High Performance

Last weekend, I attended my Church's annual men's retreat.  There, I heard Dr. Mike Metzger present a series of talks on leadership.  The following is a summary; all quotes presented are from his talks or articles presented therein.


Talk 1- Return Authority

What makes leaders effective?  We are perhaps used to a "top-down, directive" leadership style.  A 'do as I say' mentality, focused on "getting others to do what you sense is needed; to have an impact; to make things happen."  This leadership style, called "Imperial," values having power and influence.  While that may have worked in the past, in today's world, we're seeing a profound shift in how effective leaders operate.

Today, effective people operate instead as "Interactive" leaders.  Here, the focus is on "getting outcomes that make a difference for and with others; creating the conditions that engage everyone to achieve organizational goals."  The Interactive leader values outcomes that make a difference.

In short, "interactive leaders return authority.  They ask: Who is the authority here?  In the workplace, it's practitioners closest to the work."  They then ask many questions of those practitioners; in fact, returning authority means asking questions until you find out how much they want to know from you.  It's NOT about telling people what they need to do.

What does this have to do with Christianity?  We're called to love others, and often, Christians think they best show that by doing outreach.  But outreach can be condescending.  If you want to have influence, you have to be mixed in with the people- probably your immediate community- and you need to be interactive.  Love people by not assuming anything; return authority and work with others rather than trying to bend them to your will.

Scripture: Genesis 1:26-28, 2:15

Talk 2- Build Mutuality

It is more blessed to give than to receive, and we're told to consider others more important than yourself.  Interactive leaders, knowing this, seek to build mutuality.  Building mutuality is about community and collaboration.  It's "we," not "me."  We have to speak people's language- using terms they understand- in order to do this.  For example, the Biblical view of the world is summarized by four things:

• Creation - Fall - Redemption - Restoration

But if we use these terms, do people understand?  Probably not.  Use them if you want to be marginalized.  But you can re-frame the way people view the Gospel by using 'street language':

• Ought - is - can - will

Not only do people understand words like this, but these four words help re-frame any problem we have in any area of our lives: What ought to be, what is,  what can be done about it, and hoping for what the world will be.  Seeking to help others will lead us to ask questions- with them- and work together towards a solution.  And they may never even realize our approach is based on the Gospel.

"Interactive leaders build mutuality.  They demonstrate emotional intelligence by asking these pracitioners, "How can we help?"

During this process, we'll all learn a lot, and the soul delights the most in what it learns indirectly- through self-discovery.

Scripture: Acts 20:35, Philippians 2:3

Talk 3- Complexity & Paradox

How do you make toast?  The speaker opened with this exercise, and it's more complex than you think.  You need bread (and the ingredients that constitute it), power, appliances, transportation, farming, and other things to make it all come together.  The point?  This world is complex.

Interactive leaders must wrestle with paradox and complexity.  Paradox is an 'along-side truth'; two good, competing virtuous things (there may even be tension between them).  Even the apostle Paul said: "I know in part."  So don't assume; ask questions; LISTEN.  Asking questions will reveal complexity, and in turn people will give you authority to build mutuality with them and collaborate on a problem.  We can learn a lot from theories, but hands-on experience introduces us to unanticipated complexities impossible to exhaustively know (or document).

"Interactive leaders lead change by paradox and complexity.  They only understand the complexity of problems because they first listen to practitioners."

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:9-12

Talk 4- Focus on Results

What's our end goal here?  Results.  Having influence means being a change agent- we are to change the world for the better as part of our role in restoring a distorted creation.  Salvation includes redeeming the culture.  In fact, we are called to 'dive in' to the culture and seek the flourishing of all.  Two-thirds of the references in the Bible to the world are positive.

"Faith increases to the degree to which you love your neighbor- seek their flourishing.  This is love.  Loving God and others- the Great Command- means seeking the flourishing of your neighbor before yourself."

