LEADERSHIP: When You Follow Well, You Lead Well.

NBA Player, Chauncey Billups, said, "To be a good leader, at some point you have to be a good follower. I was always a good follower. I always followed the right people and listened to the right things. Those helped shape me as a leader." So, are you a good follower?

I can't tell you how many times I have heard "Are you a leader or a follower?" when I was growing up. A subtle principle was communicated through that question: "be a leader not a follower!"

But if everyone is leading, then who is following? I have never heard athletes confess, "I am just a follower. Leadership is just not for me." We all want to lead. Volumes have been written on leadership, but very little has been written on followership. You know, the art and skill of being a great follower.

Followership is the beginning of leadership. The best competitors have mastered the art of following. Following means intentionally watching, learning from and imitating others. You observe those who are walking in a manner worthy of the Lord, who live with humility and courage, who exhibit integrity and compassion, who make wise decisions, and then you choose to follow in their footsteps. Paul, as he followed the example of Jesus, urged other believers to imitate him in 1 Corinthians 11:1, "Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ."

You don't follow others based on championships, title or position but example and influence. Followership starts at the foot of the cross. Pick up our cross daily and follow Him. Remember, when you follow well, you lead well.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

Dan Britton serves as the Fellowship of Christian Athletes' Executive Vice President of International Ministry and Training at the National Support Center in Kansas City. He has been on FCA staff since 1991, first serving for 13 years in Virginia and most recently as the Executive V.P. of Ministry Programs. In high school and college, Dan was a standout lacrosse player. He continued his lacrosse career by playing professional indoor lacrosse for four years with the Baltimore Thunder. He has coauthored three books, One Word That Will Change Your Life, WisdomWalks and WisdomWalks SPORTS, and he is the author and editor of eleven FCA books. He still plays and coaches lacrosse and enjoys running marathons. He and his wife Dawn reside in Overland Park, Kansas, with their three children: Kallie, Abby and Elijah. You can e-mail Dan at dan@fca.org. 

http://www.lindsay-sherwin.co.uk/guide_team_leadership/html_leadership_styles/4_situational.htm

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http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2009/08/10-ways-to-be-great-follower.html

Sunday, August 30, 2009

10 Ways to be a Great Follower

A long time ago, when I was conducting one of my first management training classes, a crusty old general foreman snarled at me, "Hey kid, maybe you should be teaching my employees how to be better employees, instead of wasting my time".

Since then, I've spent the last 20 + years trying to develop great leaders. There are thousands of books, articles, and courses on how to be better leaders. Yet, after all of this effort, we still seem to have a shortage of leaders and a lot of employees sure seem dissatisfied with their bosses. Sometimes it feels like we're just spitting in the wind.

Well, after all these years, I'm thinking old crusty may have been on to something there. Let's face it; even the most powerful leaders have to answer to someone; so at some point, we all have to be followers. And great leaders can't be great unless they have great followers. Heck, a team of great followers can even make the most average of managers a great leader.

So how about if I stop telling everyone they should be a leader and instead practice what it takes to be a great follower? Here are some things I love to see from my own employees, and have tried to practice with my managers.

1. Keep your manager informed.

Leaders throughout history have made bad decisions based on a lack of information or bad information. Great employees keep their managers abreast of key projects, even if they don't ask. A manager can't recognize and reward if they don't know what their employees are doing. Managers also hate finding out about bad news from someone else. If something happens, like a dissatisfied client, give your manager a heads-up there may be trouble coming their way.

2. Always support your manager behind their backs.

That also means don't criticize your manager behind their backs. For one thing, it's unprofessional. It's also a safe assumption that whatever you say, good or bad, will get back to them.

3. Be good. Damn good.

When an employee consistently delivers extraordinary results, most managers end up giving them more trust and latitude. And when a manager doesn't have to waste their time cleaning up after mistakes or following up, they have more time to spend on vision, strategy, recognition, resource allocation, and other good things that benefit the entire team. Do what you say you're going to do and do it well.

4. Admit your mistakes.

When you make a mistake, admit it. Be accountable; don't make excuses, don't point fingers, and don't act like a victim. Tell your manager what happened, what you're doing to fix it, and what you've learned so that it won't happen again.

5. Be a great peer.

See post, "Would Your Peers Vote for You". Be a team player; be an advocate for them behind their backs. Managers can't stand back-stabbers, and they can sniff it out no matter how subtle you think you're being.

6. Don't bring problems to your manager, bring solutions.

OK, it's a tired cliché, but it's true. Don't delegate upwards.

7. Prioritize your own work.

Great followers never have to ask their managers to help prioritize their work for them. New employees might need to do this – or average employees – but not the great ones. They always seem to know what's important and urgent, and what can wait.

8. Be an optimist.

Everyone loves being around optimists – the positive attitude and energy is contagious. When you're the person who always sees the glass as half-empty, you end up being a real buzz-kill for everyone around you.

9. Embrace change.

Everybody says the love change – as long as the change is their idea. A great follower can see the possibilities in someone else's idea. Be the early adopter; don't be the laggard.

10. Love what you do – or do something else.

If you don't like what you do, it'll show up in your work and attitude. You're not doing yourself, your manager, or your co-workers any favors by hanging on to what you consider to be a lousy job. Life's too short – find something that you can be passionate about.

http://bblil.tripod.com/docs/stl.htm

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http://perspective.org.au/book/202/executive-summary-the-21-irrefutable-laws-of-leadership----john-maxwell

Executive Summary: "The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership" - John Maxwell ::

Not so much a book review, but an 'Executive Summary', a condensing of key ideas… Leadership consultant and former pastor John Maxwell offers twenty one "laws" distilled from his experience as a self-confessed "expert leader".. 

Leadership consultant and former pastor John Maxwell offers twenty one "laws" distilled from his experience as a self-confessed "expert leader."

1. The Law of the lid.

Your leadership is like a lid or a ceiling on your organisation. Your church or business will not rise beyond the level your leadership allows. That's why when a corporation or team needs to be fixed, they fire the leader.

2. The Law of Influence.

Leadership is simply about influencing people. Nothing more, nothing less. The true test of a leader is to ask him to create positive change in an organisation. If you cannot create change, you cannot lead. Being a leader is not about being first, or being an entrepreneur, or being the most knowledgeable, or being a manager. Being a leader is not just holding a leadership position. ("It's not the position that makes a leader, but the leader who makes a position.") Positional leadership especially does not work in volunteer organisations. The very essence of all power to influence lies in getting the other person to participate. "He who thinks he leads , but has no followers, is only taking a walk."

