Stay the Course: Consistency

Consistency:  Reliability or uniformity of successive results or events.

Is consistency good or bad?  Well, the answer is whether we are consistently good, or consistently bad!  Our goal is to be consistent in the good things we do and look to change our course when we are consistently wrong. 

When things are going right, is there a time when we should make a change?  Yes….here is an example…….

Our family consistently travels from West Monroe to Ruston on I-20 to see our parents.  It’s the quickest and safest route.  It’s the right way.  However, if the state police close all lanes going west to Ruston, to make it to Ruston, our family has to change our course even though it’s not the best way.

In officiating, consistency is important—maybe most important from a public perception.  In a crew, we must know/learn how each other operate—how we move, communicate, learn, etc.  At the same time, we also need to identify when we need to “change our course” in order to meet our goals and achieve greater consistency.

Consistency should be one of the top priorities/goals for a crew.  Maintaining consistency produces trust in a crew.  Identify when adjustments are needed to help the crew work at the highest level.  Learn what areas are critical for you to be consistent in to benefit your crew.  Change your course when you identify areas where you need to be more consistent.

Philippians 3:12-14 (NIV)

12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

In these verses, Paul was identifies he needs to press on.  How does this help us be consistent….

--had his eye on a larger prize

--wasn’t satisfied with results he already achieved.

--look to see what could be done better in the future

--didn’t live in past failures.

2 statements growing Christians agree on:

(1)    Have failed in the past and fallen short of God’s goals and purposes in our lives

(2)    Want to become more like Christ

2 statements of maturing official:

(1)    Have failed and have not met all of our goals

(2)    Strive to do our best

“We are what we repeatedly do.  Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.”  Aristotle

Communicate in Due Season

Due Season:  a suitable time or favorable moment or opportunity where you can take advantage of things coming to a head.

What is communication?  It’s words, body language, tone of voice, and timing.  Why is communication important?  When we effectively communication, most any situation can be handled with the most positive outcome.  Notice those words—most positive.  Effective communication doesn’t mean the situation or words will always be nice, but will be handled with the best POSSIBLE outcome.

What does effective and clear communication require?  Discipline, patience, asking and seeking.  We need to be disciplined to know when to speak and when to listen.  Then, patience is required to do both of those—speak and listen.  Using our words and speech carelessly often leads to trouble.  But, if we have the discipline and patience to listen to others, we will have better discernment to know when it is time for us to speak.

One common mistake in communication is assuming what another person is thinking.  Clear communication requires asking and seeking information.  Then, once we have the information we need, it is important to find the appropriate time to speak—Due Season.

Proverbs 25: 11—A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.

“Fitly spoken” in verse 11 can also be translated “spoken in due season”.  Therefore, when the timing of our communication is right, it is valuable (apples of gold in silver).  Think about if our communication is the opposite of due season.  It is not valuable and rotten!

“The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn’t said.” Peter Tucker

Credit ‘www.thechoicedrivenlife.com—Good Communication can Simplify Our Relationships”

Be Outstanding in Your Field

The primary goal of each official should be to be the best at their position.  We need to own our position and take responsibility for any action that occurs in our area of responsibility.  Then, we can “venture out” to help crew mates when needed.  By striving to be the best in our position, it makes it easier to help others when needed.

How do we become outstanding in our part of the field—pursue excellence.  Most of us have probably been challenged to pursue excellence, not perfection.

A student was assigned to write an essay for his English class.  This student always made exceptional grades—straight A’s.  But, for this essay, he talked with some of his friends about what they were writing about and how they were writing their paper.  Now, these “friends” were doing only what they had to do—minimum effort. Just this time, the straight A student decided he would go along with the others and “just get by”.  When the grading of the essay came back, the exceptional student received his worst grade ever on any test or essay.  The student met with the teacher after class to express his disappointment in his grade and explained he would give better effort going forward. In the wisdom of the teacher, she told the student she knew that was not his typical work and that he did not give his best effort.

Excellence is NOT the absence of mistakes, but it does mean having faith and determination. Here is what excellent people do:  Excellent people exceed expectations; they go the extra mile, they do more than is asked, and they take extra steps in ensure the highest quality.  Does that mean I am always recognized as the best or get what I want?  No—but it does lead to the internal satisfaction of knowing we did all we could do to be the best. I also believe pursuing excellence leads to opportunities.

