When Winning Becomes a Form of Losing

Recently, a basketball game between two small Christian private girls' schools gained national attention in the US. The winning school, Covenant School of Dallas is seeking to nullify its 100-0 win over Dallas Academy. Covenant has gone beyond this step to sack their basketball team coach and issue an apology to Dallas Academy for the unsportsmanlike behaviour displayed during the infamous game. The school published an official apology on its website, and the statement below is notable.

This clearly does not reflect a Christ-like and honorable approach to competition. We humbly apologize for our actions and seek the forgiveness of Dallas Academy, TAPPS and our community. The school and its representatives in no way support or condone the running up of a score against any team in any sport for any reason.

During the game, the girls from Covenant apparently went beyond the purpose of winning and let the game become one of humiliation and embarassment to their opponents instead. On top of that, Dallas Academy is no ordinary school. They specifically open their doors to students with learning disabilities. Hence, given the circumstances, any basketball game with them ought to be tempered with generous mercy and grace, rather than furious competitive behaviour that not only shame the opponent but embarasses the school they represent. It is like trying to continue boxing even when the opponent is down. Take soccer for example. Frequently, when one of the opposing team members are lying flat out on the field, players of either team will kick the ball out of play so that the injured player can be cared for.

Sometimes I feel that society in general, from schools to competitive sports have tend to over-emphasize performance and competition to the detriment of learning and compassion. The ethics of winning needs to be taught and inculcated into young minds. As one trains to be a competent sportsman, it is equally important to practice compassion and mercy. After-all, winning is not everything, but everything needs winning grace. Human dignity must be upheld whether one is on the winning or losing team. In the example of Covenant, I applaud the school leadership for taking the initiative to seek forgiveness and use this as an example that should not be repeated. As for Dallas Academy, by losing this embarassing game, they were rewarded with an invitation to watch the Dallas Mavericks from his suite! Amazing.

"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy." (Matt 5:7)

ks

Our Source of Hope

This song "In Christ Alone" by Brian Littrell, was a hit back in 2005, is worshipful and ranks among my top favourites.

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[Credit: Words (Brian Littrell); Chords (Ultimate-Guitar.com)]

A Hopeful New Year 2009

Below are 2 very meaningful messages from the Star newspaper in Malaysia, for the Year of the Ox. My favourite is the first one, which has the ox (牛) sitting on a wave to represent the character (生), which means life.

(Credit: The Star, Malaysia, 26 Jan 2009, p15)

The second one is also one that encourages all to learn from the strength of an ox, to climb the mountain of challenges we may encounter this year. Rightfully said, it is usually through hardships that the best character in us can be formed.
(Credit: The Star, Malaysia, 26 Jan 2009, p5)

ks

Happy Chinese New Year 2009 (Ox year)

I like this evergreen rendition of the Chinese New Year favourite. Hope you like it too.

Happy Chinese New Year 2009.



ks

"Where is God?" amid economic troubles

Hardly a day goes by without someone in the media talking about hard times to come. When I was in Charlotte last week, the locals were still lamenting on the loss of their home-grown bank, Wachovia, which has since been taken over by Wells Fargo. Discount stalls like Walmart and Dollar stores are doing relatively well. When I walk through the malls, I can get a sense of gloom and lacklustre sales, even among the big retailers. Back in Canada, even the federal government is not spared of the depression. This week, they unveiled a C$64 billion deficit over the next 2 years. In British Columbia, one of the headlines is the troubled Olympic Village, that also needs an emergency financial loan from the provincial government. Singapore has for the first time in history, dipped into its reserves, slaughtering one of its sacred cows. A good friend of mine shared with me a shocking picture of how much the world's largest banks' market capitalization have shrunk. Ironically, one of Britain's largest tax-payers, RBS, whose many contributions to society were virtually wiped out overnight, with one bank rescue effort by the government.


I think far too many societies around the world has adopted 'bailout-thinking.' An ingenius beer-seller has concocted a 'Bailout-Bitter' beer that is catching headlines. CBC reported it as well as the company, Howe Sound Brewery's Press release.I am not a beer drinker. However, this new beer just launched catches my attention because of its sheer ingenuity and the way it is used to capture the mood of the times. I believe that more needs to be done rather than simply identifying with the times. Unfortunately, leadership is lacking, apart from handouts, which will eventually run-out.

