Category Archives: Purpose

Reaching a Student’s Heart…

14 Friday Feb 2020

Posted by in Actions, Encouragement, Heart, Leader, Leadership, Purpose, Relationships, Servant, Teachers

≈ 2 Comments

Never to miss an opportunity to write about the seasonal theme… Happy Valentines.

Does the door of your classroom describe happiness? Or does it create doom and gloom? Just like the entryway into your classroom, the same can be said for the entryway into your students; their heart, and you are the doorkeeper.

We do not always know what students bring when they walk into our classrooms, but we do know that we have them for an allotted amount of time each week. We must know their name, listen to their stories, and answer their questions. In return, odds are, they will do the same.

Reaching a student’s heart is not an easy task. As educators, we are more psychologists than we are anything else. The world we live in is moody, fickle, and most often stubborn. If we are the same, then why would we expect our students to be any different? I realize our job is to teach our subject, but more than that, we are to encourage students; build them up. They are already being torn down in other areas… We need to try to summon the best out of them. We might not reach them all, but the effort, on our part, should not be denied. I find it amazing what a little bit of affirmation does for a student.

As a leader, teacher, whatever your role is… Do you distribute happiness for a student’s heart? Or are students left forgotten in the back of the class? Are you willing to reach out? When you do, respect takes on a whole new dimension. Respect is just being mindful of others. A simple hello and acknowledging a student shows intention on your part; why would you not?

Reaching a student’s heart… small endeavors by you could mean something huge for a student. I would dare say that most young people want a sense of belonging. Help them find that with you. Nothing more than a kind word is the purest of all gestures. Odds are they will not recall a whole lot of the subject matter you teach, but they just might remember how you made their heart feel.

Each of us has this opportunity every day. Make good on it… and tell your students Happy Valentines today.

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others

©2020 J Clay Norton

Want more Leadership Thoughts?  Follow me on…

Image result for small facebook icon

Want to share this leadership thought with others? Click on one of the social media sharing buttons below and help spread the good…

Yo-Yo Leadership…

06 Thursday Feb 2020

Posted by in Actions, Authentic, Communication, Courage, Culture, Engagement, Essence, Expectations, Humility, Leader, Leadership, Message, Purpose, Servant, Sincerity, Understanding, Value

≈ 2 Comments

We can all agree or should, at least, that leadership is not about popularity. Oh, but how many “leaders,” think and lead that way.  You know them…

What begins as, hopefully, a genuine desire to serve others in leadership soon can become nothing more than an act of impressing others. If a leader’s leadership depends on the applause and approval of others, the genuineness, or lack of, is so apparent, people get blindsided because of it. And there lies the problem….

I read something the other day about popularity being similar to a yo-yo. I thought it was funny because we all know some yo-yos. Yo-yo up, yo-yo down. Now, it has been a while since I toyed around with a yo-yo, but as I reflect, I can definitely see how the analogy takes true. As the yo-yo goes down, gravity takes over, everything is natural. As the yo-yo comes back up, it is drawn back with a force of having to get back to the top.

As I thought more about popularity and the yo-yo, I transferred the concept to leadership. Does your leadership, naturally work, or are you leading because of a controlling force? And the most critical question to answer today is, “Is that controlling force your wanting to be liked?” When things are going well, we strut and swag; when not, we drop our head and mope. When your wanting to be liked becomes the “want of your day,” nothing good happens. It makes you miserable (it should) and others around you miserable.

Let people like you because they see true leadership in you. It seems that a reoccurring theme in my blogs is talking about “being for others.” I think we should; why would we not? But it is tough to be for others when we are for ourselves first. It goes back to a thought I had the other day… “Finding value in what we know instead of what we think carries greater leadership responsibility.” Lead because you know… If we do not, how can we ask for society to grow to be better leaders? Be popular becasue you are respected, not the other way around. Bottom line… Do not be a yo-yo leader!

