Cricket, character and controversy

Quote

“It is not true that the English invented cricket as a way of making all other human endeavours look interesting and lively; that was merely an unintended side effect.”  Bill Bryson

News

The nature of threatening comments made by Australian cricketers during the Test match last weekend have cast a cloud over their otherwise impressive performance, beating England by 381 runs.  British player Jonathan Trott flew home early with a stress-related illness after being taunted as ‘weak’ and ‘fearful’, and the Australian captain was fined for threatening behaviour when he warned another English batsman to get ready for a broken arm.

While some competitive banter between opposing sides is normal in a cricket match, it seems that this practice of ‘sledging’ is going too far.

Contrast this with India’s Sachin Tendulkar, who played his 200^th and final Test match two weeks ago.  Tendulkar’s huge following in India and around the world owes as much to his character as to his cricketing genius.  He is modest and patient, has time for others, including his adversaries, and treats everyone with courtesy and respect – whether they are celebrities or cleaners. 

Despite his huge fame, the sporting legend has largely steered clear of scandals and maintained a stable family life with his wife and two children.  In Tendulkar’s valedictory speech he spoke tenderly and at length about the encouragement and support of his close family and friends.   

The mean-spirited behaviour of some of the players has left a relational chill over the Test Match in Brisbane; perhaps the example of Sachin Tendulkar, and the way he honoured his relationships on and off the field, needs to rub off on his fellow cricketers.

Read on

The formation of character and values was a major motivation behind the development of competitive sport.  Read this article in Christianity magazine about the church origins of many of Britain’s top football clubs.

Walk the talk

When you are competing against someone, do you stay on the right side of the line relationally?  If not, do you need to cultivate a more sportsmanlike attitude?

The last word

From the Bible, Colossians chapter 4 verse 6: “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”

Kennedy, Lewis and looking for hope

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"Assassination has never changed the history of the world."  Benjamin Disraeli

News

Two distinguished men died on this day fifty years ago, one through an assassin’s bullet, the other through renal failure.  JF Kennedy was the youngest elected President of the United States, while CS Lewis was an Oxbridge academic, broadcaster and apologist for the Christian faith.

Both men inspired hope.  Kennedy launched his presidency with the famous words, "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country."  His leadership motivated idealism and service, and one of his more enduring legacies was establishing the US Peace Corps.  Yet the hope he inspired remained unfulfilled, trapped in suspended animation through his sudden and untimely death.

CS Lewis inspired hope in quite a different way.  His earthy, well-reasoned theology appealed to a wide range of people.  Whether addressing the challenges of war, the reality of pain and grief, or inner battles with temptation, Lewis was able to communicate the deep truths of the Christian faith to a doubting world.  His Chronicles of Narnia are a masterful Christian allegory loved by children and adults alike, in which Aslan the great lion symbolises Jesus Christ.

The death of Lewis was eclipsed by the assassination of Kennedy the same day, which is one of the reasons why it has taken a long time to appreciate his influence and legacy.  In recognition of Lewis’ contribution to literature and national life, a plaque is being unveiled today in his honour at Poet’s Corner in Westminster Abbey.

The world needs hope as much now as it did 50 years ago.  However, people in the 21st century look on political leaders through jaded eyes, and there will never be another like John F. Kennedy.  Neither will there be another Lewis, but through his writings, people continue to discover the source of hope and faith which transformed his own life.  As Lewis wrote in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,‘Aslan is on the move!’

Read on

Alister McGrath wrote a new biography of CS Lewis this year, which was reviewed by Anthony Kenny in the Times Literary Supplement; you can read the review here.

Walk the talk

Where do you tend to look for hope?  Are you depending on human strength or skill, or are you trusting in a higher power?

The last word

From the Bible, Psalm 146 verses 3 & 5: “Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save…  Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God.”

United we stand?

Quote

“In the past a leader was a boss. Today's leaders must be partners with their people... they no longer can lead solely based on positional power.”  Ken Blanchard

News

The recent dispute between the Grangemouth petrochemical plant owners and the Unite union, which nearly led to the closure of the plant, is still being debated in the press and in Parliament.  

The Unite union took on plant owners Ineos over a disciplinary issue involving a union convenor, while the company wanted to negotiate the ‘survival plan’ for the loss-making complex.  At the threat of strike action, Ineos decided to close the plant, which was only reversed when the union accepted all the terms and conditions set out by Ineos; ‘a complete rout’ is how the press called it.

In other parts of the industry, unions and employers are working together constructively over safety and training, adjusting to the recession, and minimising compulsory redundancies.  Yet the poor relationship at Grangemouth led to a brinkmanship that almost cost 800 jobs directly, and over 2000 indirectly – which would have decimated the local community economically and relationally.

Arguably, the conflict is fuelled by the relational ‘story’ which the two parties are acting from.  The Unite union (and perhaps the management also) believes the relationship between employers and their staff is a fundamentally adversarial one – reflecting the Marxist thinking of many leaders in the Union movement.  

Yet there is an alternative story, which is that businesses can be built around the commonality or mutual benefit in the relationship between employers and those who work for them.  Economics deals in labour and capital, but in reality a business comprises a web of relationships between people – directors, employees, customers, unions, suppliers, neighbours, regulators and so on.   

When there is honesty, fairness and order in these relationships the business is more likely to survive in adverse times and prosper in the long run, with the benefits shared by all.  But where mistrust, strife and contention overshadow workplace relationships, then productivity falls, the business enters a downward spiral, and the web of relationships unravels to the detriment of all.

Read on…

Another company with 900 employees offers an inspiring example of that alternative story; it has never laid off a member of staff due to recession in its 130 year history.  Read about the Swiss Army knife manufacturer Victorinox here. 

Walk the talk

What is the underlying story between the stakeholders in your workplace?  Is there any area where you have an opportunity to rewrite that story and help it in the direction of more cooperative relationships?

The last word

From the Bible, Romans chapter 12 verse 18: “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”