3. The Law of Process.

Leadership is learned over time. And it can be learned. People skills, emotional strength, vision, momentum, and timing are all areas that can and should be learned. Leaders are always learners.

4. The Law of Navigation.

Anyone can steer the ship, but it takes a leader to chart the course. Vision is defined as the ability to see the whole trip before leaving the dock. A leader will also see obstacles before others do. A leader sees more, sees farther, and sees before others. A navigator (leader) listens – he finds out about grassroots level reactions. Navigators balance optimism with realism. Preparation is the key to good navigation. "It's not the size of the project, it's the size of the leader that counts."

5. The Law of E.F. Hutton.

Hutton was America's most influential stock market analyst. When he spoke, everyone listened. When real leaders speak, people automatically listen. Conversely, in any group or church, you can identify the real leaders by looking for those who people listen to. According to Margaret Thatcher, "being in power is like being a lady – if you have to tell people you are, you aren't." (p45) Tips for a Positional leader – like a newly appointed minister – who wants to become a REAL leader… look for the existing real leaders and work to have influence there. Factors involved in being accepted as a new real leader include character, building key relationships, information, intuition, experience, past success. and ability.

6. The Law of Solid Ground.

Trust is the foundation for all effective leadership. When it comes to leadership, there are no shortcuts. Building trust requires competence, connection and character.

7. The Law of Respect.

People naturally follow people stronger than themselves. Even natural leaders tend to fall in behind those who they sense have a higher "leadership quotient" than themselves.

8. The Law of Intuition.

Leaders evaluate everything with a Leadership bias. Leaders see trends, resources and problems, and can read people.

9. The Law of Magnetism.

Leaders attract people like themselves. Who you are is who you attract. (Mmmm… I thought like poles were meant to repel!) Handy hint: "Staff" your weaknesses. If you only attract followers, your organisation will be weak. Work to attract leaders rather than followers if you want to build a truly strong organisation.

10. The Law of Connection.

You must touch the heart before you ask people to follow. Communicate on the level of emotion first to make a personal connection.

11. The Law of the Inner Circle.

A leader's potential is determined by those closest to him. "The leader finds greatness in the group, and helps the members find it in themselves." (p113)

12. The Law of Empowerment.

Only secure leaders give power to others. Mark Twain said, "Great things can happen when you don't care who gets the credit." (p127). Another point to ponder… "Great leaders gain authority by giving it away."

13. The Law of Reproduction.

It takes a leader to raise up a leader. Followers can't do it, and neither can institutional programs "It takes one to know one, to show one, to grow one." The potential of an organisation depends on the growth of its leadership.

14. The Law of Buy-In.

People buy in to the leader first, then the vision. If they don't like the leader but like the vision, they get a new leader. If they don't like the leader or the vision, they get a new leader. If they don't like the vison but like the leader, they get a new vision.

15. The Law of Victory.

Leaders find a way for the team to win. "You can't win WITHOUT good athletes, but you CAN lose with them." p162). Unity of vision, diversity of skills plus a leader are needed for a win.

16. The Law of Momentum.

You can't steer a ship that isn't moving forward. It takes a leader to create forward motion.

17. The Law of Priorities.

Activity is not necessarily accomplishment. We need to learn the difference. "A leader is the one who climbs the tallest tree, surveys the entire situation, and yells "Wrong Jungle!"" (p176) If you are a leader, you must learn the three "Rs"... a) what's Required b) what gives the greatest Return c) what brings the greatest Reward.

18. The Law of Sacrifice.

A leader must give up to go up. Successful leaders must maintain an attitude of sacrifice to turn around an organisation. One sacrifice seldom brings success. As he worked to turn around the Chrysler Corporation, Lee Iacocca slashed his own salary to $1 per year."When you beome a leader, you lose the right to think about yourself."

19. The Law of Timing.

When to lead is as important as what to do and where to go. Only the right action at the right time will bring success.

20. The Law of Explosive Growth.

To add growth, lead followers. To multiply growth, lead leaders. "It is my job to build the people who are going to build the company."

21. The Law of Legacy.

A leader's lasting value is measured by succession. "Leadership is the one thing you can't delegate. You either exercise it – or abdicate it."

REFLECTIONS

This is a book with some valuable practical insights. John Maxwell, a former senior pastor and now a management consultant, has spent much of his working life reading and researching the essential features of leadership. But don't be misled – while Maxwell offers practical insights, there is very little biblical material involved. This is a book that sits on the shelves of Christian bookshops only by virtue of Maxwell's publishing connections.

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: By y John C. Maxwell-AUDIOBOOK

Motivational maestro Zig Ziglar dies at 86 - Washington Times

Sad news of the loss of an icon in the motivational and self-help area. I was struck by a note he sent to another giant in the industry -- and another favorite author of mine, John C. Maxwell as noted in his book Ethics 101 -- regarding the loss of leadership in this country.

At the beginning of Chapter 3: The Golden Rule Begins with You, Zig noted to Maxwell the following:

I believe the reason we had so many outstanding leaders in the early part of our country's history is the fact that, according to the Thomas Jefferson Research Institute, in the days when men you were mentioning ( the founding fathers) were growing up, over 90 percent of the educational thrust was of a moral, ethical, religious nature. And yet, by the 1950's, the percentage of that same educational thrust was so small it could not be measured. I wonder if that's the reason three million Americans in 1776 produced Washington, Madison, Jefferson, Hamilton, Adams, etc. and why in the year 2002 we have no one to equal men of that caliber.

Zig Ziglar, letter to author, 15 April 2002.

Three million Americans produced so many great leaders and today from a population of over three hundred  million, we cannot produced a single politician worthy of standing in the team photo with any of these guts in terms of leadership. 

I know it's fashionable today to denigrate the founding fathers due to their failure to deal with the evils of slavery and the treatment of Native Americans, but we're doing some things today that history will look back on and shame us for as well.

I don't see any these folks dropping their keys off at any Indian reservation or donating to any reparation for slavery efforts. But they do talk a nice game.

