Ownership

Used as a verb, the word “ownership” is defined as proactive in solving problems, taking responsibility for outcomes, and learning from mistakes and success. The level of ownership a person partakes can typically be categorized as follows:

·         Category 1: Reports and/or vocalizes a problem but that’s the extent.

·         Category 2: Reports and/or vocalizes a problem and offers potential solutions or ideas.

·         Category 3: Reports and/or vocalizes a problem after taking action to solve the problem to the best of their ability.

·         Category 4: Leads proactively to prevent or limit problems from occurring.

What category of ownership do you exhibit in your everyday life with relationships and work? In officiating, what category of ownership do you take with your assignments and with your crew? In crew meetings, do you actively participate by seeking information and offering solutions? During pregame warm-ups, do you check the boundaries to make sure objects are clear? During the game, do you check the down box each down to make sure it is in the right position and down? After the game, do you offer information on a foul that would have been useful during the game? After reviewing the evaluation, what ownership do you take? Do you reach categories 3 and 4 to proactively realize the problem, take action to resolve, and then implement processes to improve going forward?

Wayne Gretsky, one of the greatest professional hockey players, had this philosophy as it pertains to ownership: “Most players skate to where the puck is. I skate to where it is going to be.” The point is Gretsky didn’t just skate towards the problem. He recognized and identified what was needed (the puck) and anticipated what was needed to be done (where the puck was going).

When life is not going our way, we often seek to place blame on someone or something and usually not ourselves. In the Bible, Job’s wife blamed God for the hardships that fell on them and even tried to convince her husband to curse God (Job 2:9--Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold firm your integrity? Curse God and die!”). Job lost all his property, his children died, and he suffered physically. But Job was faithful and continued to praise God through all the trials. Because of Job’s steadfastness and ownership, God restored Job to an even greater extent than before all his troubles and hardship.

“And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.” (Job 42:10, ESV)

God expects us to take ownership for our actions instead of refusing to take responsibility and blaming others for our problems or mistakes. Extreme ownership is not pawning off blame and troubles on others but identifying potential problems and striving to resolve them before they manifest.

So, what does a person with “category 4” ownership look like: personally accountable, trustworthy, upholds his or her word, reliable, learns from mistakes, proactively looks for resolutions, and sacrifices for the good of others.

“Responsibility equals accountability equals ownership. And a sense of ownership is the most powerful weapon a team or organization can have.” – Pat Summitt, college basketball player and head coach for the University of Tennessee Lady Vols

Are We Glad?

 John “Gucci” Foley, former lead pilot for the Blue Angels, has a tag line he uses at the end of his messages—“Glad to Be Here”.  Foley explains this saying reminds him to give joyful effort and to be generous. Think about that--how often are we joyful in our efforts? In good times, joy is easy. In bad times, having a spirit of joy is tough.

Most people become officials as a way to continue to be part of the game. As I started my journey in officiating, I recall the joy (and nervousness) of being part of the game and being part of a group of officials. However, for various reasons, the joy can fade and often, quickly.  Why? Fans, coaches, studying, learning, and applying the rules appropriately, family issues can result in stress and unhappiness. How do we continue to be “Glad”?

“This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24 ESV)

This Psalm was thought to be written after David defeated the Philistines and was now King of Israel. Before becoming king, David faced many challenges from hiding for his life from King Saul to killing a giant. Now, David could rejoice because of God’s provision—he was King.  Psalm 118 was written for the special occasion of David becoming king. Even through the difficult days and times David faced before becoming King, it was time to reflect and rejoice.

Are we expected to rejoice in everything? In officiating, what if we make a wrong call, have a bad evaluation, or get sick or injured and can’t work?  Where’s the joy in that?  When times are tough, focus from a perspective of what God has provided. Remember the things that make us happy in life and officiating—our family, being part of the game, working with others.  Know what brings joy and focus on that when times are tough. Don’t be too hard on ourselves for not rejoicing when we face challenges. But, when we are able to rejoice and be glad, we can celebrate like David did when he became king.

Brave men and women rejoice in adversity, just as brave soldiers triumph in war.

Glad to Be Here

Listen Fully

Recently, our crew watched video concerning listening by John “Gucci” Foley, speaker and motivator for elite teams.  He explained 4 ways we listen:

1)      Don’t listen

2)      Listen to Respond

3)      Listen to Understand

4)      Listen to Appreciate

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWW-Vk5d-74

As Foley pointed out in his video, we want to stay away from the first two—not listening and listening to respond in order to get to the two higher levels—listen to understand and listen to appreciate. Listening to understand is really trying to feel what someone is telling you. Foley further explained that listening to appreciate takes listening to understand and bottles it with appreciating and recognizing fully what someone is telling you.

Specifically, in officiating, ask yourself where do I land with these 4 ways to listen? In crew meetings, are we distracted and not listening or are we fully engaged to understand and appreciate what our crewmates are saying and how they feel? When coaches speak to us, are we thinking of how to respond only? When players give us information about potentially being fouled, do we ignore and not listen or do we understand and appreciate?

To achieve the level of listening to appreciate and understand, we need to emulate James 1:19: “Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters, you must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.” 

• Be quick to listen: Listen to understand and appreciate, not just to respond.  
• Be slow to speak: Don’t speak right away; think about your response and do it with respect. 
• Be slow to anger: Control your emotions; in doing so, we have a greater chance to earn the respect of those speaking to us.

In summary, James 1: 19 provides a framework for listening. Hear the heart and perspective of a person speaking without judging or making assumptions. The key ingredient for listening is a spirit of humility. What does listening with humility look like in officiating? When coaches, players, and/or fans are yelling at and refusing to hear our input, we must choose to listen first.

In his FCA devotional, Richard Isaiah-FCA Division Vice President, used the old adage that “God gave us two ears and one mouth; therefore, we should listen twice as much as we talk.” This saying makes the point that we should strive to hear from others before they hear from us. Proverbs 18:2 provides insight of those who desire to speak more than to listen: “Fools have no interest in understanding; they only want to air their own opinions.”

Consider this prayer when striving to listen to appreciate:

“Father, as I seek to grow and learn from others, give me a heart that desires to learn, ears to listen, and bridle my tongue to speak as You lead me to speak so that I don’t become angry without cause. Thank You, Father, for always listening to me. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.” Richard Isaiah

https://fcaresources.com/devotional/hope-and-healing-principle-listening