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~ J Clay Norton, Ed.D.

The Book Chamber

Category Archives: Honest

What is your AGENDA?

13 Friday Sep 2019

Posted by The Book Chamber in Agenda, Honest, Leader, Leadership, Perception, Trust, Word

≈ Leave a comment

AGENDA… Positive or negative connotation? What does it mean to you? That one word can carry a lot of mixed emotions and definitions that can only be interpreted by two groups — the ones who have the agenda, and those that are the recipients of an agenda. Either way…

There is always an agenda… Every leader I know has one, and this is not a bad idea. When an agenda is seen for the overall well-being of a group, organization, the intentions are seen as positive and just maybe, enjoyable. But what happens when agendas do not follow the “positive” route? When agendas become self-serving, the negative connotation shows up and BAM!… you know what happens – trust is broken, chaos abounds, and the air is sucked out of the environment quicker than a time vacuum.

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The questions today that should require you to ponder are:

How do others view the agenda you have as a leader?
Does your agenda positively or negatively impact others?
Who is your agenda for?
What are you trying to “make happen” with your agenda?

An agenda always has an end in sight. Strong leaders make their agenda open and allow everyone involved to participate. Think of it like this… As a leader, this is where WE want to go… Now let’s get everyone involved and see how we can get to that end result. Everyone knows their role, everything is clearly defined, and empowerment is seen and felt. The “after effects” works for all. If we get there, then that means I get there.

Oh, but that hidden agenda. No clarity – fuzzy, hazy, clouded… you get the idea. The one no one knows about… Yea, right… The funny thing about hidden agendas is that everyone can actually see them. Weak leaders have hidden agendas, and they manipulate others to further that agenda.

All leadership agendas connect the dots. Leaders with open agendas connect the dots for everyone to see a completed picture. Leaders whose agenda is hidden connect the dots also. The only problem is the picture they make is circle around themselves. Leadership agendas must help form an alliance instead of isolation.

Becoming a successful leader, attaining a high position in one’s career, gaining “status”… these are not bad. But all of these will ultimately deteriorate, for time is the revealer of all things, if all one does is make their agenda about themselves.

The success of an agenda will always be seen. Will it be seen on the backs of others as step-stones and footstools, or will it be seen with others on your back? Beware of leaders who make their names on the backs of others.

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others

©2019 J Clay Norton

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Teach with classroom leadership not classroom management…

06 Friday Sep 2019

Posted by The Book Chamber in Actions, Effective, Honest, Leader, Leadership, Purpose, Relationships, Servant, Teachers, Value, Vision

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If I had the opportunity to rewrite or rename a few college education classes, renaming classroom management would be the first on the list. We live in an everchanging world, and for the most part, people, in general, want to be led, not managed. Students are no different. Education needs more teachers who are leaders in the classroom, not managers. Yet, that is what we prepare future educators to do. Why not prepare them to lead? Classroom leadership takes classroom management to a welcoming concept for both the teacher and student.  Classroom leadership is what we should be teaching our future teachers. Classroom leadership needs to be discussed more in our educational conversations regarding teaching and learning.

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Classroom leadership is centered around empowerment, not only for you, as a teacher, but for the student as well. Classroom leadership should be based on a vision and principles, not managing students like they are products on a shelf; a vision that shows what the end result can be – where students can grow, and finish better than they started. Classroom leadership should be about influence, and that is what leaders do; influence inspires, management manages. When people are inspired, they do not have to be managed.

Too many teachers get caught up in wanting or even needing to have “great” classroom management. Now, that is not a wrong concept, per se, but…  What the question that needs to be asked is, “What are you managing?” Is it policy and procedure of your classroom, lesson plans, desks all in a straight row, etc…? I believe that most teachers think that classroom management is all about having their students behave; shut up, sit down, raise your hand, I am the teacher and I am in charge (Well, I have always felt that if you have to tell someone you are in charge, you probably are not leading very well anyway). And what happens when one of these “classroom management rules” is broken? Teachers immediately enforce “classroom management” and write a detention or send the student to the office.

So, how do we move a teacher from having classroom management to having classroom leadership? A few thoughts…

Develop hallway cred…

Yes, it is just like street cred and it might be the most important attribute you develop as a teacher.  Students will do right by you, if you do right by them and believe it or not; they will have your back. Being fair and honest is all it takes. However, this takes a teacher with strong emotional intelligence. You want a student to relate to you, be willing to relate to them. The thought “my way or the highway” only works with weak and insecure leaders.