R.I.P. Zig Ziglar ( 1926 - 2012 )   

from the Washington Times:
Motivational maestro Zig Ziglar dies at 86 - Washington Times:

“People often say that motivation doesn’t last,”  Mr. Ziglar noted in one of his dozens of quotable maxims liberally sprinkled throughout his pep talks.  “Well, neither does bathing — that’s why we recommend [both] daily."

'via Blog this'

My early season front-runner for Coach of the Year - Tom Walter

A great demonstration of a coach who doesn't just "talk the talk" about a team becoming a family or sacrifice. This guy "walks the walk" in a way that shows he has a true understanding of the concept of the servant-leader. It's easy for coaches to call for sacrifice in the name of team unity when the direction of the sacrifice is moving from others and towards enriching them. This coach stood tall when the equation was flipped in reverse.

According to the founder of the concept of servant leadership, Robert K. Greenleaf, a servant leader makes sure the highest priority needs of others are being met, which leads them to become "healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants. The goal of servant leadership is to serve others. You change yourself and then you change one person at a time. And the movement grows. The change you desire to see in the world begins with yourself. Coach Walter definitely fits the mold with his actions.

A truly remarkable story. I believe either the coach or one of the players parents referred to the circumstances that led to this as "divine intervention". Amen to that.

The most discouraging part of the story and evidence that the NCAA is an out of control bureaucracy is that the Wake Forest athletic department felt compelled to check-in and make sure that this selfless, benevolent act was in violation of the NCAA's rules regarding extra benefits to athletes.

Something is rotten in college sports in general and that organization in particular when an act like this could even remotely be considered questionable while at the same time it takes them years and years to see the wrongdoing surrounding athletes like Reggie Bush and (S)Cam Newton.

http://sportscasm.com/2011/02/10/wake-forest-coach-donates-own-kidney-to-one-of-his-players/

Coaches are often to do whatever it takes for their players. These kids are often like the coach’s own children. They not only see the kids as athletes, but as young people who need to be mentored and pointed in all the right directions.

Sometimes, however, coaches go above and beyond what anyone would expect. Such is the story of Wake Forest Baseball coach, Tom Walter, who gave one of his players his own kidney.
Wake Forest’s slogan for the baseball team in 2011 is “What are you willing to sacrifice to help make this team better?”Head coach Tom Walter’s intent was to have his players thinking about sacrifice bunts, moving runners over, and giving up personal glory to help the Demon Deacons improve as a team.

But what Walter chose to sacrifice is greater than simply hanging in on a curve ball and taking one for the team.

Walter gave up a kidney.

In a procedure performed Monday (Feb. 7) at the Emory Transplant Center in Atlanta, Walter had one of his kidneys removed and donated to Kevin Jordan, a freshman member of the Wake Forest baseball team.

Jordan suffers from ANCA vasculitis, a type of autoimmune swelling caused by autoantibodies. The immune system produces normal antibodies to fight infection in the body. However, an autoantibody is an abnormal antibody that attacks a person’s own cells. ANCA stands for Anti-Neutrophil Cytoplasmic Autoantibody and when these autoantibodies are present in the kidneys, it causes a leaking of blood and protein into the urine and eventually results in kidney failure.
Dr. Kenneth Newell, the lead surgeon on the team that removed Walter’s kidney, was pleased with the procedures.

“Both surgeries went very well,” said Dr. Newell. “We are pleased with how each patient is progressing. We expect each will recover fully.”

Wake Forest actually took to time to find out if the donation would have been considered an NCAA violation – a gift from a Wake Forest employee. Todd Hairston, associate athletic director in charge of compliance did some research. But it looks like the NCAA is willing to bend the rules on this one Deadspin reports:

Let's start listening to the 'kooks' more...the 'geniuses' got us in to this mess

The current Federal Reserve moguls returned to the scene of the crime this weekend -- Jekkyl Island, GA -- where plans for the Federal Reserve system were hatched one hundred years ago. In that time the value of the currency, which they are mandated to protect, has decreased nearly one hundred percent. As I have mentioned before, they are on pace to totally destroy the dollar -- to have it go from being worth less (two words) to worthless (one word) -- in another two or three years.

The only politician who seems to have a good grasp on what this means and what to do about it, Ron Paul.

RON PAUL CNBC INTERVIEW:

"I think the Fed will self-destruct. People will desert the dollar. I think the Chinese are hinting that already. They are not wanting our dollars as much as raw materials. This is a deeply flawed monetary system. Here we have a small group of people who can create $600 billion with the stroke of a pen... I don't know where people are coming from to think that this can work. What really astounds me me is how tolerant the people are, the people in Congress and the financial market, where did this authority come from? Now somebody outside of the government can spend trillions of dollars and not think anything about it. It doesn't work, it's a failure. And next year it will be more. Bernanke is very clear on what he is going to do - he is going to create money until he gets economic growth and there is no evidence to show that just creating money causes economic growth."

But he's the one who is branded by the major media outlets (on both sides) as a kook.

And he's the one who was branded by his fellow Republican's as a kook during the 2008 primaries.

They apparently should have been listening more closely to Mr. Paul than they did. Perhaps next time (2012), they will.

Perhaps more of the electorate will help them with their hearing and comprehension problems.

BTW, I know how he feels. I continue to burst out singing "Silver and Gold, silver and gold...." at random times throughout the day a lot more nowadays than I used to.

SILVER AND GOLD - AREN'T THEY JUST THE CUTEST THINGS??

I wonder why? Maybe because Gold crossed $1,400 today and Silver seems to be accelerating towards $30 an ounce.

It's funny that these two metals are also referred to as "honest money" but the signals that they are sending are somewhat "confusing" to the current Federal Reserve chairman.

I believe he knows exactly what kind of signal these two "honest money" markers are saying as he embarks on his quest to devalue the "dishonest money" - the dollar - that is under his stewardship. So liar, incompetent - you take your pick there Benny-boy. But history is going to put one of those labels on you, if not both, and they will stick.

Gold and Silver seem to be appreciating at a much more rapid rate than the assets (stocks, homes, commodities) that "Bubbles" Ben Bernanke seems to be trying so desperately to inflate.

I wonder why that is?

Hmmm......given the choice between "honest" and "dishonest" it confuses our intellectual genius of a Fed Chairman that people would choose honest over dishonest? WOW!!! That tells me something -- in rather unambiguous terms, no less -- about both Ben Bernanke and the monetary system that he currently oversees. Might be time for some SERIOUS reform in that area.