"Interactive leaders focus on results, fixing practitioner problems."  We in the Church don't often take this approach today; we focus instead on building curricula or programs- most of which can be highly ineffective.

Scripture: Jeremiah 29, Luke 17:5-10, Colossians 1:18

Talk 5- [Sunday Worship Service]

What influences us the most- ideas, images, influentials, institutions, or items?  The answer is institutions- they are reality-defining and boundary-forming.

Mike's Sunday message reiterated the above points and focused on a multi-layer diagram, roughly re-created below.  Our left brains are narrowly-focused; our right, broadly vigilant.  Too frequently, we focus exclusively on the left-side and forget about the broader view.  This can lead us to thinking we know more than we do.  We need outsiders looking across the board, to help us insiders in a given situation.  The red text shows the four offices of Jesus; the green, ought-is-can-will; the purple, characters in King Arthur's legend.  These things all map to this chart.  

Thoughts

This was a very different series of talks- but it made sense, as Mike's vocation is 'solving problems by re-framing them.'  At the end of the day, the point was this: to be a positive, welcome influence in people's lives, we need to love them.  To love them, we need to interact with them, not assuming anything, to build mutuality, receive authority, and ultimately help society flourish.  This approach is thoroughly Biblical, yet often ignored by Christians as we seek more "imperial" methods.  It was a great retreat, and I'm glad to have attended.  It's given me a lot to think about.

Dracula: Prince of Many Faces (McNally & Florescu)

Dracula: Prince of Many Faces is the story of Vlad II Tepes, AKA Vlad the Impaler, AKA Dracula (= son of Dracul ('dragon' or 'devil')).  He was a 'sometime' prince of Wallachia (a region in modern Romania)- he reigned three separate times during his life (1431-1476).  His land was on the edge of Christian Europe, and as he shared borders with Hungary, Transylvania, and Ottoman-held lands in Balkans, he became adept at political machinations and catering to both sides- Christian and Muslim- to keep his country autonomous.  In fact, he spent six years of his life (aged 11-17) under Ottoman custody- his father was forced into the arrangement to keep the peace.  Once Vlad II came of age, he ruled with an iron fist, demonstrating remarkable cruelty as he killed as many as 100,000 people by impaling them (hence his first nickname).  His cruelty helped repel the Ottomans from his lands when they invaded, but ultimately led to his downfall- he was deposed and lived for ten years under house arrest in the Hungarian King's court.  After dying shortly after his third stint on the throne, his head was displayed in Constantinople.

This book was okay.  The authors know their stuff but could work on delivery.  They don't convey information in a straightforward or compelling way; they'll disrupt the narrative to move forward and backward through time with little warning or reason, muddying things unnecessarily.  Some areas are glossed over with no explanation.  And some of their conjectures- raising the level of local folklore to 'historical' status at times- seemed unwise.  The historical Dracula was a fascinating figure, and this appears to be the highest-regarded book about him, but there are flaws here.

Rating: B-

Mathematics: is God Silent? (James Nickel)

As we have surveyed the history of mathematics, we have noticed that what an individual or culture believes concerning the origin, purpose, and destiny of the cosmos affects the way mathematics is viewed and ultimately, the way mathematics progress. . .  mathematics is not a neutral discipline; it is always linked with presuppositions. - James Nickel, Mathematics: is God Silent? 

Similar in spirit to Soul of Science, Mathematics: is God Silent? traces the history of mathematical development and worldviews associated with its various trailblazers.  Author James Nickel's main point is that worldview matters in everything- even in mathematics.  How we view the world affects not only our thoughts on man's "origin, value, and destiny", but even how we approach the study and understanding of mathematics and construction of formulas to understand the world around us.  The first part of the book is the aforementioned history; the second provides recommendations for teaching mathematics from a biblical perspective.

