Category Archives: Value

It’s raining…

23 Tuesday Jul 2019

Posted by in Actions, Choice, Decisions, Leader, Leadership, Preparation, Relationships, Servant, Uncategorized, Value

≈ Leave a comment

Well, here we are in July… It is hot, humid, muggy, sweaty, etc… but tonight, as I sit on the front porch, it is raining.  It has actually cooled down the temperature a little (if you can say that) to where sitting outside is bearable…

c2445dd759cf52be7e37d294c62d730e

Tonight’s rain brings something that I enjoy… the sound and the smell of it.  There seems to be something about it that brings in a newness, fresh feeling that calms the mind.  I imagine it to be like an “all sensory sound machine.”  While I sit here enjoying the sound and the smell, the thought I have of rain that always comes back to me is the conversation line in Facing the Giants, “Prepare for rain.”

Here is the actual quote…

“There were two farmers who desperately needed rain in a drought. And both of them prayed for rain, but only one of them went out to plow his field to receive the rain. Now, which farmer trusted and believed that it was going to rain?”

As we go about our day, whatever that might be for each of us, are we preparing for the results of our leadership?  Many leaders just go about and lead only because of their title and/or position that they have.  While others actually work to make sure their leadership is meaningful, uplifting, positive for the benefit of others. They prepare their workings to be an outward seeking effect, instead of the internal mindset of “What’s in it for me?”

One thing that I have learned over the past few years is that we must always prepare to pause and pay attention to those around us.  As leaders, we move in and out of our days so quickly that it is easy to forget about who is around us.  We must prepare to lead others effectively, and we cannot do this if we do not know who we are leading.  They are not just a group of people who are hired to do a job.  They are people with a heart, mind, and soul – they matter.

As we close out July and get ready for school to start, the educational leadership that we provide will either help or hurt. Preparation is vital, but it must be more than “talked about” preparation.  Actually preparing the field for the rain, shows the level of commitment we have as leaders for others.  For the crops to grow, we must prepare for them to grow.

The next time it rains, take a moment to listen and smell the effects and give an intentional effort so others can see the preparation you are doing for them. Yes or no, the results will be seen.  What are you doing today in your leadership that “prepares for the rain?”

Thanks again for reading.

©2019 J Clay Norton

Want more Leadership Thoughts?  Follow me on…

Image result for small facebook icon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tidal Waves in a Black Hole of Leadership

03 Friday May 2019

Posted by in Actions, Facade, Leader, Leadership, Servant, Transformational, Value

≈ Leave a comment

It is always good to get the mind working, so let’s start with a question…

Do you believe that everybody who is talking about leadership is leading? Better yet, is everyone in a leadership position a leader? By answering these two questions, we describe almost everyone associated with leadership.

Outwardly, people identify themselves with leadership, but inwardly who are they? Are they genuine? Many, because they cling to a false façade of leadership, fool themselves into thinking they are on the right path of leadership when they are stuck in the mud of their own mindset. This leads to destructive leadership. It might not be visible immediately, but over this course of time, the ripple effects of bad leadership become tidal waves drowning others who follow.

To make matters worse, their self-deception is often reinforced by what is seen and heard as “well-meaning” leadership by those who are naïve. This creates surface confusion that leads to a deep, black hole of leadership that naïve followers are never able to escape. What happens to them you might ask? They end up being clones and those waves we discussed earlier, hit everyone else in the face.

beb152ec_9861_47c6_ab42_32332b

Much of today’s leadership does not model the servant-leadership, transformational mindset. It usually is some water-downed concoction, subject to an emotional thought process of “If I get to where I need to be, then why does it matter how I got here, or even if I did it the right way?” This way of thinking has devastating effects. As a result, almost any leader who has gained leadership this way is seen as genuine. Why, because we attribute leadership to a position and title. It is seen more as a noun than a verb.

Leadership is so easy, and leadership is hard – Both statements beg different opinions. Leadership is not some shallow response, or quick conversations saying the “right” words. Leadership must be measured and valued with depth and meaning. Compromising the trueness of leadership is where we can see the great divide among leaders.