I suggest that the American people through their elected representatives -- help Benny with his listening and comprehension problem.

While we're at it, look at this:

Even our own Sarah Palin understands what is going on here. You go girl.

From the National Review:

Palin to Bernanke: ‘Cease and Desist’

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/252715/palin-bernanke-cease-and-desist-robert-costa

Here are snippets from Palin’s prepared remarks obtained by National Review Online:

I’m deeply concerned about the Federal Reserve’s plans to buy up anywhere from $600 billion to as much as $1 trillion of government securities. The technical term for it is “quantitative easing.” It means our government is pumping money into the banking system by buying up treasury bonds. And where, you may ask, are we getting the money to pay for all this? We’re printing it out of thin air.

The Fed hopes doing this may buy us a little temporary economic growth by supplying banks with extra cash which they could then lend out to businesses. But it’s far from certain this will even work. After all, the problem isn’t that banks don’t have enough cash on hand – it’s that they don’t want to lend it out, because they don’t trust the current economic climate.

And if it doesn’t work, what do we do then? Print even more money? What’s the end game here? Where will all this money printing on an unprecedented scale take us? Do we have any guarantees that QE2 won’t be followed by QE3, 4, and 5, until eventually – inevitably – no one will want to buy our debt anymore? What happens if the Fed becomes not just the buyer of last resort, but the buyer of only resort?

All this pump priming will come at a serious price. And I mean that literally: everyone who ever goes out shopping for groceries knows that prices have risen significantly over the past year or so. Pump priming would push them even higher. And it’s not just groceries. Oil recently hit a six month high, at more than $87 a barrel. The weak dollar – a direct result of the Fed’s decision to dump more dollars onto the market – is pushing oil prices upwards. That’s like an extra tax on earnings. And the worst part of it: because the Obama White House refuses to open up our offshore and onshore oil reserves for exploration, most of that money will go directly to foreign regimes who don’t have America’s best interests at heart.

We shouldn’t be playing around with inflation. It’s not for nothing Reagan called it “as violent as a mugger, as frightening as an armed robber, and as deadly as a hit man.” The Fed’s pump priming addiction has got our small businesses running scared, and our allies worried. The German finance minister called the Fed’s proposals “clueless.” When Germany, a country that knows a thing or two about the dangers of inflation, warns us to think again, maybe it’s time for Chairman Bernanke to cease and desist. We don’t want temporary, artificial economic growth bought at the expense of permanently higher inflation which will erode the value of our incomes and our savings. We want a stable dollar combined with real economic reform. It’s the only way we can get our economy back on the right track.

Another kook according to the media.

Why does it seem to me -- and a growing number of people recently -- that a lot of the people that the media from both sides of the aisle seems to delight in portraying as 'out of the mainstream kooks' who have nothing to offer, are making the most sense?

VOTE THEM ALL OUT - THAT'S JUST GOOD ADVICE FOR THESE TRYING TIMES

If that doesn't work, Rinse, Lather, Repeat. Until we find some public servants who understand the meaning of the word "servant". I guess most of them understand the meaning of the word public, but I wouldn't mind them having to take a test to prove it. Maybe throw a question or two about the Constitution just to make them really squirm.

If that wasn't enough reason to like Ms. Palin here's 10 more from Doug Giles:

Why Palin Petrifies Progressives

Doug Giles

Here’s why I believe the dour democratic dames particularly dislike Palin. Check it out:

1. Palin’s hot and can rock a pair of heels, hunting boots, or any garment she dons. And you can tell she knows it and likes it. Most of the ladies on the Left, however, cannot—and we all know how jealous and petty some chicks can be when they’re aesthetically upstaged (cat fight).

2. They hate Sarah because she’s supposedly anti-intellectual. However, I’d love to see Tina Fey, Katie Couric or Joy Behag go mano a mano with her on any given topic and see who comes off looking like Snooki.

3. The feministas don’t dig SP because she’s had five kids (one of whom has Down’s Syndrome) and has never considered offing any of them in her womb.

4. She believes in the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, and they hate Christians.

5. She’s a conservative, and they hate conservatives.

6. She’s insanely successful, and she did it without curtsying to their wacked weltanschauung.

7. Her husband’s not some prissy, manicured metrosexual man-child but an ass kicking Alaskan.

8. She hunts and fishes. Her motto: Shoot it. Stuff it. Hang it on a wall, baby.

9. She’s unapologetic to all of the above.

10. And finally, they know that if she ever makes it to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue that she’s going to hand the Dems their shriveled BB-sized cojones on a free market platter while the majority of the USA gives her a standing ovation.

And that, my children, is why Palin petrifies the paranormal progressives.

KEEP ON HATING, BITCHES!!!

I agree with the sentiments portrayed by this political cartoon. This woman virtually single-handedly raised the Republican Party from the grave, And we shall see how they repay her. My guess would be a knife in the back or a stick in the eye or some other such nonsense. Once they begin to believe that the people turned to them because of their own virtues.

That's why I would not mind seeing a Paul - Palin option out there in 2012. And if that means the Repubs don't win, or it siphons off votes, too bad. Maybe these kind of independent thinkers are what we need.

And if the Dems need to rehab some moderates like Evan Bayh, or one of my personal favorites from the past, Bill Bradley, then I think we would be making some real, positive change in our government.

How did guys like that get chased off the scene so rapidly? Hmmm......I wonder?

As I have said before, we are probably overdue for a Revolution in this country. Hopefully, this can be a peaceful one. Next election, let's put the 'kooks' in charge -- we can't do much worse.

Whose law are we talking about?

Most people would agree that good character is needed for success in an type of organization, team or family unit. Yet, it seems as if the news is filled with examples of bad character and the destruction it causes when uncovered.

People pay lip service to being of good character and then it is found that they do not practice what they preach. Leaders need to lead by example constantly. They need to care about teammates others in the organization. And they need to practice being a servant leader and model the value of servant leadership.

This is the only way to pass these valuable traits forward to future generation.

GODLINESS - Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. - 1 Timothy 4:7

DEFINE GODLINESS:

Careful observance of, or conformity to, the laws of God; the state or quality of being godly; piety. (devotion or reverence to God)

Can the spirit of SERVICE improve the youth sports climate?

