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

LEADERS KNOW ENVIRONMENT MATTERS - CUTURE - SURROUNDINGS - PEOPLE ​“Culture, people, environment are all the work of leadership. Whether a leader makes space for a diverse and accepting team or not, is generally speaking a reflection of their character. Diversity requires diligence, intentionality, and effort however it does not require conformity or homogeneous ideologies. It is possible to liste...

LEADERS DON’T FOLLOW STEREO TYPES “If a leader assumes… they have already made a mistake. If they assume based on appearance, resume, place of birth, or bumpier stickers that they know all they need to know about a team member they are foolish. No humans are simplistically reducible to a one dimensional avatar. Demographics, sociology, political view, religious beliefs and family history all play...

HONOR IS A CODE WHICH UPHOLDS THE FABRIC OF SOCIETY. LEADERS EXHIBIT HONOR. “Disrespect and dishonor can be costly, not only in the currency of relationships but in the currency of life or even monetarily. Ever heard of contempt of court or contempt of congress? Both of these are punitive results from dishonoring the judge or administration who has authority in the situation. Learning to honor oth...

LEADERS SET GOALS TO IMPROVE THE INDIVIDUAL AND TEAM “A goal which benefits only the team at the expense of the team members is a misguided goal. A goal which benefits only specific individuals at the expense of the team or other individuals is equally misguided and likely destructive. A good leader builds loyalty and trust by setting, defining and proceeding toward goals which improve the quality...

WHAT MAKES A LEADER A CELEBRITY? IS IT A GOOD THING? ”No matter how you sell it, paint it, promote it, or label it, the contents of a balloon remain without much substance. A life designed to become a celebrity without cause, a life where celebrity status is the greatest ambition, will become much like that balloon. Regardless how pretty the outer shell, the decorations or accoutrements, what’s on...

LEADERS LISTEN - EVEN WHEN THEY HAVE MORE TO SAY THAN THEY WANT OR NEED TO HEAR “More flies with honey… Speak in the terms of the other persons interest… two ears one mouth… All of these idioms point in the same general direction. Listening is both powerful and essential as a tool for leading. Leaders tend to have ideas, notions, plans, strategies and tactics which need to be shared with the team....

LEADERSHIP IS A FIELD WHERE THE GREATEST PRODUCT YOU EVER PRODUCE IS A GREATER PERSON. (YOU FIRST) “The standards of measurement for what makes a great leader are so ambiguous they are near impossible to live up to.  The tricks, the manipulations, the expectations of those who choose to play the influence game for personal gain are overwhelming. When we measure leadership by the effectiveness...

LEADERSHIP GURU JOHN MAXWELL SAYS "WHO YOU ARE DETERMINES WHAT YOU DO." IS IT TRUE? ​“Everyone is built for something a little different. Every skill set, every talent, every natural gift, has a perfect fit in the economy of success. How you were created, who you spend time with, the books you read and what you believe about yourself will have more impact on your future successes than just about a...

LEADERS AVOID A DUMPSTER FIRE STORY LIKE THE PLAGUE  “No one has reached adult life without baggage. Every memory we carry impacts our thoughts, beliefs, behavior and relationships. These things form and present the stories we tell. Some people have a predictable past, a predictable story and are fairly easy to anticipate. Others have a radically unpredictable story and a potentially volatile...

LEADERS ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE "BOB PRINCIPLE" AND ASK THEMSELVES WHAT IF I AM BOB? ”It’s hard enough to lead people in an ideal situation. Add to the mix differing personalities, past traumas, and the stress of life as we know it and we have a recipe for leadership disaster. It is common to find the squeaky wheel getting the grease, or getting replaced, and often squeaking intentionally just to ca...

LEADERS KNOW EMOTIONS MAKE FOR RECKLESS OPINION FORMING AND EVEN WORSE DECISION MAKING “Hasty decisions are often emotional decisions and those are reckless decisions. When leaders form their opinions or make major decisions on emotions alone they risk more than the decision itself. The long term effects, the unintended consequences, the emotional fallout from reckless decisions can be immeasurabl...

​ LEADERS UNDERSTAND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DETAILS AND DEVILS  “Not every distraction is intentional, some are incidental. For those which are intentional, the devil is in the details. The more details you endure, the more the distraction is determined to hide. Big usurpations demand bigger misdirection. As a leader, integrity demands transparency and as such sorely frowns on such deceptio...

LEADERS CHERISH THE STORIES OF OLD BECAUSE THEY ARE OFTEN THE ROAD MAP TO FUTURE SUCCESS ”There is no question, your lived experiences contain a wealth of wisdom which education alone cannot provide. The same is true of the people you lead as well as the people who you follow. Taking time to hear and learn from those stories may mean the difference between enduring a personal tragedy and averting...

