Leadership and Warning Labels – What is your message?

21 Friday Apr 2023

Posted by The Book Chamber in Actions, Attitude, Authentic, Conflict, Consistency, Decisions, Education, Educational Leadership, Influence, Insecurity, Integrity, Kindness, Leader, Leadership, Passive-Agressive, Perception, Perceptions, Sensitive

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When is the last time you read a warning label on a product? Some are quite funny, while others seem plain dumb with the question, “Who would do that anyway?” But nonetheless, they are printed right there on the product (fine print sometimes).

Here are just a few…
A cup of coffee – Caution, content may be hot.
Hairdryer – Do no use while sleeping
Wheelbarrow – Not intended for highway use
Baby Stroller – Remove child before folding
Nyquil – May cause drowsiness

You get the idea. I often wonder who made the particular blunder for that specific warning label?

Segue to leadership…
It is often said that perception is not reality. But can everybody be wrong? A very good friend of mine says, “Everybody can’t be wrong about the same thing.” Perception becomes a way of understanding or interpreting things. At the same time, reality is the state of things as they actually exist rather than as they may be perceived or might be imagined. That said, what if we had a warning label about us for others to see printed right there on the package, that package being us?

Here might be a few…
Warning:
Do not think on your own – I micromanage
Do not disagree with me – I am moody
Do not cause conflict – I am insecure
Do not outshine me – I am passive-aggressive
Do not have a different opinion – I am highly flammable
Please handle with care – I get my feelings hurt easily
Be a yes person – If you are not, I will find fault
I’m sure you can add to the list…

How refreshing would it be if these warning labels were reversed?
Warning:
Think on your own – I delegate
It’s ok to disagree with me – Does not mean that you are wrong
Sometimes there will be conflict – I will not run from it, and I will support you
Outshine me – The better you are, the better we are
Have a different opinion – I encourage diverse thinking
Please handle with honesty – I will not get my feelings hurt easily
Do not be a yes person – I do not want minions around me

However, I believe the leadership we lead with does carry labels. You might say, “Well, that’s not how I lead,” or “I don’t care what someone else thinks.” But at the same time, we would quickly say that’s not the reputation we want. Well, is everyone wrong, then?

What are you doing to ensure that you have positive leadership labels instead of warning labels? In the end, we are all wearing some type of leadership label. The question is, what does your leadership label say about you?

Go be a great educator and leader today… Our future needs it…

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

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Where To Find Wisdom?

14 Friday Apr 2023

Posted by The Book Chamber in Experience, Knowledge, Leader, Leadership, Learning, Memories, Wisdom

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“Memory is the mother of all wisdom.” – Aeschylus, ancient Greek tragedian (c. 525/524 – c. 456/455 BC)

I came about this quote last night while watching TV, and I was like, wow, how true.

First, we all know a lot of facts, and we have more than enough opinions. While opinions are our own, they do sometimes agree with others. Whereas facts are substantiated and stand the test of time. But neither opinions nor facts create wisdom.

Like most of you, I am a reservoir of useful and useless knowledge. While we are best at the things we are most knowledgeable about, that does not create wisdom. As I thought about the quote, I realized the “stuff” I hang onto and store in my memory. There are good and bad memories, things I never want to forget, and things I wish I could forget.

Over time, those thoughts we store allow us to have translation with our memories. I like to call it “situational occurrencness.” When this happens, our minds are triggered by past events that allow that particular memory to translate to our current circumstances, hopefully giving wisdom for the situation.

Wisdom comes from experience. Our past memories are of little use if we do not use them. Learning comes from recalling what was good and what was not. Application is key here to wisdom. Wisdom is a nuance. It has depth and substance. It brings value and leads to understanding. Most importantly, it can be developed with time. It’s about the memories.

Wisdom is like integrity; if you have to ask someone if you have it, odds are you do not. Here’s hoping that the memories you have can lead and direct your “situational occurrenceness” to foster positive outcomes in your life. Especially in leadership! Hopefully, it will enable you not to make the same mistake twice or, better yet, look like a genius because of your wisdom.

Go be a great educator and leader today… Our future needs it…

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

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

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The Walk

06 Thursday Apr 2023

Posted by The Book Chamber in Easter, Jesus, Leader, Leadership, Sacrifice

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If you would like to download a printer friendly version of this with the above picture as a washout watermark background, click here: The Walk

The Walk

The walk, Jesus made…
Saving our guilty souls.
Flesh borne with stripes,
To make our spirit whole.

The walk, only He could make,
Carrying our sinful load.
With His blood, our bondage breaks…
Providing the grace, we need.

The walk, undergoing the earth’s pain,
Completed for our sake.
Comforting us with His substance and strength…
Life, no more can death take.

The walk, with a cross carried we could not bear,
A cross only Christ could endure.
Its harshness giving hope…
Creating glory over the grave.

The walk, showing love to the loveless,
“Hosannas” at the beginning of the week…
“Crucify Him” at the end.
Yet His life, He willingly gave.

The walk, Via Dolorosa…
The way of suffering…
The walk, the way – that led to death,
So, life could have victory.

Happy Easter

For previous Easter thoughts, click the link…

2022 The Victory of Christ

2021 Resurrection Morning

2020 The Lamb’s Precious Blood

2019 The Cross I See…

2018 The Cross and The Grave

Go be a great educator and leader today… Our future needs it…

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

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

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It’s about the one who wields it…

31 Friday Mar 2023

Posted by The Book Chamber in Actions, Andy Griffith, Attention, Attitude, Character, Classroom Leadership, Classroom Management, Inspiration, Intentions, Leader, Leadership, Servant, Unity, Useful, Value, Vision

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I saw the below tweet on Twitter the other day…
“A stone in evil hands killed Abel. A stone in righteous hands killed Goliath. It’s not about the stone; it’s about the one who wields it.”

As I read that, I thought, “Man, this is good stuff.” And, of course, it got me thinking…

I’m sure there are numerous analogies one can use instead of stone in the hands of either, but I thought immediately about the tongue, the pen, and, ultimately, leadership.

My mom had a Rudyard Kipling quote cross-stiched in our house growing up, “Keep your words short and sweet, for you do not know the ones one day you will eat.” (many have been attributed to that quote). Yes, there have been many a person who cannot wield the tongue. I think of the Andy Griffith episode where Andy tries to catch his words back after a conversation with Ellie. He fictitiously grabs them out of the air and pretends to eat them, saying how bad they taste. The tongue with the right mindset can create a beautiful oration of eloquence. Alternatively, it will speak with a forked tongue of divisiveness, manipulating meaning to justify one’s own means.

The pen… I am fascinated with people who can write well. The nuance of language can move emotions when sentences begin to flow. No wonder, English author Edward Bulwer-Lytton in 1839, stated, “The pen is mightier than the sword,” a metonymic adage indicating that the written word is more effective than violence as a means of social or political change. However, we also see the pen as a means to direct harm toward others, especially when words are written by one hiding behind a keyboard. False accusations, slander, you get the idea.

And leadership… Yes, leadership in the hands of an evil person causes more damage than can be imagined. With a me, my, mine mindset, the complete culture of an organization can be wiped away. Leadership in the hands, and I will use the word righteous, person shows servant-based, others first, a we, us, ours mindset. Edifying the body of an organization where others feel welcomed, not threatened. Where the culture reciprocates the empowerment of ownership. We have all seen and/or been part of leadership in the right or wrong hands, and we have felt the result of such.

It’s about the one who wields it… Powerful, indeed.

Let’s go fight the good fight of leadership. Someone has to…

Go be a great educator and leader today… Our future needs it…

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

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…

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