Leading Leaders Podcast by StoryPowerAcademy.com Studio with Host and Exectuive Coach J Loren Norris

IT’S YOUR STORY BUT ITS NOT ABOUT YOU IF YOU TELL IT RIGHT “If you have ever been in the audience when a masterful communicator uses a well selected and well crafted story, you feel like they have been reading your mail. They seem to have been spying on the secret events and emotions of your life because the story sounds like they are recounting your personal experience. The human experience is no...

THE PEOPLE IN THE AUDIENCE MUST BE THE PEOPLE IN YOUR STORY  “The moment your story abandons the audience, the audience abandons your story. It is far too easy to tell a story which looks and sounds real but isn’t. It is also very easy to tell a story which includes all the usual cast of characters in our life but none of the people in the present audience. If your daily circle of friends does not...

STORYPOWER IS THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY TO ACQUIRE THE EXPENSIVE COMMODITY IN BUSINESS “This truth is undeniable, unavoidable and indispensable. If you are in business of any sort, ministry of any sort, government of any sort and no one knows who you are, you’re more likely to close up shop than to grow. The most expensive commodity in business is not raw materials and it is not Human Resources. The...

AUTHENTICITY IS A CHARACTER TRAIT NOT A PLOT LINE “As a reader of stories, a watcher of stories, a hearer of stories you know for the most part what is made up and what is factual. You also know, if you have a shred of dignity, a whisper of integrity, a modicum of morality when you are practicing deceit in your own stories. Believe me when I say, our world is filled with more than enough manipulat...

THE PURPOSE AND POWER OF AN ORIGINAL STORY “We have all witnessed the person living vicariously through another. Usually its a parent who’s athletic career ended too soon, they have out lived the glory days and need the attention again or they just never measured up to the talent and skill of their kids. Sometimes this vicarious nature comes in leadership by association. A person doesn’t really ha...

​LEAD AFRAID - WHEN FEAR IS ALL YOU HAVE YOU STILL HAVE TO LEAD “New seasons of life and leadership often bring with them great fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of failure, fear of missing out when allowed to dominate your thoughts will prevent you from pressing forward into a brilliant future. If your future can be stolen by fear, or even delayed by fear, you may never experience the most powerful...

THE BEST LEADERS LEAD IN THE DARK “Before the sun is up, do the road work. Early risers get ahead start on the day so they can lead the day. When you can’t see what’s next, keep leading. When something is hidden from you like gifts before Christmas, keep leading. When the best ideas seem elusive to your best efforts, keep leading. What you learn in the light, take it into the dark with you. What y...

PRACTICE THE POWER OF POIGNANT BREVITY “Time is short and quickly evaporating. The hope of communication is to share your ideas in a way which carries them forward in the emotion and imagination of others. In order for a leader to influence, their ideas must be palatable, worthy of repeating and capable of producing transformation at an individual, societal and cultural level. If the message take...

IF YOUR TEAM IS A MESS, TRY THANKING THEM “Most leaders can find trouble where none exists. Leaders can predict and pre-ject the behavior of team mates with great regularity and horrible accuracy. Humans tend to find what they’re looking for in all circumstances, relationships and opportunities. The person who seeks a growth opportunity will find one. The person who seeks rejection by others will...

STUNTS AND ACTIONS FOR SAKE OF ATTENTION ARE NOT LEADERSHIP EVEN IF THEY ARE INFLUENCE “I am a consistent evangelist for the notion ‘Leadership is influence, nothing more nothing less.’ John Maxwell. I am also a firm supporter of the idea that attention getting is not always branding. Some balance must be struck between marketing and seeking attention for attention sake. Trevor Jacob is going to p...

GRATITUDE IS THE SECRET WEAPON OF LEADERSHIP “It is uncommon to encounter people who are truly grateful for every event and circumstance in their life. Most humans have good days as well as bad days. Life tends to offer both reasons to celebrate and reasons to scream in frustration, anger, pain or remorse. To say otherwise is to lie. However, these events in life do not choose the attitude a leade...

WHO GIVES YOU ADVICE LEADER? COACH, MENTOR OR TORMENTOR? “The value of unsolicited advice is generally equal to the cost on the invoice. Solicited advice will often cost you more than the invoice indicates. The most expensive advice is never sought, never received, never accepted and never applied. The lack of advice creates pricey learning opportunities. These moments can be the end of your busin...

