The last time a member of the current roster of Seattle Seahawks was suspended by the NFL was May 17, 2013. Bruce Irvin was found to be in violation of the rule against use of performance enhancing drugs, and was suspended without pay for four games to start the 2013 season. Irvin immediately posted an official apology:
I want to apologize to my teammates, coaches and Seahawks fans for making a mistake when I took a substance that is prohibited in the NFL without a medical exemption. I am extremely disappointed in the poor judgment I showed and take full responsibility for my actions. I will not appeal the discipline and instead will focus my energy on preparing for the season so I can begin earning your trust and respect again. I look forward to contributing to the team the moment I return.
In addition to the official apology, he posted a personal apology via twitter, reiterating that he was sorry for letting the team and fans down, that he took responsibility for his choices, and that he was committed to learn from his mistakes and become a better person.
Irvin’s apology is a text book example of how we should apologize when we screw up. Read More
Leadership, distilled to its essence, is the ability to influence others.
Type “leadership” into a search engine, and it’s clear we most often associate leadership with business. However, not all leadership occurs in the boardroom. We have and need leadership in politics, of course, as well as in science, in our communities, in sports, in volunteer organizations, in schools, and in communities of faith.
Boardroom demographics are overwhelmingly white, straight, Christian, and male; the language, methods, and metrics of business leadership reflect those demographics. Many of those who lead outside the business community achieve success influencing others using methods different from what is best known in business. These leaders may lack access to education, resources, or channels of communication available to people in business demographics. The methods of those outside the business community may sound different or look different, and are valued less – or not valued at all – by traditional leadership experts.
I have decided to devote an occasional blog post to “quiet voices” in leadership. I want to highlight contributions from people who are (or were) influential in their respective communities who may have been denied access to education or employment, prevented from speaking or publishing, or who have found a way to lead others that looks different from what is expected. I intend to highlight leadership by those whose voices are unlikely heard through a boardroom filter.
The first post will feature the notoriously quiet voice, Marshawn Lynch of the Seattle Seahawks. Stay tuned!
I love to watch the highlights of the GBvsSEA 2014 NFC Championship game. I love watching the Seahawks come from behind and win the game in such a dramatic fashion. It’s fun sometimes to watch the game, starting with five minutes remaining in the game, fast-forwarding past all the difficult plays and struggles. But my favorite experience watching that game again is to watch it from the first minute to the last catch by Kearse in the end zone in overtime when CenturyLink went absolutely nuts, knowing the Seahawks were going to the Super Bowl for the second time in two years. When I watch the whole game, invariably I am struck at the end with the awesome power of faith and redemption.
In their first pick in the second round of the 2015 draft, the Seattle Seahawks selected Frank Clark, defensive end from Michigan. Clark had been dismissed from the Michigan football team in his senior year following his arrest for domestic violence. Seattle Seahawks fans, myself included, were in shock. Read More
October 17, 2014
I have avoided writing much on the nightmare that is #GamerGate because I had little direct experience to contribute, and I hoped that it would die a natural death. But today I found something that has prompted me to speak out. A sock puppet.
Before we get to sock puppets…
What’s #GamerGate?
A campaign of harassment against women in the video games industry. In the beginning, two specific targets were an independent games developer and a feminist video game critic. The indie games developer, Zoe Quinn, was the victim of an ex-boyfriend who posted a jealous rant against her, making accusations that she benefitted in her work by sleeping with key people in the gaming industry. It was quickly demonstrated that she did not benefit as was suggested. Nonetheless, the allegations from the ex-boyfriend served as cover for some to cry for “greater integrity in video games journalism” under the GamerGate hashtag.
Read More
With 12 candidates for Washington State Representative from my legislative district, the 4th, I decided to take a different approach to figuring out who to vote for instead of party affiliation (or not). I asked 6 questions that pertain to actually governing, not (strictly) about positions on issues. I eliminated candidates as I went.
Is the candidate serious about governing?
I have no interest in voting for someone who will go to Washington who is not prepared to actually govern. I expect my legislator to participate in debate and discussion, to propose and modify bills, to compromise – in other words to govern.
Prior to the 2012 election, our local paper ran a photo album of people at the GOP headquarters hard at work on the campaign. I found one photo particular telling. It was a picture of campaign supplies, buttons and hats. The hats said two things: “Defeat Obama” in large, prominent print and “Restore America” on the second line, in small print. I was surprised and disappointed that the hats didn’t at least have “Vote Romney” as the first line, with “Restore America” and “Defeat Obama” as secondary messages.
I wish the Republican Party would have invested then – and would invest now – in developing a positive strategy for their goal to “Restore America” and not focus primarily on “Defeat Obama”. I also would hope that in such a positive strategy, the GOP would anticipate framing a policy platform for fairly governing all Americans, not one that increasingly alienates and marginalizes women, minorities, immigrants, LGBT citizens, the poor, and those who do not share fundamentalist Christian views. Their actions prior to the 2012 election and since have made it clear to me that the GOP is not capable either of tearing themselves away from their focus on “Defeat Obama” or of developing a positive strategy to “Restore America” – for ALL Americans.
