Category Archives: Truth

Leaders who have truth-value or truth-claims… Who do you want to follow?

30 Friday Aug 2024

Posted by in Consistency, Decisions, Empower, Honest, Influence, Inspiration, Integrity, Intentional, Leader, Leadership, Learning, Loyalty, Respect, Trust, Truth, Uncategorized, Understanding, Useful, Value, Wisdom

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The leadership world as we know it is rapidly evolving, with everyone trying to come up with some new leadership tagline… I’m guilty as well. It’s all about trying to get the reader interested enough to read…

So… Is there a difference between truth-value leadership and truth-claims leaderhsip? Stay with me…

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The concept of truth-value leadership…

Truth-value leadership is of immense importance. Why would it not be? It’s more than leading with integrity (remember, if you have to ask someone if you have integrity, odds are you don’t); it’s embodying and living out the essence of integrity, honesty, transparency, authenticity (you can keep adding to the list)…

Truth-value in leadership has seeds planted and roots established in fostering trust, inspiring loyalty, and building relationships with a substance that lasts. It starts with self-awareness, prioritizing honesty within themselves before they can expect honesty from others. A stand-firmness characteristic that doesn’t shy away from difficult truths or uncomfortable situations. It is not passive or even passive-aggressive and sure doesn’t send someone else to “handle” issues. They deliver facts, stay away from public opinion, and just plain do right by people. When this happens, people engage in an encouraging environment, knowing leadership truth values are the guiding principles.

However, truth-claims leadership…

Have you ever seen a leader when it comes to truth, veer from reality? Many leaders assert and claim they embody truth leadership without aligning their actions with their words (This is where my daughter would say, “PERIOD!”). I call this a credibility gap; all it does is lead to skepticism among followers. Empty claims lead to hollow voices that can erode trust, often causing reputational harm to others in order to make truth claims leaders look all the better.

For all who chase leadership, truth-value leadership is profound. Leaders who live by their values and are accountable to truth, benefit everyone in trusting decision-making, and true loyalty follows. The tell-tale true test of a truth-value leader lies in their consistency—how often their claims match their actions. Truth-value leadership is, therefore, not just a moral or ethical stance; it is a strategic approach to sustainable success. Truth-value leadership offers a powerful path toward lasting influence and impact in a world craving authenticity.

Do you know those in leadership positions that can be characterized as one of the above? I bet you do…

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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Who do you want leading… A leader who leads by choice or chance?

23 Friday Aug 2024

Posted by in Accountability, Actions, Choice, Culture, Decisions, Effective, Encouragement, Essence, Influence, Inspiration, Intentional, Leader, Leadership, Opportunity, Passion, Purpose, Respect, Servant, Transformational, Trust, Truth, Uncategorized, Understanding, Useful, Value, Vision, Whole

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Leadership, call it what you want, but hopefully, you can agree that it is and will continue to be a journey. It demands conscious effort, a vision that is not blinded by self, and a deep understanding of who we are individually…

So, today’s discussion compares and contrasts leading by choice vs. leading by chance. Too many times I see people who are in leadership positions who have earned their way there or thrown into the position. Is there a difference? I believe so, and by the end of reading, hopefully you will discover which is better and why…

Leading by choice…
They are the leaders who embrace responsibilities and challenges with clarity and purpose. Driven by the desire to be a difference-maker for the good of others, inspiring and creating positive change because it is the right thing to do, not because they just think it will be better. They uphold deliberate leadership that is informed and backed for growth for all they lead. They constantly look to refine their leadership, learning from truth without blinders and adapting to challenges. Leading by choice is intentional and fosters trust, collaboration, and a shared vision. They believe in others and understand the impact of aligning actions with values for all to see.

Leading by chance…
They lack the intrinsic motivation required to truly succeed in it for themselves and lack preparedness. They lead from the hip, often finding themselves in leadership positions due to circumstance or out of necessity, without an actual desire to lead. This type of leadership becomes reactive rather than proactive. Purpose and direction lack consistency in decision-making, and opportunities for growth are missed. They struggle to connect on any level and only want loyalty and engagement that benefits a self-sense of purpose. This creates a hollow leadership that causes disengagement and a lack of cohesion.

From a Christian worldview, this aligns with the idea of servant leadership, all day, every day. Such leaders by choice are better equipped to serve others selflessly, making decisions that reflect wisdom and love, embodying the essence of servant leadership that transforms integrity and conviction in and for others.

We see it every day… Those who lead by choice and those who have to lead by chance. One allows you to succeed; the other, well, they give you a chance. You might ask, “Are opportunity and chance the same thing?” I say no. Ultimately, leaders who lead by choice are more effective because they approach leadership with a passion that spills over and over into the lives of others.

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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Truth matters, even when it is attacked…

28 Friday Apr 2023

Posted by in Actions, Honest, Insecurity, Leader, Leadership, Passive-Agressive, Purpose, Time, Truth

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They say, “The truth hurts.” Well, non-truth does also.

For all practical purposes, I believe people care about what is true. Now, you can get caught up in the nuances of the definition of truth, but… Even Pilate asked Jesus, “What is truth?”

What happens when we cannot agree upon what truth is? Do we chalk it up to relativism? People can get stupid when debating “truth.” There lies the problem, people want to debate “truth” to prove a point. I’ve often said, and truly believe, that the truth does not need to be defended. However, it seems that we must do that now. Just listen and watch; it will not take long to see it happening. But to quote Mark Twain, “Never argue with a fool; onlookers may not be able to tell the difference.”

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I joke with my family that if it were not for being disengaged from family and friends, I would be a candidate for being the first to colonize the moon, just to get away from fools and stupid in general. All I need are my books and golf clubs. Used to be that most of the stuff you saw happening, debated, and truth attacked would not even make a difference or would be forgotten five or ten years later. But now, these same happenings, debates, and truth attacks are beginning to have possible long-term effects; some even everlasting.

The definition of truth is now defined as what benefits the person speaking. Any conversation that goes against truth is immediately shut down, ridiculed, or shunned. When those see their “truth” attacked, they become divisive, aggressive, and sometimes passive-aggressive; we can even say violent. Truth becomes irrelevant, people become emotional, and chaos begins to simmer and eventually boil.

Truth will always be attacked. But you know what? Truth is going to win out. As we look forward, truth will continue to stand the test of time. Truth is spoken by honest people who have track records based on, you guessed it, truth. People who speak truth are seen as powerful, which scares many people. Why? Probably due to insecurity. It’s one thing to know the truth and act upon it, yet knowing and not acting on it is where the issues begin.

With light, no amount of darkness can overcome it. The same analogy works with truth; no amount of lies will diminish it. Truth is the constant. There will always be truth attackers and truth bashers. As long as we have people speaking truth, that is enough to give hope for future generations. Have the courage to do so.

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…