Ultimate Temper Tantrum

If you have not yet seen the 3-minute temper tantrum of Asheville Tourists manager Joe Mikulik in arguing the umpire's call, you can watch it at the Major League Baseball website.
Admittedly it is less-than-commendable that this temper tantrum has been replayed on every sports show in the last 48 hours (and I'm not suggesting that blogging about the incident is somehow commendable either!).

It was truly the Ultimate Tamper Tantrum - the "best" of Billy Martin & Lou Pinella plus some unique Mikulik additions all at once. Yet what message does this send to children who's parents tell them not to throw a temper tantrum? to young people who can't get what they want, whether because of "mean parents" or "old-fashioned teachers" or ....? It is any wonder that any "authority" is a joke for most adults when we cheer and laugh for behavior like this? And that anyone who calls her/himself a leader is perceived as a hypocrite or soon-to-be-hypocrite?

Please don't take this as some moral condemnation of Mikulik. I've watched the replays at least three times and laughed each time. And I've had my share of frustrations at referees and expressed that in various forms. But I'm smart enough (I think!) to realize that this is not an "acceptable human reaction" to life not going your way.

A leader needs to...
1) be able to express frustration in an appropriate time and place,
2) stand up for the team if s/he feels they are being treated injustly,
3) Do so in a way where the team is improved and grows - not in such a way that the leader becomes "the show."

Thanks Joe Mikulik for reminding me (us?) of this!

Chronicle of Higher Ed Article

Since its Friday, I generally like to check The Chronicle of Higher Education website. In today's Chronicle Review there's a very challenging article by Randall Balmer on evangelicalism in 21st century America.

Joy of Interviews

Over the past few weeks, I have had the joy of being a part of some interviews for different positions here at Prairie Bible College. Our motto here at Prairie is "Building a Passionate Body of Christ" - and as I am privileged to be a part of these interviews it truly gives one a sense of amazement at the uniqueness that each member of the Body of Christ contributes to the whole. I have watched colleagues ask interview questions and learned things about myself - both positive traits and areas of weakness that probably others see in me but I have a "blind spot." I have also seen brothers and sisters seeking the Lord about the possibility of joining us at Prairie and its amazing how God opens doors, closes doors, leads people to work together for His Kingdom. My suspicion is that some people might think sitting in on interviews would be a rather tedious part of a faculty member's job. In fact, it is a blessing! And another way the Lord gives to appreciate the diversity of the Body of Christ.

Father's Day Posting

Since Sunday (June 18) is Father's Day, I thought it would be appropriate to post a brief blog thanking God for my earthly father, John Ibbotson, today. Every once in a while, people tell me that there's some resemblance between me and my dad - either in appearance, sound of our voice, a mannerism, etc. I usually find that to be quite surprising...and yet a compliment also. This brief reflection won't contain anything profound or amazing, but its a brief "thank you" to God for the dad I have been blessed with.

Thanks Lord for a dad who encourages me in whatever I do (attempt) and is there to help pick up the pieces when I make mistakes. And I can't actually ever recall him saying "I told you so." (Of course, I don't give many opportunites for that to happen - but I guess that's another indication of the good dad he was/is!) Thanks for a dad who helped me be/come who You wanted me to be, not what he might have thought was nice or made him look good. Thanks for a dad who encouraged my interests, even when they weren't always his. Thanks for a dad who was ALWAYS in full-time Christian ministry (pastor, missionary, Bible college teacher) and yet never made me feel that his position was hindering me, financially, spiritually, emotionally, etc. In fact, my desire to live/teach in the same Christian community that I was raised in and work for the same Bible college my dad has worked for the past 20 years is because his work/ministry was such a GOOD part of my growing up life. Thanks for a dad who loved his wife, my mom, too! And for encouraging mom to be who God made her to be and encouraged her to use her gifts for the Kingdom too. I probably wouldn't have such "liberal" views on the place of women in ministry/leadership if my dad hadn't been so right in encouraging mom to use her gifts! And thanks for a dad who was willing to apologize when he needed to - and that wasn't very often or for very "significant" matters. And thanks mostly for a dad who loved Jesus and always sought to follow His will first. That's a gift very few young men have today.

Reading on Ministry Leadership

Doing some reading these days on various aspects of leadership and ministry.
1) Read a great piece at the Christianity Today blog "Out of Ur" discussing Christian leadership lessons from George W. Bush
2) Just started reading a book titled 7 Practices of Effective Ministry by Andy Stanley and his associates at North Point Community Church (Multnomah, 2004). It started with a great baseball story too so...

Rebirth of the Islanders

Yesterday the New York Islanders provided some pretty good leadership lessons in the hiring of Neil Smith (GM), Ted Nolan (coach), Bryan Trottier and Pat LaFontaine. My dear brother, Tim, may actually have something to cheer about as an Islanders fan after years of frustration. Congratulations to co-owner Charles Wang for providing us with a few leadership lessons:
1) They connected their future to their past - Smith began his NHL managerial development with the Islanders under Bill Torrey and Al Arbour and he made a point in the press conference of noting that taking on the GM job was in a sense the "full circle." Smith did what was necessary to get the Rangers to a Stanley Cup team just over a decade ago and so he has proven successful. Obviously Trottier & LaFontaine's connections to the team and their success of the late 70's and early 80's speaks for itself. Trottier was also successful as a player and assistant coach in Pittsburgh. All three of these guys made it clear that they want to see the future Islanders achieve a level of greatness comparable to the past.
2) Dangerous Diversity - While still connecting to their organizational past, the Islanders have taken a significant risk, in some hockey people's minds, in hiring Ted Nolan as their head coach. As Don Cherry recently commented on Coach's Corner, Nolan was having a hard time finding an NHL job because he is a "hard guy to fire." Credit Wang with taking a calculated and strategic risk. BTW, I seriously doubt that Neil Smith was not supportive of Nolan's hiring as head coach (as some are speculating) or he would not have taken on the GM position.
3) Admitted past failures - Although not directly spoken of by Wang and answered very politely by Nolan, the Islanders as an organization admitted a handful of errors in their announcement yesterday. Nolan interviewed for the coach's job three years ago and was not chosen - and the Islanders have blundered along as they were before since then. Likewise, by bringing in Smith along with Trottier and LaFontaine as "special consultants," it seems they have finally put the reigns on Mike Milbury, even though he maintains a position with Wang's Sports Industries organization. (Why anyone would keep Mike Milbury around at all in a sports organization after his track record the past decade is a mystery).

A once proud and successful organization which had languished in mediocrity and chaos for years appears to be on its way to being restored to a new level of glory.