​ONE LEADER’S FRUSTRATION IS ANOTHER’S GENIUS  “The ability to admit weakness is largely underestimated in the world of leadership. It is however a critical component of a leader’s success and therefore a team’s success. A leader who attempts to manage every area of a project, every task, every role, every assignment and get all the work done single handedly is a leader who will burn out quickly....

There are Many reasons and many ways to tell better stories better. This lesson will tell you how and why. Learn more at storypowermasterclasss.com

​LEADERS WHO REFUSE TO HEAR FEEDBACK ARE CALLED T*&^%TS “If a leader insists on blind followers, undeniably loyal subjects and unquestioning submission it is a red flag and should be cause for alarm. Even parents who lead with an iron first and refuse to admit wrong are unhealthy. When leaders conspire together to influence, control and manipulate mass groups of people, entire segments of a gi...

TIMING IS IS EVERYTHING AS A LEADER “The one time not on your smart watch, not on the calendar, not on the nuclear clock at Grenhich is DUE TIME. No one can tell you when that is until it happens. In leadership there is a time for everything. Due time seems to rest right on the other side of hard work, persistence, doing it until you feel like quitting and doing it a little bit more than makes sen...

​LEADING IS AN ACT OF FAITH ESPECIALLY AS A TRAILBLAZER “It is hard enough to lead when following in the footsteps of giants. Just getting a group of people of any size to seek a common vision, move in a common direction, strive for common goals is likened to herding feral cats. Leading this same group where there is not so much as a trail to follow is a whole different endeavor. Leading like this...

​THE TWO MOST IMPORTANT DAYS IN ANY LEADERS LIFE ARE… “Every leader has a journey of their own. A journey of growth, maturity, discovery, adventure and purpose. Often the most challenging part of that journey is the pursuit of purpose. In fact Search For Significance is one of the best known books in modern psychology and personal development. John Maxwell says, ‘The two greatest days in anyone’s...

LEADERS DON’T WORRY THEY STRATEGIZE “Undesirable moments in life are inevitable. There will always be a circumstance, an incident, a tragedy beyond our control which directly impacts the work we do and the people we lead or care about most. Spending ample time to understand the incident, to analyze its cause and to prevent if possible its reoccurrence is the responsibility of a leader. Obsessing o...

CANDOR LEADS WHERE CARE EXISTS - WITHOUT CARE CANDOR CAN BE CRUEL “It is far too easy to speak your mind when every thought is about your own benefit. Successful leaders have the loyalty of their team because the team knows they care about them. A leader who is quick to speak and slow to listen is a leader who unknowingly inflicts emotional pain by simply speaking their mind. A great leader cares...

DREAMERS AND LEADERS ARE CLOSELY RELATED BUT WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP? “Most of a child’s life is spent in the world of imagination. Children live in a world where anything is possible and the unimaginable does not exist. If they can dream it up in their hearts and minds, they can and will behave as if it’s true. Age and life experience seem to be the deterrent to cultivating such fantastic lives....

GRATITUDE IS THE SECRET WEAPON OF LEADERSHIP “It is uncommon to encounter people who are truly grateful for every event and circumstance in their life. Most humans have good days as well as bad days. Life tends to offer both reasons to celebrate and reasons to scream in frustration, anger, pain or remorse. To say otherwise is to lie. However, these events in life do not choose the attitude a leade...

LEADERS NEED TO KNOW WHEN THEY ARE NOT THE SMARTEST GUY IN THE ROOM “This is not a statement on gender but a statement on ego and audacity. Confidence and arrogance are strange bedfellows. It’s difficult for most leaders to discern when one is asleep and the other is awake. When ego is driving the bus, every leader needs a team of back seat drivers to watch the road and course correct. When confid...

WHOSE VISION ARE YOU LEADING OTHERS TO AND THROUGH “It would only make sense for a leader to move people they influence in the direction of a mutually agreed upon vision, goal or destination. However, perhaps you’ve heard the seemingly unrelated phrases such as ulterior motive, narcissistic tendencies, or vision creep. These notions are directly related and intricately involved in the actual pract...

EVERY STORY A LEADER TELLS ESTABLISHES HISTORY, EXPLAINS THE PRESENT AND PREPARES PEOPLE FOR THE FUTURE “Leaders who read history know how often and in what ways history repeats itself. Leaders who tell stories recall to validate, or recollect to correct history as it is remembered. Like multiple eye witnesses to an accident, every event or incident in history has myriad perceptions to offer. What...