is to take a self-examination and admit short-comings. The other is allowing others to give us our grade. Whenever we begin to look within ourselves, while at the same time allowing others to see our leadership, it starts to take on a whole new perspective.

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As we look at each of the words, take time to consider the value they can bring to your leadership.

Approved
Is it authentic? Or, maybe we should ask, “Is it the real deal?” I like the word “genuine.” Having our leadership approved by others does not equate with having popularity. Having it approved by others means that it is what it says it is. Approved leadership is tested time and time again, always yielding the same result. Its value is consistent and will be rewarded over time with proof that it is real.

Pure
The idea here is finding out if your leadership passes the test when it is held to the light. We are talking about real light from the sun and not lights that are fake. Ever notice what all a sunbeam shows? It shines on everything and shows everything in its path. It is tough to hide weak leadership when the light shines on us. Bottom line… pure is on the same level as sincere. Do others see your leadership as sincere?

Blameless
Our leadership should be seen as blameless. Well, how does that work? Leaders should make every effort to make sure there is no wrongdoing. We should strive to make sure our leadership is appropriate. That is the meaning behind blameless. Is it the right thing for the right time? Or, does it provide guilt? I would dare say most people by nature do not enjoy feeling guilty unless you are just that evil of a person (but there are those who are). We need our leaders to be seen true and right, appropriate for what it should be.

When all three of these words are united within your leadership, it will not only be seen but also felt. Too many leaders carry the mantle of leadership title only without carrying the authenticity, sincerity and the appropriateness, especially toward and for others. Let your leadership be approved, pure and blameless. Have a heart for leadership.  You and everyone around you will be better off, and they will thank you for it.

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