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- The Power of Poise
HEY CARDINALS NATION!
Welcome to our Athletics Department Newsletter. By subscribing, you will get any and all information about Concordia Athletics sent straight to your inbox every week. These will be going out every Monday.
Here’s what to expect in today’s newsletter:
Blog
Weekly Recap
Quote of the Day
Cardinal Toolbox
Upcoming Events
Read Time: ~ 5 minutes
🔨 BLOG
“THE POWER OF POISE”
As a leader, you’re going to inevitably find yourself in the midst of chaos or pressure. Whether it’s dealing with tough decisions, resolving conflicts, or guiding your team towards a goal, the demand for composed and effective leadership is high.
In these situations, it can become all too easy to let emotions cloud our judgment and disrupt the effectiveness of our leadership.
Without the right tools, we become more reactive to situations than proactive. We let our emotions drive our decisions. An effective leader has poise in the face of trials.
Poise is much more than outward appearance. It’s about controlling your emotions in trials. Inside you may have different emotions that are wanting to bubble to the surface, but poise helps you choose to not externalize them. It’s having control over one’s emotions and behavior.
I like to define poise as “having grace under pressure”. What a beautiful depiction of what it means to love and serve those around us when faced with difficult circumstances! Poise is about giving yourself and others the grace that is needed when things don’t go the way that we planned on them going. It’s not allowing a situation to take you off the path towards running the race that you are running.
The poised leader is able to do 3 things effectively:
Make better decisions
Resolve conflict
Be a calming presence in the midst of adversity
Let’s consider decision-making. A poised leader follows the wisdom of James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” The poised leader looks to God first for wisdom. This wisdom then allows patience to limit their emotions.
Their poise ensures that emotional reactions don’t cloud their judgement. They can make better decisions because they are seeking wisdom from the proper source. They are calm under pressure, and realize that they lead under the direction of the One who offers wisdom that surpasses our understanding.
When the leader receives wisdom from God, they can then resolve conflicts in a much more gracious and effective manner. As Proverbs 15:18 reminds us, the patient, poised individual can calm quarrels and promote understanding.
Composure during disagreements is hard. We all love to be right. But, what’s more important: being right or your relationship with the person with whom you are quarreling with? When a leader remains composed during disagreements, they can more effectively mediate discussions and find peaceful resolutions. It’s all about serving the individual. When that happens, the team benefits.
Lastly, a leader’s poise is a calming presence in the midst of storms. Their demeanor sets the tone for the team. The thing about setting the standard for your team, is that you are always being watched. You are the standard. When you are poised during trials, you hold a tremendous influence over team dynamics.
By staying calm under pressure, the leader is encouraging open communication and collaboration with their team members. More work can be done for God’s glory then! And that all comes back to how the leader stands firm in the midst of trials.
Embracing poise as a cornerstone of leadership not only helps us to lead more effectively, but it also bring us closer to the patient, wise leadership exemplified in God’s Word. It allows us to do more effective work for His kingdom.
And we’re not always going to be perfect at this. But we follow the perfect example in which to mold our leadership after.
- Coach T
💭 QUOTE OF THE DAY
“I don’t do this to be loved. I don’t do this to be hated. I do this for the guys in the locker room. I do it for the love and the thrill of growing at something.”
💬 VERSE OF THE DAY
“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.”
⏪️ WEEKLY RECAP
VOLLEYBALL
The volleyball team challenged themselves against some tough competition this week. They lost a rough game on Tuesday against Keystone San Antonio 3-0, but made a great comeback on Thursday night against Our Lady of The Hills in 3 straight sets to open district play. The Cardinals also played a tournament in Plano this weekend, where they finished 1-3.
The Lady Cardinals pick back up district play with a game on the road Tuesday against Bulverde Bracken before then playing host to Summit Christian Academy at home on Thursday.
FOOTBALL
The Cardinals football team faced a tough challenge this week on the road vs. St. Mary’s in Taylor. After a very close night, the Cardinals fell short to the Rams 81-54.
The Cardinals offense looks great on Friday night against the Rams, having scored 8 touchdowns and many extra points. We will have to wait until Friday to see what the Cardinals’ strategy will be going into a tough game with Buckholts High School at home.
CROSS COUNTRY
Cross Country went to their first meet at San Juan Diego this past Saturday. Nathanael and Emmanuel Hernandez were the Cardinals’ two entrants to start the season.
Of the 87 runners at the meet, Nathanael Hernandez finished in 7th place with a time of 18:18! Emmanuel Hernandez finished with a time of 23:22.
The Cardinals represented well! They continue to work hard early in the morning, and are building a great foundation for a successful season!
‼️ UPCOMING EVENTS
VB @ Bulverde Bracken: JV @ 5:00, V @ 6:00 Address: 670 Old Boerne Road, Bulverde, TX 78163
VB vs CP Summit: JV @ 6:00, Varsity @ 7:00 Address: 500 Immanuel Rd. Pflugerville, TX 78660
FB vs. Buckholts: Kickoff @ 7:30 Address: 400 Park St, Hutto, TX 78634
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We pray that your day is full of reminders of God’s love and faithfulness. May you faithfully build your life on Christ.
“But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in my weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” - 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
To God be the glory,
Coach T