LEADING HAS LIMITS AND THE RULES MUST APPLY FAIRLY TO EVERYONE. KNOW THE RULES OF THE GAME “The rules which apply to the game must apply equally, fairly and consistently to everyone playing the same game. It is unacceptable when leaders bend the rules, cheat the rules or change the rules to favor only themselves. In some cases other participants will study the rules just to use your ignorance of t...

LEADERS ARE ENERGIZED BY ACTION AND RESULTS, BOTH START WITH YES! “Your negative energy is not a speed bump, detour or road block to your success - it is a cliff over an enormous canyon where dreams go to die. I cannot say it strongly enough NO ENERGY has killed more dreams before they get out of bed than failure ever will. Leaders must be possessors, lenders and givers of positive YES! energy to...

GOOD LEADERS ARE CYCLE BREAKERS NOT REPEATING THE ABUSES THEY HAVE ENDURED ​“If you have ever been a victim of corrupt, unscrupulous, unethical leadership you know the pain and frustration it breeds. A good leader learns to counter the effects, break the cycle and transform their own leadership. A good leader recognizes gifts and talents in those they lead and matches them with coming opportunitie...

EVERY LEADER HAS EXPERIENCED A TEST OF AUTHORITY FROM ONE SIDE OR THE OTHER ANARCHY OR TYRANNY “Authorities can be established, elected, dictated or presumed. In any case they will face the resistance or rebellion of those under their authority and the potential of disrespect leading to disruption or even chaos and anarchy. What seems like mild questioning of the right to rule will easily become a...

LEADERS KNOW THE IMPORTANCE OF "GETTIN' MONEY" AND WHAT'S MORE IMPORTANT “Just like winning, money isn’t everything but to some it’s the only thing. If money is what drives you, what keeps you going in the right, legal, moral and positive direction? Do you know anyone personality who sold out their values, beliefs, self worth, integrity or even dignity for the sake of money alone? While you’re get...

GREAT LEADERS MOTIVATE, INSPIRE AND CORRECT THEIR TEAM “Engaging leaders gain and keep the attention of those they intent to influence by understanding the nature and drivers of those they lead. Great leaders motivate by connecting, inspire by modeling and correct by graceful redirection. Take time to get to know people through observation to become a better leader.” J Loren Norris ​ Watch the vid...

LEADERS KNOW NONSENSE IS NOTHING MORE THAN A WASTE OF T T T & A. SPOT THE NONSENSE. “There will always be nonsensical arguments in the realm of leadership. There will always be people who have nothing better to do than argue, create drama, distract and disrupt. The real challenge for the leader is to determine or distinguish genuine issues which require redress and time wasting, nonsensical si...

GOOD JOB! WELL DONE! WE ALL WANT TO HEAR AFFIRMATION... UNLESS ITS HOLLOW AND SELF SERVING “What good is a compliment which is hollow, vain or self serving? Not much! If you feel like the best thing you can do for your team is to make sure they feel good about working for you, you are mislead. It is significantly more beneficial for a leader to be honest with the gritty ability to both admonish an...

THE POWER OF LEADERSHIP RESIDES IN THE TRUE HUMANITY OF THE INDIVIDUAL “Intelligence and cleverness are not markers of humanity on their own. However, treating a human with dignity deserved of a human should be reserved for humans. Also a leader who treats a human like a machine, robot or animal, must redefine their processes and systems to acknowledge the soul of their team members. This is not a...

LEGACY MUST BE THE LEADERSHIP GOAL OF A GREAT DADS - BOTH IN MODELING AND JOURNALING “The lessons we learn in life are not just for our learning. We are meant to pass them on and save the pain for future generations. We should be trusted to leave the map through the toughest times and to the promised land of success. First good dads model behavior worth emulating. Second they keep record of though...

GOOD DADS LEAD WITH GOOD MORALS BY IMPARTING THEM AND DEMONSTRATING THEM ​“The law of the picture: people do what people see is no more evident than in the role of Dad!  Children who see a dad who is courteous, selfless, kind and filled with gratitude learn to emulate those values. A father who chooses to be absent, aloof, or oblivious is not fulfilling the role of DAD. Living the core values...

NO GOOD DAD LEADS THEIR CHILDREN TO BE A LIAR - THEY DONT HAVE TO BECAUSE ITS NATURAL - THE REAL WORK IS TO TEACH THEM TO DECIDEDLY PURSUE TRUTH ”Children seem to have a natural knack for telling lies when they believe it will benefit them. Selfishness, emotional responses, and sometime outright meanness actually are natural in humans. Its human nature. A good dad knows this and leads their childr...