Nickel certainly provides a differing viewpoint to the current mindset on math (or science, for that matter).  For example, he claims that adherence to the Greek mindset slowed Medieval development, and only Christian-minded folks (freed by Reformation, literacy, and mass printing) worked advances.  He also shows how things went off the rails when the focus became man:

In summary, note the progression of thought from the Bible to [Immanuel] Kant.  Genesis 1:1 states that God created everything: the universe and man (including his mand).  Kant said that man creates everything:  i.e., everything is a part of man and this thinking.  The world as we know it is at least relative to our mind if not an outright construct of our mind.  The world is something that we have dreamed up; it is our creation.

Interesting food for thought.

There's a lot of good information in this book- the author knows his stuff, has done his homework, and provides valuable references and resources.  Still, I read only about 50% and skimmed much of it.  I agree with the author's main point, but some of his other arguments I should study more.  In places, he gets repetitive and I'm not sure the practical differences (especially concerning how it changes mathematics education) come through.  Worth the time, in the end, but I think Soul of Science presents the same arguments in a more polished form.

Rating: B+

Love Letter: Batman

Love Letter is a popular, fast-playing card game.  Due to its popularity, many licensed/themed variants have been produced; Love Letter: Batman is today's review.

Overview
In Love Letter: Batman, your goal is to win seven rounds before any of your opponents.  You win a round one of two ways:
- being the last person standing (all others have been ousted from the round by card effects)
- having the highest-numbered card at the end of the round

There are 16 total cards, each with a numerical value in the upper left and an effect at the bottom:
1- Batman (5 copies)
2- Catwoman (2 copies)
3- Bane (2 copies)
4- Robin (2 copies)
5- Poison Ivy (2 copies)
6- Two Face (1 copy)
7- Harley Quinn (1 copy)
8- Joker (1 copy)

The Cards of Love Letter: Batman

Simplified Gameplay
The flow of Love Letter: Batman is simple.  Everyone draws a card as the game starts.  The round begins; the first player draws another card, compares the two in his hand, and chooses to discard one, placing it in front of him.  The one he discards has a stated effect that must take place- even if it's negative for the player.  Then the next player draws a card, discards one, etc.  Play continues until all players (but one) is ousted, or there are no cards left in the draw pile.  The winner gets a batman token, and another round begins by collecting and shuffling all the cards.  The first person to win seven rounds is victorious.

Review
This game is okay for what it is- a fast-paced 'fill-dead-time' game.  It's for 2-4 players, but playing with 2 is a poor experience; playing with 3-4 is recommended.  Even then, there's a heavy luck component that minimized my enjoyment.  If you have little time and few options, it's not horrible, but there are better games out there.

Rating: B-

Adventure Time Card Wars

Is it fair to review a game I've never played?  Probably not.  But, throwing caution to the winds, I'll do it anyway.

Adventure Time is (apparently) an animated TV show that has been around for a few years.  Wikipedia tells me its based on fantasy worlds similar to Dungeons & Dragons, but with a lighthearted focus (the fact that it's set in the "land of Ooo" tells you much about the tone).  On the show, some of the characters can be seen playing a game- Card Wars.  They decided to make a real game based on this- Adventure Time Card Wars.  I bought a collector's pack, read the rules, and started to play a game.  I am therefore qualified to pass judgment.

Overview
Adventure Time Card Wars is very similar to Magic: The Gathering (reviewed here).  So similar, in fact, that several of the rules appear written to directly compare or contrast them with Magic.  In Card Wars, players start with 25 life (in Magic it's 20) and try to get the other player to 0.  You do this by duking it out over turns.  On your turn, you play creatures (examples below) and/or other cards and fight your opponents' creatures (which are preventing you from doing damage to the opposing player directly- sound familiar?).  Wipe out their creatures, then reduce your opponent's life to 0 to win!