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.” Philippians 4:8

In this verse, Paul challenges the Philippians to have these thoughts—true, noble, right, lovely, admirable, excellent, praiseworthy.  That leads me to believe that our thoughts lead our actions. Therefore, our thoughts are the first key to being outstanding in our field.

Exercising minimal effort will lead to a mediocre performance at best, but really going above and beyond the call of duty takes a conscious thought and effort.

 “You can run into mediocrity accidentally, but you have to purpose to be excellent." Joyce Myer

Self Evaluation

In last week’s devotion, one of the keys to keeping us from “blowing a gasket” was Prevention.  We looked at ways to prevent ourselves from over-reacting.  While prevention keeps us from doing something we don’t want to do, what happens when we go thru situations—good or bad—we EVALUATE.

In officiating, we are or should be in a constant state of evaluation.  Even though it’s great to get others to evaluate us, SELF-EVALUATION is one key to success as an official .  No one, other than the God, knows us better than we know ourselves. We should constantly evaluate ourselves physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.

Our self-evaluation must be truthful by asking ourselves honest questions. Others that evaluate us can point things out and offer suggestions.  Video of our games certainly can show a lot about our officiating.  But, the truth is, no one but you knows what you were thinking on any given play.  Was I keying on the right player; did I really see the foul or just guess; did I say the right words to a player, coach, or administrator; am I studying video and rules consistently? 

This week, as we enter the halfway point of the regular season, let’s do a simple self-evaluation…..

What are two things I'm pleased with so far this season?
1.
2.
What is one thing I need to change/focus on to improve through the rest of the season?
1.

Although simple, this self-evaluation can challenge us the rest of the season by looking at what we done well and one thing we can work on.

Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves.
(2 Corinthians 13:5)

In this verse, Paul challenged the Corinthians to test the genuiness of their faith in God.  The Corinthians professed to be Christians.  But, Paul wanted them to “test” themselves to really determine their true faith. 

As officials, we must test the genuiness of our performance.  Have we been physically and mentally ready for each game?  If not, what needs to change to be true to ourselves and our crew which will hopefully enable us to perform at a high level as an official.

“Ask yourself if what you are doing today is getting you closer to where you want to be tomorrow.”

Don't Blow a Gasket

Blowing a gasket is a serious problem for an engine.  What are signs that a gasket might be blown?

·        -- Coolant leak

·         --Smoke from exhaust

·         --Loss of coolant but no visible leaks

·         --Overheating engine

·         --Poor running engine

What is needed to keep this from happening---“Prevention”?

·         --Check engine temperature

·         --Check fluid levels and hoses for leaks

·         --Watch for fluid loss on the ground below the engine

Prevention is key to keeping the engine running correct and avoiding a blown gasket.

What about officials?  How do we keep from “blowing a gasket”—keeping our “cool” on and off the field.  What are signs that we are headed to blowing our gasket?

·         ** Feeling pressure from coaches

·         **Being impatient with crewmates

·         **Grades from game review upset us

·         **Players disrespect officials on the field

If we can identify those things that lead us to possibly blowing a gasket, we can hopefully “prevent” a bad situation.  So, what things can we do to “Prevent” a blown gasket:

·        ** Listen, don’t always think we have to solve a situation. Remember, coaches don’t always want an explanation, they want to be heard.

·         **Explain only after listening and knowing the situation.  This applies to people on our crew as well as coaches, administrators, players.

·         **Compliment and correct players. Don’t just be negative with them.

·         **Accept grades for what they are….learning tool.

One key Prevention for us is this…Find what fuels our anger and frustration.  Anger and frustration are secondary emotions triggered when something is wrong and needs our attention.  It’s important not bury the emotion.  We don’t always have to speak, but we do need to release the emotion. 

"Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control." Proverbs 25:28 

Self-Control—once we identify our source of anger and frustration, exercising self-control is critical to keeping our gasket from blowing.  In Proverbs 25: 28, the symbol of walls used in this verse is important because in Biblical times, walls protected the city.  Without the walls, the city was vulnerable to any who wanted to attack.  Treat self-control the same—it’s our wall.  My choice is whether to give someone else the power to control my emotions—to enter thru my wall!

Don’t transfer your power to someone, keep your self-control.