SERVANT LEADER TRAITS

from website heroicjourney.com
http://www.heroicjourney.com/pages/orgtransformation/servantleadership.htm

Servant Leadership is based on core values and actions that arise from a desire to serve others. Robert Greenleaf first coined the term as it relates to business, "The servant-leader is servant first…It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first... [D]o those served grow as persons; do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants?"

One of the great debates regarding participation in sports is framed around the question of whether it DEVELOPS character or simply REVEALS the underlying character of the participants. A person's character can be revealed or developed by a number of different people or experiences both within and outside of the sports community.

One of the thing that is generally agreed upon is the need for positive role models within the activity. Whether these role models are family members, friends or teachers/coaches. Are coaches, administrators, officials in youth sports providing this positive environment?

Is the overall environment provided by parents, coaches, administrators and officials
within these activities conducive to a beneficial experience for participants?

Is the competitive environment a positive one for development of both sports skills and skills that will serve participants throughout their lives?

The Citizen through Sports Alliance website listed below graded these areas and provided some interesting results.
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Concept of Service Leadership

The Citizenship through Sports Alliance - Focus on Respect
http://www.sportsmanship.org/

The Citizenship Through Sports Alliance is the largest coalition of professional and amateur athletics organizations in the United States, focused on character in sport. CTSA promotes fair play at all levels - youth leagues to professional sport - to reinforce the value of sport as a test of character. Since 1997, CTSA has been building a sports culture that encourages respect for self, respect for others, and respect for the game.

Because winning has the ability to supercede the values of good conduct, there has been an appreciable decomposition in sportsmanship; the CTSA strives to transcend modern society's obsession with winning at any cost. By elevating athletes to think beyond superficial success, and integrating the values of discipline, loyalty, teamwork, and character, the CTSA believes that a new sports culture can emerge in this new century.

2005 National Report Card

http://www.sportsmanship.org/News/1105%20Report%20Card-Fgrade.pdf

For the first time ever, CTSA convened a panel of youth sports experts from across the
country to evaluate youth sports in the United States and articulate its successes and
failures. The panel evaluated only community-based youth sports programs, focusing
on those that serve children ages 6 to 14. To do so, panel members relied on their own
experiences as youth sports leaders, authors, sociologists, sports psychologists, coaches
and parents, as well as on current research and academic literature.

The group graded the following areas of review:
Child-Centered Philosophy
Coaching
Health and Safety
Officiating
Parental Behaviors/Involvement

It is interesting to note that the areas of Parental Behavior/Involvement and providing a Child-Centered Philosophy received a D.
Coaching received a C-.
Health and Safety received a C+.
Officiating received a B-.

One thing that jumped out at me and the first thing that I thought of was the famous Bobby Knight quote regarding officials. Knight said, "the problem with you referees is you don't care who wins the game". EXACTLY RIGHT.

Notice that the grades given in each category are higher the further you get from being emotionally attached to WINNING and LOSING.

THE PANEL'S CONCLUSIONS:
A loss of child-centered focus with less emphasis on the child's experience and more emphasis on adult-centered motives such as winning.

Over-invested parents with unrealistic expectations behave in a way that fails to promote the development of their own child and others.

An increased emphasis on early sports specialization and a hyper-competitive environment increased by travel team participation at earlier and earlier ages--leading to burnout and overuse injuries.

Loss of the voice of the child who participates for reasons different from parents and coaches interests--fun, friends, fitness and skill development.

It is interesting to note as well that this ties in to many experts conclusion that as athletes advance further up the ladder--from youth leagues to high school, college and the professional ranks--the less concern there is for character development and ethical behavior exhibited by the athletes.


The areas the panel found to be unacceptable within each category were as follows:

Parental Behavior/Involvement: 1) parents behave appropriately at games and show respect for officials, coaches and participants. 2) parental behavior..reflects an understanding of their role as parents and positive supporters--not as unofficial coaches.

Child Centered Philosophy: 1) youth sports leaders, parents and coaches put the goals of children..first. 2) youth sports leaders set expectations and hold parents, coaches and themselves accountable for sportsmanship, civility and commitment to a child-centered philosophy.

Coaching: 1) coaches focus on effort, skill development, positive reinforcement and fun. (AHEAD OF WINNING)

The areas of Health and Safety and Officiating received no unacceptable areas graded, which is great news. As far as areas needing improvement--promoting healthy habits, background checks, and emphasis on health and safety of participants were listed for Health and Safety and officials were called on to provide better training in rules, techniques and safety and adequate pool of trained officials for games and tournaments.

As someone who has participated in all these areas under review at one time or another I can tell you that if the sportsmanship area was improved the pool of officials would not have the turnover it does.

But it goes back to the Bobby Knight quote, if the overarching concern on winning and losing were magically removed tomorrow, we would have a better sports environment. To some that seems like it's an unrealistic goal, but the reality is if coaches and administrators adopted a more SERVANT-LEADERSHIP approach to their jobs, the environment would in fact improve.

Officials and administrators are their to serve, not to profit from the games.
Coaches are their to serve their athletes, not to profit in some manner from them.

The two programs listed below attempt to provide this type of climate to all participants in sports from the youth to collegiate level. Both take a servant-leadership or service-learning approach. Along with my other favorite organization CharacterCounts.org are taking steps to improve the climate in youth sports today and hopefully we will see improvement in spite of some of the recent trends.

The pros are on their own. In that arena, winning and losing is important.
---------
Concept of Servant Leadership

Winning with Character
http://www.winningwithcharacter.org/

Winning With Character is a non-profit organization providing character, ethics, and leadership training to high school and college athletic programs.

The Servant Sport Leadership Program has been developed by the Winning With Character Foundation and the University of Idaho Center for ETHICS* to help coaches and teams develop a sense of unity built upon a foundation of character. The ground work of this program lies in effective leadership approaches modeled by coaches and key players.

--------
The Know Greater Heroes program has an element of the "Banality of Heroism" concept coined by Stanford professor Phillip Zimbardo. It takes a service learning approach to show kids, one at a time, that they "can" make a difference in the life of others and they can "get" more sometimes when they "give" first. Great program.

Concept of Service Learning

Know Greater Heroes - Empowering the Hero Within
http://www.knowgreaterheroes.org/content/?page=AboutKGH

Throughout time and in every culture, HEROES with character have been revered in tales, written about in literature, viewed on the big screen, and looked to as role-models. Never in the history of the world, has there been a more profound need for heroes – men and women educated in integrity and empowered to tackle society’s most pressing issues - in every community, home, school, and boardroom. Introducing KNOW GREATER HEROES.

