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

LEAD YOUR OWN THOUGHTS OR SOMEONE ELSE WILL AND THE IMPACT ON YOUR HEALTH WILL ASTOUND YOU “Healthy thinking can produce a healthy body. Toxic thinking can produce a toxic body. This is true of the human organism and human organizations. The quality of one’s thinking determines the quality of one’s life. If others can benefit, profit or gain control from influencing your thinking in a bad way, the...

LEADERS KNOW DEMEANOR IS A SKILL TO BE MASTERED OF MUCH EFFORT “Passion will carry an idea through many obstacles, but passion unbridled is like a gunny sack of hot coals. The energy passion provides is a great tool when managed well. However, in an environment where cooler heads prevail, passion is a disruption and a distraction. Leaders who master the skill of poise, restraint and self control w...

EVERY LEADER FACES A PARASITE THREAT - WHAT DO YOU DO? “A parasite in your body and a parasite in your company have the same strategy as well as the same effect. They suck the energy, resources and life from you while depositing their own excrement and toxicity in its place. In every way a bodily infestation can devastate, debilitate and disable an organizational parasite will do the same. If you...

LEADERSHIP REQUIRES MORALITY VALUES AND CORE TRUTH IN EXPRESSION AND DEED Suppression of the truth is sadly nothing new. For all of human existence, history belongs to the victor. Meaning whomever is winning the battle or has won the war claims the right to tell the story as they see it. Truth becomes the opinion of the victor. In many instances the truth as we know it is the result of a carefully...

LEADERS KNOW THIS - BEING MANAGED AND BEING LEAD ARE NOT THE SAME THING “I know not one person who has ever experienced the true freedom of being lead properly who prefers to be managed, manipulated and controlled. I know many who have traded their freedom for the supposed security of management. I also have sat across the table from, dined with, prayed with and spoken at length with those who liv...

LEADERS LOOK BENEATH THE SURFACE NARRATIVE AND INTO THE DEEPER MEANING “Most people are unaware how much they reveal in the words they do not say. The little white lies, omissions, altered meanings and misrepresentation are equal parts subconscious and subversive.  Some communicators are crafty and intentional in what they say and don’t say. Other communicators are simply trained to echo what...

LEADERS VALUE WYSIWYG AND KNOW EVERYTHING ELSE IS SUS “No one likes to be deceived, lied to or misled. It would be nice if the people we interact with would simply tell the truth. Better yet, what if there was a WYSIWYG button, like the easy button, you just smack it and all the misleading filters and facades fall away? My challenge to you as leaders is simple: be honest, operate in integrity, tak...

LEADERS EXPERIENCE THE GREATEST TRANSFORMATION WHERE DISCIPLINE MEETS ENVIRONMENT “Every leader must choose to surround themselves in the right environment and that choice alone requires drastic amounts of discipline. Is success based on nature or nurture? It is an age old debate, I believe the evidence is ample to state BOTH are significant if not equal in their influence and impact. As a leader...

LEADERSHIP IS A MIND GAME ​“A leader whose mind isn’t right is a leader who won’t lead long. The ability to maintain control of  your own attitude in all circumstances is a requirement of leadership. It is a tough assignment. It demands the greatest of tenacity and dogged determination but a positive mental attitude is the single most valuable asset of a great leader. Regardless the tragic, d...

LEADERS KNOW EXACTLY HOW THE LAW OF THE PICTURE AND GEESE ARE RELATED “The idea of shared and equal results, also known as equity in many circles, defies the logic of true success. Meritorious accomplishments are indicative of a different way of viewing and serving the world. The philosophical worldview which drives work ethic, reward and effort sees the individual as an entity serving the greater...

LEADERS KNOW WE ARE ALL BETTER TOGETHER -WHEN WE'RE ACTUALLY TOGETHER “Collocation and unity are not the same. Sharing the same space and not sharing common goals or purpose are akin to sitting in the same row boat and paddling in opposite directions. There may be a flurry of activity, but no progress will be made. When a family or team share common goals and predefined purpose they also have some...

LEADERS KNOW NO ONE IS UNTOUCHABLE “The only thing worse than being taken advantage of, cheated, manipulated or abused, is becoming a perpetual victim of the abuser. The hope for revenge or justice is a trap of abuse all its own. The body and brain will react in the same manner three weeks, three months, three decades after the incident so long as the victim dwells on it mentally. Allowing yoursel...

LEADERS RECOGNIZE WHEN ITS TIME TO GET PRIORITIES STRAIGHT   “Leadership carries a great deal of responsibility. One of those primary responsibilities is to identify, clarify and focus on true priorities. Every team needs an anchor leader who is grounded to the absolutes. Sure we all need visionaries, goal setters, those who stretch our efforts to the max and challenge every driving core beli...

