2016 Summer Post #2 Communicate Effectively

Posted by : ENCUnited Sunday, June 5, 2016

Communicate Effectively

James 4:1-6

I was challenged by a couple of things in my devotions today and I think it was interesting on how well it ties in with what we are learning from some of the other readings that we are working through as a team this summer. James is urging us to return to the core values of the Gospel. If we ignore these principles then the grace of God is ignored and the work of the Church (team in our case) is compromised. It always comes back to our core values. It is how we make our decisions. It is tough to be on a team that has players with core values that don't match up. Everyone would do what is best for them, not the team. Secondly, in vs. 3, James is challenging the people of the Church about how when you ask but you do not receive because you ask for the wrong reasons in order to spend what you got on what you want for yourselves! As Christians, we are called to seek the good of others, not ourselves. "The Bible is God's single story of great sinners in need of and being met by a great Savior. We set time apart for God through prayer and Bible reading, for example because it is in those places where God reminds us again and again that things between us are forever fixed. They are the rendezvous points where God declares to us concretely that the debt has been paid, the ledger put away, and that, in Christ, everything we need we already possess. This convincing assurance produces humility, because we realize that our needs are already met. We don't have to worry about ourselves anymore. This, in turn, allows us to stop looking out for what we think we need and liberates us to love our neighbor by looking out for what they need." (Tchividjian-It is Finished)

I hope the workouts are going well and you are enjoying you time off. Just a few reminders so that everyone is on the same page:

Preseason camps starts August 6th. You can officially move in to your dorm at 2pm. Admissions should be sending out an official letter with a schedule.
We play the Alumni on the 6th at 7pm.
Everyone needs to have a Physical. Please complete and submit no later than July 22nd.
Freshmen-make sure PLAYNAIA is completed asap. You can't participate unless you are declared eligible.
Please make sure you are following through on summer reading.

"Communication is the foundation of every great relationship. Communication builds trust-trust generates commitment-commitment fosters teamwork and team work delivers results."

Mike Smith-You Win the Locker Room First

As an Athletic Department Staff, we have been reading and going through, "You Win in the Locker Room First" by Jon Gordon and Mike Smith. They identify 7 C's to Building a Winning Team. They are Culture, Contagious, Consistent, Communicate, Connect, Commitment, and Care. In regards to communication, one of the quotes that I found interesting was, "People often think of communication as talking, but for me it's all about listening. The best communicator is not the person who is the most eloquent speaker, but the person who has the ability to listen, process the information, and use it to make decisions that are in the best interest of the team and organization. The best listeners truly hear what a person is saying and trying to convey." When Nick sent me his thoughts on the core value of Communicate Effectively, this really made more sense to me. Nick has come a long way on with his ability to communicate effectively both on and off the field. One of Nick's strong points has always been his heart for his teammates. Nick is a very good listener and someone that earn's his teammates trust day in and day out.

Senior Captain Nick Hopkins and his thoughts about Communicating Effectively.

John Maxwell, a well respected leader in the topic of being able to connect says, “Many communicate, but few connect.” When it comes to communicating effectively it involves connecting and investing in each others lives. And within a team, communication is one of the most important things, without this a team falls apart. The best example of a leader communicating effectively is Jesus Christ. We see this in the gospels with the way that Jesus communicates through parables and stories to His disciples. With the communication that Jesus and the disciples have, they are able to relay the same information to thousands of people by being able to preach the good news, the gospel of Christ. All because Jesus and 12 disciples invested and connected with each other. When I was asked to write about this topic, communicating effectively, I immediately started to brainstorm about things that I could say because communicating does not come easy for me. It takes time, commitment, and discipline. Not that I don’t have any of those but communicating is a flaw of mine. One thing I have been trying to do this past year and even more so in the summer is working on my communication skills. The more I read about it the more I see just how important it is to communicate within families, relationships, and teams. And to communicate effectively, to connect, invest, and care about ones life. Communicating goes deeper than just words, but it involves actions. Being able to do what you say and say what you do. As a captain, this is one that I will need to focus on the most. It is something that has never come easy and probably never will. It is a true honor to be serving and leading you guys on this team as a captain because it is not a light load. The fact that my team has entrusted me to take this role is something I am thankful for. I continue to pray that I am what my team needs me to be and not what they want me to be in order to make this team successful. To wrap up the blog post, I want to say that many things make a team, not just one and communication can rip a team apart as fast as it brings it together. To communicate effectively means more than just words, its actions, and time, and effort to make it come together to make sure that there is a unity within the communication.

Last week, I talked a little about Jim Collin's book-Good to Great. I would like to take this a little further and learn a little more about what he calls Level 5 Leaders.

http://www.inc.com/magazine/201310/bo-bulinghamo-burl/jim-collins-re-learns-leadership-at-west-point.html

Here is a brief article on Jim Collins and the history on how his book, Good to Great came about. Go through the article and take a listen to what he has to say about the characteristics of Level 5 Leaders.

Definition:

"Level 5 leadership consists of the duality, some would consider to be paradoxical, of professional will and personal humility

Professional Will --

Creates superb results, a clear catalyst in the transition from good to great.
Demonstrates an unwavering resolve to do whatever must be done to produce the best long-term results, no matter how difficult.
Sets the standard of building an enduring great company; will settle for nothing less.
Looks in the mirror, not out the window, to apportion responsibility for poor results, never blaming other people, external factors, or bad luck.

Personal humility --

Demonstrates a compelling modesty, shunning public adulation; never boastful.
Acts with quiet, calm determination; relies principally on inspired standards, not inspiring charisma, to motivate.
Channels ambition into the company, not the self; sets up successors for even greater success in the next generation.
Looks out the window, not in the mirror, to apportion credit for the success of the company-to other people, external factors, and good luck.

http://www.jimcollins.com/media_topics/media.html

Men's Soccer Core Values