Know Greater Heroes addresses this problem. It provides and cultivates the grounds in which heroes can grow. THE MISSION is to empower communities with an engaging program that awakens the hero within each of us, thereby assisting all to succeed brilliantly through life's challenges.

-----

SERVICE - Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; honor one another above yourselves - Romans 12:10

Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many - Matthew 20:28

MARCH CANDIDATE(S) FOR COACH OF THE YEAR

I had a really tough time with this one with two great candidates. But the solution was easy, co-winners.

FROM MARCH MADNESS TO FILLING SANDBAGS IN FARGO N.D.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2009/03/25/sports/BKC-Tim-Dahlberg-032509.php

1st Candidate: Coach Saul Phillips, North Dakota State basketball coach.

Thousands of people from all walks of life, many of them with vivid memories of the disastrous 1997 floods, are racing around the clock to keep the city dry. With school canceled, students are stacking sandbags, while others are taking time off from work to do what they can to help.

Working right alongside them, shovel for shovel, are coach Saul Phillips and the Bison basketball team.

The coaches quote at the end of the story says it all and transcends wins and losses.

"If this is our country's future," Phillips said, "then we're in awfully good shape."

We hear a lot about spoiled, self indulgent, self centered athletes at this level and beyond.

We hear a lot about the missteps and mistakes that go with competing in this type of high stakes, big money atmosphere.

We generally do not hear enough about kids like this, doing things like this. Humble service to their community in its time of need.

The North Dakota State fans provided support to he team in its time of need and the players are now able to return the favor. They will learn more and gain more value out of the work they are doing at home than they could have learned if they were still playing in the tournament.

Great job Coach Phillips.
-------------

KANELAND H.S.(IL) BASEBALL HONORS TEAMMATE:
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=281987

PHOTO GALLERY FROM DAILY HERALD:
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=281983

2nd Candidate: Brian Aversa, Kaneland High School, baseball coach

The sun made an appearance in Maple Park only moments after the Kaneland baseball team honored a fallen son.

"It didn't feel whole out there today," Kaneland coach Brian Aversa said. "We felt like we were missing something."

After a pre-game ceremony in which the Knights retired the No. 41 jersey of Jeff Malewig, Kaneland put on a near-flawless performance against visiting Burlington Central Thursday afternoon.

Jeff Smith and Steve Colombe combined on a 3-hit shutout as the Knights opened the season with a 6-0 victory over the Rockets.

Malewig and fellow senior Blake Denton were killed in car accident last December while on the way to school.

Malewig would have been the starting second baseman for the Knights this spring, and one of many tributes to his memory was the team vacating his position in the top of the first inning.

From my experience as a coach I know that many times you get tunnel vision and so immersed in wins and losses and competing for championships that you forget what is really important in life. The Kaneland baseball family suffered a loss greater than any they will suffer from an opponent this year: the loss of a player.

Kudos to Coach Aversa for allowing his players and school to take the time to honor and remember their teammate.
----------------
So now there are four:

So here we go, the early candidates for Coach of the Year:
January - JEREMY CIVELLO, DALLAS ACADEMY (TX) HS
February - DAVE ROHLMAN, DEKALB (IL) HS
March - SAUL PHILLIPS, NORTH DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITY
March - BRIAN AVERSA, KANELAND (IL) HS

MY SECOND CANDIDATE FOR COACH OF THE YEAR

Dakalb (IL) HS coach Dave Rohlman now becomes February's candidate for Coach of the Year after demonstrating that he gets it. That being a coach is about more than wins and losses. It once again demonstrates the power of sports to offer opportunities to teach important life lessons that transfer beyond the field of play. We need more coaches like Coach Rohlman that are able to recognize those opportunities and have the strength of character to do the right thing.

So here we go, the early candidates for Coach of the Year:
January - JEREMY CIVELLO, DALLAS ACADEMY (TX)
February - DAVE ROHLMAN, DEKALB (IL) HS
--------------

http://sports.espn.go.com/highschool/rise/basketball/boys/news/story?id=3914375

Two missed free throws, ordinarily the cause of a coach's headache, became the symbol of sportsmanship in a Milwaukee boys' basketball game earlier this month.

Milwaukee Madison senior Johntell Franklin, who lost his mother, Carlitha, to cancer on Saturday, Feb. 7, decided he wanted to play in that night's game against DeKalb (Ill.) High School after previously indicating he would sit out.

He arrived at the gym in the second quarter, but Franklin's name was not in the scorebook because his coach, Aaron Womack Jr., didn't expect him to be there.

Rules dictated Womack would have to be assessed a technical, but he was prepared to put Franklin in the game anyway. DeKalb coach Dave Rohlman and his players knew of the situation, and told the referees they did not want the call.

(click link to read the rest of the story)

MY EARLY CANDIDATE FOR COACH OF THE YEAR

Sometimes you read a story that just demonstrates what the true spirit of sports and competition are and should be. I believe this is one of them and I submit that this coach clearly gets it and his team and school are better off for it.

Watch the video and read the excerpts from the article (or the entire article if you'd like) and see if you don't agree that Dallas Academy although defeated 100-0 was the clear winner over The Covenant School.

I HEREBY NOMINATE, JEREMY CIVELLO, DALLAS ACADEMY FOR HS COACH OF THE YEAR
---------------------
DALLAS ACADEMY TEAM TALKS ABOUT THE GAME:
http://www.hsgametime.com/dfw/videopage.html?nvid=324099&shu=1

DALLAS NEWS ARTICLE ABOUT THE GAME:
Academy basketball coach sees a win in 100-0 loss

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/012209dnsposhutout.40d72ee.html

The final score of the high school girls basketball game was 100-0, and his team had the nothing. Still, a week later, Dallas Academy Athletic Director Jeremy Civello was chalking up the game in the win column.

"My girls never quit," he said. "They played as hard as they could to the very end. They played with all their hearts at 70-nothing, 80-nothing and 100-nothing. I was really proud of them. That's what I told them after the game."

The game took place Jan. 13, on the road, against The Covenant School. Civello didn't expect his girls to win. He never really does. His girls haven't won a game in his four seasons at the White Rock Lake-area school, renowned for its work with students with a variety of learning problems. In most games, they haven't come close.