BEYOND PESSIMISM or OPTIMISM
There is not much credible direction from leaders as to what is best to do. The typical man in the street will simply let the present crisis run its course and pray for recovery to come sooner rather than later. My concern, is for leaders, can we simply wait? Here, I argue that leadership is even more critical in times like these. The first question that many Christians will ask is: "Where is God?" Interestingly, this question is asked most often during times of turmoil and hardships. What about those periods when we are having financial windfalls, prosperity and economic wellness? Some pious Christians will label 'Praise God' or 'Hallelujah' across every positive news, but staple their lips when negative events occur. Where is God? It reminds me of the situation where the word GODISNOWHERE has two possible readings. Pessimistically, it reads: "God Is Nowhere." In contrast, it can also be read as "God Is Now Here." Where the letter 'w' is spaced in, makes all the difference. In this aspect, where is our 'w' in our spiritual life? For some of us, it is 'wailing' in self-pity or depression. This is the pessimistic option. For others who react against it, it is an opportunity to 'win' as crisis is also an opportunity to make good. Both solutions are not optimal. The former pessimism does not help to lift the gloom. It may lead to severe depression and suicide. The latter sometimes may be acts of foolishness made in the name of risk-taking. Gordon MacDonald made an interesting case for leadership. In his article, "Beyond Pessimism or Optimism," published in Leadership Journal, he argues that hope is the reason to go beyond these 2 narrow options. He writes:

"It's a spiritual battle some times. I have to continuously remind myself that my eye must first be upon God's purposes, not on the progress of stimulus packages."

Written sensitively, MacDonald shares his similarity in struggles like:

"Occasionally I assess my own financial situation. I muse on questions like: Will I be able to continue to generate income into the foreseeable future? How should I spend, save, and give away what I do earn? Will I be able to help our grandchildren pay their college expenses? What happens if there are unexpected medical costs down the road?"

He adopts a 2-prong approach, namely to be awakened from the materialistic mindset toward a more heavenly mindset based on hopefulness.

I agree. Hope is something that is more needed than cash injections. Hope is long-term in perspective while bailouts are short-term. We cannot be victimized by the problems of today, to the point of giving up permanent values for temporary survival. It is true that in some situations, one may wonder how they are going to survive another day. I will concede that in life-and-death situations, emergency transfusion may be necessary. However, I will also argue that worrying about the present, and mortgaging our future hopes in exchange for a temporal respite for continued material indulgence is not a fair transaction at all. Being hooked on material lifestyle is like drug addiction. Everything is seen as a means to buy the fix for a moment of ecstasy. The problem is, such things do not last.

NT Wright's latest book, "Surprised by Hope" argues for a new view of heaven in terms of hope in the future resurrection in the coming of the kingdom of God. In his typical scholarly brilliance, he contends that the way to live well in the present is directly related to how we see the future. Our perspectives of "Life after death" directly impacts our current life before death. The Apostle Paul yearns to be with God, but chose to be with the church despite its ill. That is because he has learned to live heavenly on earth. Jesus has also taught us, that we need to pray that God's will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Wright's "life before life before death' brilliantly ties together heavenly hope with earthly living. This way, we will not be living defeated lives while wearing a gospel that shouts victory in Christ at all angles. Indeed, we all need to be pleasantly surprised by hope. Jesus has promised us the Holy Spirit, to help us do greater things. The greater thing is NOT any miraculous recovery of the economy. It is not even the sudden ushering of Armageddon on earth, like what we see in the movies of mighty dramatic battles. Instead, the greater thing happens within the deepest crevices of our broken hearts. It has to do with a hopeful disposition, looking forward to living heaven on earth. Elizabeth Barrett Browning describes such a mood aptly.

"Earth's crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God;
But only he who sees, takes off his shoes -
The rest sit round it and pluck blueberries."
(Elizabeth Barrett Browning)

Which are we going to be? The one who recognizes the presence of God, and immediately remove his filthy shoes so as to revere a holy God? Or are we going to be people looking out for berries, ignoring the presence of God, constantly repeating the mantra: "Where is God?" If one keeps asking this question, even in the presence of the Almighty, one would have become like stubborn Israel, who were people who have eyes but do not see, or ears that do not hear.