©2019 J Clay Norton

Want more Leadership Thoughts?  Follow me on…

Image result for small facebook icon

Stop and Smell The Azaleas…

12 Friday Apr 2019

Posted by in Adventure, Company, Deciding, Encouragement, Family, Leader, Leadership, Value

≈ 1 Comment

Yes, the slogan of The Masters… “A Tradition Unlike Any Other”

The wait… Year after year. Name submitted, name not drawn in the lottery for Masters tickets… year after year. Then, BAM!… my brother’s name is drawn for four practice round tickets and on Wednesday, the best of all days.

Thanks to my brother’s name getting drawn, and him inviting me, along with his son and our dad… to Augusta we went. Forty-eight hours, barely any sleep, but wide awake the entire time. Bucket list item, you bet, even better when its with family.

I’ll tell you this, and it is a running joke with my wife’s side of the family. Two things we feel strongly about… Who do you want to eat meals with and with whom do you want to travel? You better enjoy your company when those two things are happening.

Too many times in leadership we have to be around others that are not of our same mindset, and that is ok for we grind through it. However, when it comes to the point of having to be around others because of the “have to case,” no one really profits.

170223115920-augusta-azaleas-super-169

I say all of that to say this… I am at the point in my life where I want to enjoy who I am around. Are you?

With life, it really is short. The older I get, the quicker the days start and end. More importantly, is the fact that we sometimes realize too late, that we wished we would have done “so and so.” Many people are too “wound tight” to enjoy life. They are worried about satisfying what others think; they stay fearful of upsetting the apple cart and open up the can of “moody spray” with everyone they are around. They cannot have peace with others, because they cannot have peace within themselves. The funny thing is, many want and choose those types of people to keep company with – why?

They say you need to stop and take time to smell the roses. Well, for a few hours this past Wednesday, I stopped and took time to smell the azaleas of Augusta National and take in its beauty that television cannot do justice. Two things were for certain… I enjoyed who I had my meals with and who I traveled with, and that made all the difference. My brother and his son, and our dad for sure made a memory for that one moment that was “A Tradition Unlike Any Other.”

©2019 J Clay Norton

Want more Leadership Thoughts?  Follow me on…

Image result for small facebook icon

Remember… THINK LEADERSHIP!

Encouragement… Have You Used It Lately?

08 Friday Feb 2019

Posted by in Actions, Encouragement, Leader, Leadership, Relationships, Teachers, Transformational, Value, Word

≈ 2 Comments

Staying on the educational side of leadership this week let’s touch on the idea of encouragement, and how teachers and leaders* can enhance this characteristic.

*Again, while discussing this idea, you can at any time switch out the words teaching and leading/leadership.

Encouragement

One of the most useful tools a teacher can have is being an encourager. In today’s culture, many things cause students to be cast down, and it is very easy for them to be and become discouraged. They put up a “front,” not wanting anyone to recognize help is needed. They believe they are self-reliant, saying, “I can get through this,” all along knowing they need help. A majority of the time, that help can be nothing more than simple encouragement. You can tell when students are encouraged. They have a new spring in their step and a broader smile on their face.

We have all, at one time or another, needed encouragement. Why? Because we have all had experiences when someone or something failed us. It is at that time encouragement was needed most; wanting to be understood and have someone stand for and with us. None of us can know what lies ahead. For the most part, we do not know what is going  on in the lives of our students. Until we are intentional with our relationships, any words of encouragement become shallow and unfelt. Lip service is never good in leadership.

I have found the best way to encourage students, especially in the classroom, is to just acknowledge their existence in an adult, professional manner. A “hello” with their name at the door, a fist pump, or an elbow tap eases the slightest apprehension a student might have. When you make it where the student understands that you are there for help, it changes their whole thought process. What does not work is saying, “If you need some help, let me know.” Without intentionality, this sounds like a blanket statement, quickly said, so it goes on record.

We must also realize that words of encouragement do not immediately make troubles disappear. However, what words of encouragement do is acknowledge someone needs help. Encouraging words can help a person not live in a room of emptiness. Often, students feel deserted, only painting a picture of loneliness because they do not understand something or feel devalued.

As we continue to educate, make sure you are for your students, and that means, when needed, truly encouraging them. You might be the only one who does.

©2019 J Clay Norton

Want more Leadership Thoughts?  Follow me on…

Image result for small facebook icon

Remember… THINK LEADERSHIP!