The Bulldogs play, Civello said, for more than the final score. They play in hope of improving skills, learning teamwork and picking up whatever life lessons athletics may bring.


"Most of these girls would never play on any other school in the state," he said. "But they can say they were high school varsity players here. And they can say it with a sense of achievement."

Later on the 100-0 night, Civello told his girls the life lesson they could take from their loss: "I told them someday they will be on top in a similar situation and they should remember how they felt when some people were cheering for a team to score a hundred points and shut us out. Hopefully, my girls all learned a lesson in sportsmanship that will last them a lifetime."

-------------------------
Let me step back and define what I mean by the "true spirit of sports and competition" are because apparently we have different opinions on what that term means.

Competitive sports offer the best opportunity for personal growth and character development that will continue to serve us throughout life. It is our strength of character that will have the greatest impact on those with whom we deal with daily.

Really, there is nothing about wins and losses that truly defines the spirit of sports and competition. The games themselves are zero sum. Ultimately, if you can leave the field or court with your head held high, you're a winner. You haven't been defeated.


When I saw the headline of the article, Academy basketball coach sees a win in 100-0 loss the first thing that came to my mind was the line from the movie White Men Can't Jump where Gloria tells Billy

"Sometimes when you win, you really lose, and sometimes when you lose, you really win, and sometimes when you win or lose, you actually tie, and sometimes when you tie, you actually win or lose. Winning or losing is all one organic globule, from which one extracts what one needs."

This is central to the plot of the movie and the lesson it provides shows why, as I've been trying to convince my wife, this is a truly underrated movie.

See, when Billy was losing games and money and continuing to behave foolishly, his girl stood by him, but when he won the "big" game and the "big" bet, he lost his girl. She left him. His focus was on the wrong things and he lost even though he though he had won. He lost the most important thing in his life, the most valuable thing, by pursuing less important things.

This is where I see The Covenant School heading. Because I see from The Covenant School athletics page, the school states that its philosophy is:

"To glorify God by equipping students with the tools necessary to pursue a lifetime of learning so that they may discern, reason and defend truth in service to our Lord, Jesus Christ"

It sounds more like, based on this game and some others from it results page, that The Covenant School girls basketball program is more interested in glorifying themselves than in glorifying God. That's both sinful and shameful.

They should be ashamed of themselves and I believe they are. You know why I believe that? Because if you look further on the teams game results page, they have every other game score posted, except for the 1/13/2009 Dallas Academy game where they simply posted a W. And these rascals have not been strangers to running up the score, previously defeating Ursuline Academy 139-48, Terrel High School 133-79 and Prince of Peace Christian School 147-51.

My question to The Covenant School coach and AD would be as follows:
How do these results fit in within your schools published Athletic Program Goals?

1. To enable Covenant student/athletes, coaches and spectators to glorify God and be witnesses for Jesus Christ.

8. To build Christ-like character traits and develop servant leadership skills through discipline, and physical and mental training.


From the Dallas Academy web page I learned that the Dallas Academy defines their mission as: "restores the promise of full academic enrichment to students with learning differences." And they report their results as "by incorporating a strong curriculum, team sports and a wide variety of extra curricular student activities, Dallas Academy strives to prepare our students for further study (80% to 90% of DA's graduates attend 2 or 4-yr colleges) and more importantly a successful and satisfying life."

It sounds as if the Dallas Academy understands what the "true spirit of sports and competition" means better than The Covenant School does.

Therefore, I believe that the Dallas Academy should reconsider its cancellation of the January 30th game. And I believe that The Covenant School should take the time in between to re-examine its goals, philosophies and priorities and demonstrate that they have learned something that goes beyond wins and losses.
-------------------
UPDATE: APPARENTLY WE HAVE A WIN-WIN SITUATION

I e-mailed my concerns to the headmaster of The Coventry School and here is their response. Apparently, the school has been doing appropriate soul searching since the game was played and formulated a very equitable response. So the Dallas Academy will get an additional "victory". And The Covenant School gains a "greater" victory as well. GREAT NEWS.


Mr. Slavik,
Thank you for your email. I appreciate your honest feedback. Please know that we are truly sorry this happened. Below is our extended response to this situation.

Sincerely,



Kyle Queal
Head of School


Statement Regarding Dallas Academy Game

1/22/2009

The Covenant School , its board and administrators, regrets the incident of January 13 and the outcome of the game with the Dallas Academy Varsity Girls Basketball Team. It is shameful and an embarrassment that this happened. 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. The school’s board members, Head of School Kyle Queal and Athletic Director Brice Helton have acted to ensure that such an unfortunate incident can never happen again.

Covenant school officials have met with and personally apologized to Dallas Academy Headmaster Jim Richardson and Athletic Director Jeremy Civello and wishes to extend its highest praise to each member of the Dallas Academy Varsity Girls Basketball team for their strength, composure and fortitude in a game in which they clearly emerged the winner. Accordingly, The Covenant School has contacted TAPPS and is submitting a formal request to forfeit the game recognizing that a victory without honor is a great loss.

Kyle Queal
Head of School

Todd Doshier
Board Chair


Kyle Queal
Head of School
The Covenant School
7300 Valley View Lane
Dallas , TX 75240
214-358-5818 Office
214-358-5809 Fax
www.covenantdallas.com


-----Original Message-----
From: Charles Slavik [mailto:theslav1959@yahoo.com]
Sent: Thursday, January 22, 2009 1:36 PM
To: Kyle Queal; Kyle Queal
Subject: DALLAS ACADEMY GAME

It is apparent from this story that your school as represented by your girls basketball program has lost its way in representing Christian values.

You need to

1) seek forgiveness from the Dallas Academy

2) reinstate the January 30th game

3) demonstrate that your program is back on the right path in the rematch

And by the right path I mean glorifying God and not yourselves, your program or your school.

I pray you and your school will find the strength to make the right decisions going forward.

SPEAKING WORDS OF WISDOM...........

FROM RASMUSSEN REPORTS:
In his first inaugural address, President Ronald Reagan delivered a line succinctly capturing the sentiment that elected him:

“Government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.”

A generation later, that attitude still resonates with a solid majority of Americans. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 59% of voters agree with Reagan, and just 28% disagree.

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/59_agree_with_ronald_reagan_government_is_the_problem

Based on the results of last weeks vote on the "bailout bill" it's too bad that 59% of the House and Senate don't recognize this sentiment.

