Category Archives: Leadership

Consider the Ant, You Sluggard…

03 Friday Oct 2025

Posted by in Christian Worldview, Commitment, Courage, Decisions, Desire, Educational Leadership, Growth, Know Your Why, Leader, Leadership, Purpose, Resilience, Value

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The other day, while playing tennis with Heather, we paused during a side switch. As we sat, I noticed a single ant on the ground. It was moving steadily but with no obvious direction, as if searching for something. I asked Heather, “I wonder what it’s looking for? Water? Food? Maybe other ants?”

And then it hit me: aren’t we all a little like that ant? Moving, striving, searching, sometimes without even knowing what we’re after. I immediately thought of the movie A Bug’s Life and its main character, Flik… His mission was straightforward: survival, nourishment, connection to the colony. For us as leaders, the search is less obvious but no less essential. We’re not just looking for tasks to complete or goals to check off; we’re looking for something deeper.

I believe that “something” can be summed up in three pursuits: purpose, growth, and belonging.

1. Purpose

The ant isn’t wandering for wandering’s sake; it’s on a mission. Likewise, leaders must define why we do what we do. Without purpose, our calendars may be full, but our impact will feel empty. Purpose is the compass that keeps us aligned, even when circumstances shift. When leaders connect daily work to a greater mission… improving lives, shaping culture, building people… teams gain not just direction, but meaning.

2. Growth

That ant was exploring, adjusting, and learning its environment… it was headed somewhere. Leaders, too, need that posture of curiosity. Growth comes when we ask better questions, seek feedback, and stay open to the unknown. It requires humility, but it also keeps us sharp. A leader who is always learning creates a culture where others feel safe to stretch, innovate, and grow.

3. Belonging

No ant thrives alone; they need their colony. Leadership is no different. We’re wired for connection, and belonging fuels both resilience and performance. Leaders who foster trust, inclusion, and genuine care build communities where people not only work, but also want to work.

From a Christian worldview perspective, this search ultimately points us back to God. Scripture reminds us that “Where there is no vision, the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18), true purpose begins with His calling. Our deepest growth comes not from striving, but from being “transformed by the renewing of [our] mind” (Romans 12:2). And real belonging is found in the body of Christ, where “though many, we form one body” (Romans 12:4–5). When our leadership is anchored in Him, our search is no longer restless; it becomes rooted, life-giving, and eternal.

So, what are we really looking for? The answer may be simple: clarity of purpose, commitment to growth, and a sense of connection and belonging.

The next time you find yourself in a reflective pause (I was just flat out tired and getting beat), whether on a tennis court, in a meeting room, or during a quiet walk, why don’t you ask yourself: What am I truly searching for right now? The way we answer that question shapes not only our own journey but also the path we light for those we lead.

As you step into your role today, remember that you are not just an educator and leader but a shaper of the future. Your actions and decisions profoundly impact the lives of those you guide. Go, be the great educator and leader that our future needs.

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2025 J Clay Norton

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

Beyond Today: The Transitive Power of Educational Leadership

05 Friday Sep 2025

Posted by in Actions, Culture, Education, Educational Leadership, Leader, Leadership, Legacy, Memories, Transitive Power, Trust

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I just finished reading Malcolm Gladwell’s The Bomber Mafia, and I was particularly interested in one idea (the entire book is full of fascinating knowledge by the way). Gladwell describes how ideas and memories rarely remain with the individuals who first hold them. Instead, they move, transitive in nature, living on in the lives of others. Though he applies this concept to military visionaries, it got me thinking about the work of educational leadership.

As leaders, the choices we make, the words we speak, and even the ways we handle pressure often become part of the memory banks of those around us, becoming a powerful motivator on how we lead. A teacher remembers how a principal treated staff with dignity during a crisis. A student recalls the fairness of a discipline decision long after graduation. A young educator shapes their own leadership style based on how they once watched a mentor navigate conflict. These moments are not fleeting; they migrate, they live on.

This realization reframes how we can see daily leadership in schools. Schools are not just institutions where knowledge is delivered but also where memories are forged. Those memories are carried forward, reinterpreted, and acted upon in the lives of others. With this thought of transitive action, leadership, then, can become less about immediate outcomes and more about shaping a lasting legacy of influence, one that helps define the climate and culture for the future, trusting the process. 

The sobering truth is that we don’t control which memories will stick. Sometimes a single act of impatience can overshadow months of encouragement. But the hopeful truth is also there: small acts of kindness, humility, and consistency often become the anchors others draw on years later. As I sit here writing, I realize the transitive power of my mentors, how their wisdom lives on in me, how it continues to influence my leadership, and how it extends to others.