LEADERS MUST ACCEPT THE GRAVITY AND RESPONSIBILITY OF THEIR OWN INFLUENCE ”The level of responsibility which comes with the influence of leadership and the leadership of influence must be taken seriously. Leaders who clamber and compete for growing numbers of followers and greater realms of influence must also be well aware they are very likely altering the trajectory of lives they speak into. If...

LEADERS UNDERSTAND THE BALANCE OF OFFENSE VS DEFENSE REQUIRED TO SEE VICTORY “It’s not enough to win the ideological, intellectual or moral skirmish if you lose the war to overconfidence. If you play to win by a slim margin at the buzzer, you may as well be playing to lose. Leaders who play every game as though there is not cost to losing, Weill not only lose in the short run, but they will lose i...

LEADERS LEARN THE HARD WAY: ONE CAN ONLY EFFECTIVELY SPEAK THE TRUTH BY LETTING GO THE OUTCOME “The truth will set you free. It might also set you free of your job, your connections, your reputation, your political clout, your social standing and your livelihood. In an era where loyalty and surrender are driven more by financial gain than morality. In an era where integrity is for sale to the high...

LEADERS ARE ACCUSTOMED TO STRETCHING UNTIL IT HURTS “The same kind of thinking which got us to this point will not get us to the next great thing. Stretching of thinking, challenging of status quo, refusal to accept acceptable norms as the end game these are the exercises of true leaders. These mind stretching leaders may or may not be political leaders, industrial leaders, financial leaders or ev...

LEADERS FIGHT DIFFERENTLY WHEN THE FIGHT IS COMING FROM WITHIN “There is no greater enemy than a best friend gone bad because they know all your best kept secrets. The battle to keep composure, maintain your reputation, communicate your intention clearly, lead your team well and provide for your family will be fought mostly in your own soul. Your mind, will and emotions represent the most formidab...

TRANSFORMATIVE LEADERS UNDERSTAND AND DEFEND AGAINST DECEPTIVE COMMUNICATION “The skill set needed to manipulate, coerce, or direct the behavior of an audience requires time, diligence and significant investment to acquire. Those who commit themselves to this process of learning and mastery can become the equivalent of a SuperBowl MVP in the area of communication and leadership. Sadly, the mastery...

LEADERS AND SPEAKERS SHARE A COMMON AND SIGNIFICANT TRAIT WITH PINEAPPLES. WHAT IS IT? “Leaders who get put under the extreme pressures of leadership will discover their true inner self quickly. Speakers, parents, teachers, influencers are all like pineapples in the same way. No one can manufacture a speech or presentation which defies their nature for very long. Ancient wisdom says ‘from the dept...

LEADERS RESIST CERTAIN FLOW ENVIRONMENTS BECAUSE STRUGGLE HAS ITS REWARD “It is possible to avoid almost all struggle in life. It is possible to live a life of ease with no push back, resistance and pain… for a season. In the end, hard lessons befall everyone. Short cuts, going along to get along, moving in the path of least resistance will come to an abrupt end in a collision with awareness of re...

LEADERS DO THEIR OWN PUSH UPS AND THOSE WHO DO NOT ARE A DANGER TO OTHERS “The number of times a leader fails to lead because they have taken too many short cuts to get to the top is both mind boggling and tragic. The worst part is the aftermath and damage they can do to the projects and people they have been responsible for due to their own lack of preparation and diligence. Good leaders do their...

LEADERS KNOW HOW TO STOCK THE CABINET WITH PROPER TOOLS “Team building and team acquiring are learned leadership disciplines. The ability to write a thorough and accurate job description then match it to an honest resume has become an art form of the most skilled. It’s not enough to check and trust the degree plan, diploma or even referrals. The skills acquired and the education accumulated will n...

LEADERS KNOW WHEN THEY DON'T KNOW AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT ​“There will always be something you don’t know. Even the most brilliant, most educated, most inquisitive person cannot know everything. The secret rests in the humility to say I don’t know partnered with the wisdom to say I will find out and get back to you. Good leaders are also aware when the knowledge, data, information requested is not...

LEADERS ARE SEEDERS NOT CEDERS OR CEDARS “The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second best time is today. Otherwise there will be no hope for trees tomorrow. Leaders who surrender power, authority, responsibility or control also surrender influence. Leaders who are ceders abdicate their opportunities to establish today what will shape tomorrow and have failed as leaders in my opi...