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others

©2020 J Clay Norton

Want more Leadership Thoughts?  Follow me on…

Image result for small facebook icon

Want to share this leadership thought with others? Click on one of the social media sharing buttons below and help spread the good…

You Have One Job… Thoughts from the Movie “1917”

17 Friday Jan 2020

Posted by in Actions, Agenda, Courage, Decisions, Heroes, Importance, Intentions, Leader, Leadership, Obedience, Perseverance, Purpose, Sacrifice, Trust

≈ 2 Comments

This past weekend we went to see the new movie 1917. I am not a movie critic by nature, but 1917 is well worth your time to see. The leadership which takes place and seen in the film is powerful, and that is what I want to discuss today.

Quick synopsis… “During World War I, two British soldiers — Lance Cpl. Schofield and Lance Cpl. Blake — receive seemingly impossible orders. In a race against time, they must cross over into enemy territory to deliver a message that could potentially save 1,600 of their fellow comrades — including Blake’s own brother.” – retrieved from “1917 movie synopsis” Google search.

Take-a-ways… Without telling parts of the movie (in case you have not seen it, if you have, hopefully, these will resonate).

Schofield and Blake had one job…

1. When a person is determined to get a job done, they will go beyond sacrifice and defy obstacles to ensure that the job is completed.

2. A person with a vested interest will go further than someone who is not. Sometimes, it just means more.

3. Quality leadership is about seeing the end result, and it is defined with a purpose. Quality leaders do not get “caught up” with the distractions around them.

4. Sometimes you have to hold on to a partner to find your way and have faith when they tell you to jump even if you cannot see.

Obviously, there are more take-a-ways, but these four were significant while I watched the movie and pondered them afterward. Even if you have not seen the movie, these four thoughts can be and should be part of the excellent leadership characteristics that you need for yourself and want for others.

With anything, as in the movie, leadership is about trust in those who lead and those who carry out orders. Wherever you are in your leadership, be the leader who looks out for others. Leadership is not always life or death, but it always affects the lives of others.

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others

©2020 J Clay Norton

Want more Leadership Thoughts?  Follow me on…

Image result for small facebook icon

Want to share this leadership thought with others? Click on one of the social media sharing buttons below and help spread the good…

New Year… New Thought… Obedience

10 Friday Jan 2020

Posted by in Attitude, Intentions, Leader, Leadership, Obedience, Purpose

≈ 1 Comment

As the new year is now upon us, everyone talks about the need to start something new. But that “newness” of whatever quickly goes stale and we revert to what we were once before. We are creatures of habit.

The question I have for each of us today as we start the new year is, “What would it take to start something new?” Not just with the stirring of the heart or having a new mindset, but starting something new that would create permanent change for the betterment for ourselves. What would need to happen to trigger such an event?

One thought I have toward this includes the word I have been thinking about for myself…

Obedience…

I believe this is something we have to pursue. With everything that goes on in society, we have to be obedient to the point of eliminating the silliness, the drama, and pretty much all the worldliness that causes us to be complacent and accepting of the wrongs in our lives. Obedience leads to commitment without compromise. It creates consistency for others, but most importantly, ourselves.

Having obedience places a new perspective toward allowing ourselves to eliminate the need for the usual quick fix of a new strategy. Many times we try to be clever and work around something to get to where we need to be instead of facing the problem knowing we are lacking nothing more than just being obedient. The problem is our willingness to compromise with everything else and allow the lie of not being able to change to fester within us. We stop fighting for the truth we know to be true in our lives.

Whatever it is that needs to be changed in your life and your “want” to change, it starts with obedience without wavering. Find what it is you want to change and create the obedience in your life that is needed. You might just develop the “2020 vision” to see it through. Go and do the right thing…

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others

©2020 J Clay Norton

Want more Leadership Thoughts?  Follow me on…

Image result for small facebook icon

Want to share this leadership thought with others? Click on one of the social media sharing buttons below and help spread the good…