Educational leadership, then, is memory-making work. The question for each of us becomes: What memories am I leaving behind that others will live into?

As you step into your role today, remember that you are not just an educator and leader but a shaper of the future. Your actions and decisions profoundly impact the lives of those you guide. Go, be the great educator and leader that our future needs.

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2025 J Clay Norton

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

A Sacred Work Prayer

22 Friday Aug 2025

Posted by in Christian Worldview, Education, Educational Leadership, Encouragement, Gift, Grace, Jesus, Kindness, Know Your Why, Leader, Leadership, Respect, Sacrifice, Servant, Teacher Appreciation, Teachers, Thankful, Value

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Well, the start of school is here. Many are in full swing of five weeks now, a few a couple of weeks, and colleges just started… So, I wanted to wait until everyone was back to start sending out blogs again. I hope you had a great, restful summer, and you school year has started well.

For my first blog of the new school year, I thought I would write a prayer of sorts to get us thinking about the role of what we do, who we do it for, and why. Yes, what we do is a sacred work. I hope you enjoy. If you want a printable copy, click here: A Sacred Work Prayer

A Sacred Work Prayer

It is a privilege to speak,
of the work educators do.

For the lives enriched and challenged,
by their hands, their voices, their countless prayers.

Lord, give us wisdom, give us courage,
to stand beside those who educate.

As they lead in their schools,
for the betterment of society.

We pray for our schools,
let grace dwell among all who shape the future.

Day after day teachers give of themselves,
yet they are not alone…

For we walk with Jesus, the Master Teacher,
the One who never leaves, never forsakes.

Remind us daily this work is sacred,
a testimony to the power of education to change lives.

We remember those teachers who have gone before us…
who encouraged us, supported us, shepherded us.

Now strengthen us to serve,
to be salt and light in our schools.

That families and children,
may be profoundly blessed.

Thank You, Lord, for the gift of teaching,
may we not squander what You have entrusted to us.

Thank You for making us part,
of the ministry of Your grace.

As we model Your love,
to those we educate.

© J Clay Norton, 2025

As you step into your role today, remember that you are not just an educator and leader but a shaper of the future. Your actions and decisions profoundly impact the lives of those you guide. Go, be the great educator and leader that our future needs.

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2025 J Clay Norton

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

“Asset-based narrative” – It’s what we need in educational leadership for our schools…

25 Wednesday Jun 2025

Posted by in Accountability, Achieve, Actions, Advice, Appreciation, Attention, Choice, Culture, Education, Educational Leadership, Effective, Emotion, Emotional Temperature, Empower, Encouragement, Expectations, Idealist, Importance, Know Your Why, Leader, Leadership, Students, Teachers, Trust, Value

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I was sitting in on a dissertation defense a few weeks ago, and the phrase “asset-based narrative” came up. This phrase, it got my head tingling, and I began to think about a connection to educational leadership. So, here’s what I came up with…

In education, leadership is not about what we meant to do, it’s about what we actually do. Good intentions are noble, but outcomes are what matter. Our schools, communities, and students live in the reality of our actions, not in the shadows of our intentions. That’s why we must begin to define leadership through an “asset-based narrative,” one that sees strength, not deficiency, and leads through what is possible rather than what is lacking.

Society often pressures leaders to control the narrative. Headlines, social media, and political climates push school leaders to respond quickly, to spin, to protect optics. But real leadership resists this impulse. True leadership defines the narrative… rooted not in fear or reaction but in clarity, purpose, and evidence of care. It says: “Here is who we are, what we value, and how we’re building something better.”

An “asset-based narrative” invites us to lead through celebration and contribution. It shifts our focus from what educators or schools “aren’t doing” to what they are accomplishing against real odds. It sees teachers as resilient, students as capable, and communities as partners. It reframes setbacks as opportunities to grow, not indictments of failure.

When we define the narrative, we move from defense to offense. We stop chasing reputations and start building legacies. And we do so by aligning our actions with what we say we believe. Because in education, as in life, leadership isn’t measured by the stories we wish had been told, it’s measured by the stories we choose to write with courage, consistency, and hope.

The question is not, “What did we mean to do?” The question is, “What did we do, and how did it build a better story for those we serve?” I think it’s worth taking a look at to see if we can find and define more of what we do in education based on the thought of “an asset-based narrative.”

As you step into your role today, remember that you are not just an educator and leader but a shaper of the future. Your actions and decisions profoundly impact the lives of those you guide. Go, be the great educator and leader that our future needs.

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2025 J Clay Norton

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