Simplified Gameplay
Each player places 4 permanent landscape cards in front of them at the start; these dictate the type of cards you can field (similar to lands in Magic).  Each turn, you follow these steps:

1. Ready all of your cards
2. Draw a card
3. Spend up to 2 Actions (each card has a cost, often from 0-2 Action points, to play)
4. Do you want to Floop? (like 'tapping' in Magic; some creatures have 'floop' abilities)
5. Spend 1 Action to draw a card (if you have any Actions left)
6. Fight! (you must fight with any card that hasn't flooped)
7. End of turn

If you play creatures and buildings on your turn, each must be placed on a specific landscape- a landscape can 'hold' only one creature at a time.  Also, you must fight your opponent's creatures (in the 'opposing lane'- the landscape directly opposite) each turn unless you use a creature's 'floop' ability.  Damage accumulates over turns (it isn't wiped each round like in Magic); creatures deal damage equal to the number in the lower-left corner of the card; they absorb damage equal to the lower-right number.

Review
The game seems like a simplified version of Magic.  I'm mildly surprised there have been no lawsuits, the similarities are so striking.  It's labeled for ages 10+ (Magic is 13+), so it's aimed at a slightly younger crowd.  But that (and humorous tone) aside, this is Magic, folks.  So do one or the other.

Rules can be found here.

Batman v Superman

In Man of Steel (reviewed here), the Superman story was 'rebooted,' and we were introduced to Clark Kent as he became protector of Earth against General Zod.  Three years later, we get the sequel, Batman v Superman, and all is not well in Whoville (or Metropolis and Gotham, as it were).

In Batman v Superman, we see a world on edge.  Yes, they have their champion in Superman . . . and we all need the occasional superhuman rescue.  But what's to stop Supes from going rogue and destroying the Earth himself?  How do you hold such power in check?  Can humans coexist with a being that's nearly a god?  Batman- and Lex Luthor- have their doubts about Superman, and (separately) make plans to keep the Man of Steel in check.  Meanwhile, the Big Blue Boy Scout casts a suspicious eye on the Caped Crusader and his unorthodox methods.  A showdown is brewing . . . but when a larger threat emerges, can this dynamic duo learn that together is better?

Critics have widely panned this movie; I rather enjoyed it.  The action is good, the tone is dark, and the characters are fun (in a grim way), but what sold me on this movie was the themes explored.  Let's face it: we're scared of things more powerful than we, and so we look to control them.  If we can't . . . well, maybe we'd prefer to do without the help.  We at once require and destroy our saviors.  This and similar theological ideas are explored, and I loved that.  They didn't necessarily explore them enough- many good questions are raised, but few answers provided.  But the focus was admirable, and this is worth a second watch.  In fact, I plan to do so- with pen and paper- to more fully record and contemplate the themes.

Rating: A-

In Search of Dracula (McNally & Florescu)

You're probably familiar with Bram Stoker's 1897 masterpiece Dracula.  What you may not realize is that Stoker's vampire was based on a historical figure: Vlad Tepes, or "The Impaler," a Wallachian* prince who lived from 1431-1467.  He was also known as . . . Vlad Dracula.  In Search of Dracula is a short (180 page) history of both the historical and legendary (in folklore/pop culture) figures.

Though I enjoyed the subject matter a good deal, this book has many shortcomings.  It's a meandering account, with information presented in an unstructured, confusing manner.  The authors claim to be the first to connect the fictional vampire with the historical figure; I found that hard to believe, as Stoker must have done the same over a century ago, based on similarities between his count and Vlad (the authors mention this very fact later in the book . . . which seems self-contradictory).  As both authors are professors and have jointly penned several books on this subject, I don't doubt their authority- but they could work on their content/consistency/delivery.  As a final ding, I was surprised by their historical investigative methods, which seemed amateurish in places (when the facts are cloudy, they tend to believe the folklore as fact- seems to me an odd way of approaching historical research).  Despite these issues, though, the book does have a lot of good resources- almost half of the pages are appendices with useful information (to include a chronology, bibliography, filmography, and travel guide)- so I'll keep this until I find something better.