May the Lord grant us eyes and ears that WILL see the glory of God in the midst of all these worldly confusion.

ks

Jolt Quote XXI

“During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act”

George Orwell(English Novelist and Essayist, 1903-1950)

"Values Shift"

'Value' is an increasingly talked about term when dealing with corporate mission and vision. I have visited several companies over the past few months and one thing stands out clear. Values remain a core statement of faith in the corporate world. Instead of the old paradigm of job security, loyalty, lifelong careers and predictable promotion by seniority, the new world looks more temporary, more short-term, greater willingness to jump-ship, and uncertainty in promotions. The movie, "In Good Company," released in 2004 highlights such a new environment. It presents an experienced sales executive overtaken by a young inexperienced salesman who is half his age. Even after years of hard work and loyalty, it shows us how easy it is for the old world paradigms to be simply swept aside with just one Merger/Acquisition exercise. It is a swift change with a single executive decision from the top. In the film, a highly experienced Dan Foreman (played by Dennis Quaid) has to contend with an inexperienced young boss, Carter Duryea (played by Topher Grace). It is one thing to be insulted with the young managing the old. It is yet another to have one's experience conveniently set aside in the world of corporate politics. The film also thinly criticized the use of corporate cliches like 'synergy,' 'bottom line,' 'corporate policy' and 'psyched.' Truth is, these words mean nothing to people who were being fired in the name of corporate restructuring.

According to John Izzo and Pam Withers, the new work environment is no longer one that depends on worker's self-motivation. It needs an injection of new work values that people can identify with. This is because the former world is being surrounded by the four waves of change.


THE OLD WORLD
The old world is obliged to change due to 4 forces, namely changes in Family, the Economy, Society and Technology. For the Family, rising affluence, changes in family size and parenting habits, coupled with new family structures have given rise to a new generation that is more averse to overwork and its consequences. In the Economy, one cannot afford to rest passively waiting for things to happen. Workers know that obsolescence is not a matter of why but when. Hence, the kind of work they do must be one that is able to help them to chalk up 'points' to remain employable. In Society, consumerism and spiritual hunger has affected one's perception of success. In a survey of graduating MBAs from Duke University, the measurements of success have shifted from the visible to the less visible, from the extrinsic to something more intrinsic. (see diagram below).
Finally, Technology is something that has dramatically affected the workplace, namely in terms of empowering people who were previously located at the bottom rungs of the information ladder. The book, "Values Shift" is essentially about how companies can adapt their corporate values to keep in step with workers' new expectations in the new world of work.
Values shifting is essentially about 6 major movements corporate workers will come to expect.

The 6 Shifts

1. From Hierarchical Structures --> Partnership
   
2. From overwork --> Balanced work and life;
   
3. From business-driven --> Nobility-driven
   
4. From making the numbers --> making meaning in work; (Personal Growth and Development as long-term security)
   
5. From Self focus --> Expectation of community living within the work environment
   
6. From directives approach --> Trust sharing.

"The six expectations outlined here form a template for companies that want the best employees to flock their way. Companies that align themselves with the new worker values will achieve great things. Knowing how people work is critical. Knowing their dreams and highest hopes is paramount." (John Izzo & Pam Withers, Values Shift, Prentice-Hall Canada, 2001, p13)

My Comments
I have 3 points to make, in terms of what is most helpful, what is least, and what can be done to improve the content of the book. Firstly, the positive.Izzo and Withers are clearly looking at values shifting from the angle of the employer or the organization, how it can improve staff-retention, especially valued ones. I liked the way they talk about values in terms of a 'philosophy' rather than a 'strategy' (198). Strategy is captivating and is an impressive word. Unfortunately, it is often used more as a cliche which does not mean anything. It means different things to different people. Business schools studying Michael Porter's techniques will describe strategy as building competitive advantage. For the layperson, it is another word for 'advanced planning.' However, a philosophy underlines the very thinking and belief of the worker and organization. Izzo and Withers does this job well.

A negative point is in terms of 'worker retention' in tough economic times like the present financial struggles happening worldwide. Many organizations are cutting back stuff, letting go valued employees rather than designing any worker retention strategies. Moreover, the organization can do so much, but if the worker no longer sees any fit between what he does and what the company expects, the best long term option is still to leave.

Thirdly, the book will fare better if it can incorporate a chapter or two specifically from the worker's perspective and what he/she can do for the organization. Like many management books, the quips, blurbs and quotes used in the book are mostly from people in high positions within the hierarchical structure. If the book can have an element of inclusiveness of the ordinary worker, in the tradition of Studs Terkel manner of including interviews with the typical man-on-the-street, it will have a wider circle of readers beyond managers and CEOs. In this sense, the book itself will do good to heed its own advice to adopt partnership with businesses and all personnel, not just businesses and management.

In summary, "In Good Company" is a good movie to watch. For the book, it is an effective entry-level trigger in getting companies to adapt their business practices toward understanding their employees better. Beyond that, the book lacks the ability to inform the organization on situations where 'worker retention' becomes deadly to the survival of the organization in a financially ravaged economy. Moreover, Izzo and Withers do not hide the fact that their proposed 'values shift' will also shift eventually. The trouble is, it has come sooner than their later.

conrade