Develop a quiet strength…

Every day, we have an opportunity to be for a student.  There are enough people in the world trying to tear students down; a teacher should not be one of them. Some students take more “quiet strength” than others, this we know.  But when that student knows we have found value in them, that we have acknowledged their strengths, empowerment takes place, and it is amazing how the environment of your classroom changes for the better.

Develop yourself in being a role model…

Your classroom starts with you.  The atmosphere is contingent on what you bring every day, and those four walls are your domain. Also, someone has to be the adult in the classroom; please let it be you – talk like, act like, and please dress like an adult. If you want your students to act a certain way, give them a reason to act that way.

Develop an understanding that mistakes happen…

For the most part, I do not know students who “mess up on purpose.” Now, they may not know a better way, but as soon as you “connect” with them, they might just take your words for correction to heart more often. Mistakes can be an opportunity for learning. Please quit “beating” a student up because they get a wrong answer or do not understand. More importantly, when you make a mistake, be transparent enough to acknowledge it in front of a student or the class; this goes a long way with every thought thus far.

Now it goes without saying that there are a few teachers who have excellent classroom management, but I would say that they actually have outstanding classroom leadership instead. I would go even further by saying classroom management is easier for teachers who have classroom leadership. Excellent classroom management is a by-product of classroom leadership.

Overall, we are talking about a paradigm shift – shifting from one thought of how our classrooms should be to another. As a classroom teacher, our focus should be where we can move a child on the educational scale of the particular subject area you teach. Yes, we teach students in the now, but we educate them for the future. Leading them is the answer. Learn how to be the classroom leader instead of the classroom manager. Everyone will be better for it.

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others

©2019 J Clay Norton

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“Masked” Leadership

07 Friday Dec 2018

Posted by The Book Chamber in Actions, Attitude, Authentic, Character, Consistency, Expectations, Facade, Honest, Integrity, Leader, Leadership, Mask, Transparent, Trust

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This past summer when we visited Los Angeles, my daughter and I decided to take a tour of the Warner Brothers Studio.  One of the areas of the tour was the “Streets and Buildings” section. This section of the tour took us up and down streets on the grounds of the studio with buildings that were “sets” for many of our favorite TV shows.

While I knew each building was just a “prop,” seeing it up close reinforced my notion of the great facade within TV shows.  You might be saying, “Duh, really?  You did not know that?”  Well, yes I did, but to see it up close makes you realize just how real, “fake” can be.

The same can be said with leadership.  Often, leadership is nothing more than a facade, providing a face that appears to have it all together.  As we continue to live our lives in leadership positions, and the more mature we grow in that, we should begin to see how many fake, masked leaders are in roles that end up causing more harm than good.

How can we tell the difference? How do we see beyond the facade that “fakes everyone out?” What is really “behind the scenes?”  To answer these questions, we must look at the actions, and then hear the words to see if they connect.

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I believe leaders who wear a mask do the following…

Fail to speak the truth

Masked leaders swallow the truth.  They speak what they think is best to cover themselves.  When this happens, they also swallow their integrity, self-respect, and most of all their authenticity.

Want to be “blenders”

Masked leaders want to be whatever they think they need to be for whatever environment they are in. They change their leadership style to accommodate and blend into every new crowd.

Find it hard to apologize

Masked leaders find it very hard to apologize. Either they do not, or they deflect with, “I’m sorry you feel that way.”

Are “copycats”

Masked leaders who “copycat” other leaders cannot be themselves. I believe this is one of the more dangerous characteristics of leadership. People want a real leader.

Promote their “perfectionism”

Masked leaders cannot handle situations where no one agrees with them. It causes them to feel rejected. Believing that your leadership is perfect actually stems from the fear of knowing that it is not.

Shine their “light” too bright

Masked leaders never dim their light. They always want to be seen as the brightest in the room. Having their light the brightest automatically dims anyone else’s light that actually could shine brightly.

When you wear a mask, you rob not only yourself of what you could be, but you rob others of their ability to be who they are around you. If you are wearing a mask, please lose it.  Halloween should only come one time a year, and life is not an everyday masquerade ball.

©2018 J Clay Norton

Remember… THINK LEADERSHIP!

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The Heartbeat Of Leadership

28 Friday Sep 2018

Posted by The Book Chamber 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

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