Once again, we see how by creating a chicken-little like crisis and demonizing a select group of bad guys, our leaders can shape the agenda and transfer huge amounts of money and power from one select, favored group to another. SIMPLY AMAZING.

Once again, as usual, some of the same players who failed miserably and worked to create the huge hole we are in are rewarded by having more money thrown at them. But isn't that how government traditionally works? If the initial solution doesn't work, just keep throwing more money at it until it does work. A gross violation of the simple but elegant Rule of Holes:

Rule #1 - When you're in a hole, stop digging.

And so we are left with the poor choices of a candidate on the one hand who advocates a Robin Hood-esque tax policy and a socialist model as the mantra of the kind of change we need. Which is to say: the government to the rescue. And on the other hand, we have a more of the same policies approach that got us to this point in the first place. IT'S INSANE, ISN'T IT?


Maybe I'm the crazy one, but it seems to me that the one person on either ticket that the media likes the least--that the establishment feels is the least qualified to be the VP, much less President--is the one I would most like to see in charge.

And they are giving her the same dismissive treatment they gave to Ron Paul in the primaries. Why? Because both are candidates that the party-elitists on both sides fear will shake the establishment to its core. They will excise the dead, useless tissue from the bloated, necrotic bureaucratic body of our federal government and move power closer to the people where it belongs.

And the elitists fear this result greatly and will do everything they can to avoid it. Don't kid yourself, every candidate has tipped his cap to the "little people" who live on "Main Street" as part of the playbook to get elected. But not one of them achieved their status or feel they can maintain it, without continually prostituting themselves to the so-called "seat of power" in this country.

They may tip their caps to you every four years and pat you on the head and say "There, there now, don't worry. I'll take care of you when I get in". Then they give you a cookie and figuratively expect you to go away and leave them alone for four years so they can take care of the people that put them in their positions of power in the first place.

And trust me, there are no "little people" in those meetings. Nobody that lives on "Main Street". And they don't go to PTA meetings or soccer games or hockey games for that matter either. Have you ever seen them there? I haven't. That's part of the problem and it needs to be worked into the solution.

What we need eventually need is a ticket that is more dedicated to and capable of delivering KICKS to the seat of power and less is likely to have to deliver KISSES to it.

Then maybe we can talk about REAL CHANGE in this country and not the phony artifice we have been getting and will continue to get--REGARDLESS OF WHO WINS.


I get sick when I hear this CHANGE mantra from both sides, because neither side represents real change. And it's silly to hear one side parrot "More of the same" when anyone with slightly more brainpower then a parrot can see that regardless of the eventual winner, we will get a healthy dose of more of the same. There will just be a different name on the White House stationary.

Maybe we need something radical--like a Jesse Ventura-Ron Paul third-party ticket in 2012.

Yeah, that's the ticket!!!

My only fear is that by the time this option is available to us, the powers that be will not only continue to dig us deeper into the hole we find ourselves in--but instead of stepping back and figuring out how to get out of the hole they've dug--will blunder their way into burying us all with the dirt they have excavated.
--------------------------
UPDATE - Once again from Rasmussen Reports polling:
Coming Soon:
59% Would Vote to Replace Entire Congress

Much like that old lawyer joke, this would be a good start. It would change the tone and the atmosphere in Washington and get these knuckleheads acting like the public servants they are supposed to be.

When you see some of these tools speak to you through the media, do any of them sound as if they view their role as one of "serving the public"? Maybe in the old Twilight Zone - "To Serve Man" episode sense (a truly classic episode), but not in the sense most of us expect that phrase to be applied.

Think of that quality in your elected official the next time you vote and remember one of the popular definitions of character: doing the right thing even when you think nobody is looking.
--------------------------
HOW WASHINGTON WORKS O'REILLY VS. BARNEY FRANK:


---------------------------
NOTE TO SARAH PALIN AND THE MCCAIN CAMPAIGN STAFF - STOP CRYING:




Katie Couric didn't really engage in a gotcha question by asking you to provide an example of historical Supreme Court decisions other than Roe vs. Wade that you did not agree with. She actually teed one up for you to respond as follows:

The worst Supreme Court decision ever and the one that illustrates the philosophical difference between the two tickets would have to be Helvering v. Davis (1937) which redefined the General Welfare clause of the Constitution and upheld the constitutionality of the Social Security Act.

This allowed the federal government to engage in the type of redistribution of wealth policies which we see today in our opponents tax and economic policy.

James Madison argued the the General Welfare Clause was not an additional power granted to the government but a restatement of the powers enumerated in Article 1, section 8 of the Constitution which were to "provide for the common Defense and General Welfare."

Alexander Hamilton held that the General Welfare clause was a distinct source of additional authority which allowed Congress to "lay and collect Taxes" and spend the proceeds for purposes including, but not limited to the enumerated or stated powers. Essentially, this view holds the Congress' powers are nearly all-inclusive.

Madison's view was that only those powers specifically stated or enumerated in the Constitution were intended by the founders and that if the General Welfare clause was intended to be all-inclusive, then the exercise of stating specifically enumerated powers to be granted to Congress would be useless, excess verbiage added to the Constitution.

The broader, Hamiltonian interpretation makes a mockery of the notion of a limited federal government intended by the founders and opened the floodgates for the type of redistributive, overreaching federal government we see today.

Further, this erroneous decision was made by the Supreme Court under the duress of FDR's attempt to pack the Court with New Deal supporters. The Supreme Court erroneously rewrote the Constitution with this decision, which highlights the need to have judges and Supreme Court nominees who would not stray from the Constitution and write laws from the bench.

You would have been able to highlight many of the fundamental differences between a McCain and Obama administration in regards to tax policy, economic policy and judicial philosophy.

In fact you were given a second bite of the apple with your interview with Chuck Cameron of Fox News the day after the VP debate and, although you did cite a couple of other grievous errors by the Supremes, this fundamentally flawed decision remained unmentioned.

I'm not sure who is running the campaign over there, but let me give you guys and gals a word of advice. The idea is to try to WIN. (Unless you are affiliated with the Chicago Cubs baseball team). OUCH!!

To quote Herman Edwards, "You play to win the game. HELLO!!"

HERMAN EDWARDS SHOULD BE IN CHARGE OF THE MCCAIN CAMPAIGN:


I will say though, you guys forfeit the right to complain about "gotcha" questions from now on. Be better prepared and do your homework.

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