Rating: B-

*Wallachia is a region in modern Romania; on its north border you'll find Transylvania (also in modern Romania)

The Middle Sea (John Julius Norwich)

Most historical surveys focus on specific countries, continents, or time periods; in The Middle Sea, however, author John Julius Norwich summarizes the history of nations lying along a body of water: the Mediterranean.  This is largely a political/military history, with summaries of the myriad rulers and conflicts the region has seen over the past six (or so) millenia.  After brief treatments of ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome, the bulk of the work focuses on the Crusades (and Knights of St. John), Papal States, Republic of Venice (and her territories), Ottoman Empire, Spain, Napoleonic France, the Barbary Coast, a smattering of islands (to include Sicily, Crete, Cyprus, and Malta), and the unification/independence of modern Greece and Italy.  The author chooses to conclude immediately after WWI.  For each topic covered, only portions close to the Mediterranean are considered- thus, for example, the WWI portion covered only conflicts in Gallipoli, Salonika, and Palestine.

Why choose this specific body of water as the focus?  Because of its importance:

Some six or seven thousand years ago the Mediterranean gave birth to Western civilisation as we know it.  Its relatively small size, its confined shape, the gentleness of its climate, the blessed fertility and the manifold indentations of its European and Asiatic shores, all combined to provide a uniquely protective environment in which its various peoples could develop and flourish.

Overall, this is a solid read.  Norwich does a good job with a straightforward and concise delivery. He includes amusing anecdotes, making it easier to digest the wave of information.  Focusing on a body of water was an interesting twist, and the variety of nations discussed help me make some historical connections I had previously missed.  It's not perfect- some sections feel like he left out key backstory that left me hopelessly swimming in names and dates I didn't understand or put in context . . . but on the whole, this is a good summary.

You learn things about yourself when reading a work of such scope.  I learned, for example, that (for whatever reason) I simply don't care much about Spanish or Italian history.  I don't know why . . . but I started skipping or skimming those sections (again, due to my lack of interest, not lack of quality).  Thus, I read most of this- probably 80% of the 600 pages- but not all.  The work as a whole, however, is of value.  It's a good summary for those planning vacations to the region.

Rating: A-

Biblios

Today's game review is a nifty little number called Biblios.

Overview
In Biblios, you are the head of a Medieval monastery, and "compete against other monasteries to become the one with the most wonderful library."  To do this, you aim to collect the most victory points.  You do this by gaining cards (each with a value 1-4) across five different categories (Monks, Pigments, Holy Books, Manuscripts, Forbidden Tomes).  At the end of the game, you compare your tally for each category with your opponent(s); the one with the highest value for each claims the victory points for that category.

• Example: you end the game with 3 Holy Books cards with a total value of 10 points.  Your opponent has 4 Holy Books cards with a total value of 9 points.  You have more points, so you win the Victory Points for the Holy Books category.

Here's the catch, though: the Scriptorium (pictured below) tracks how many victory points are awarded for each category.  Initially, each category is set at 3 victory points, but the values will change throughout the game based on "Church cards" people can play.  So, you may end up with the highest tally for Pigments, but winning that category may grant you only one victory point at game's end- or six, depending how it has been influenced during the game.  So play wisely!

The Scriptorium at the start of the game

Simplified Gameplay
Biblios is played over two phases: the Gift Phase and Auction Phase.

Gift Phase:
The active player "allocates" X+1 cards, where X = the number of players.  "To allocate a card means to draw a card, look at it, and then place it into one of three locations:"

• in front of himself (face down)
• into the public space (face up)
• into the Auction pile (face down)

After all X+1 cards are placed in these three areas, the remaining players, going clockwise, choose one face up card in the public space and put it in front of them.  When all players have a card (and hence the public space is empty), everyone puts the card in front of them into their hand, and the next person (moving clockwise) becomes the active player, allocating X+1 cards again.  This continues until the deck is empty; then play goes to the next phase.

When you're the active player, the ideal is to put the best card in front of yourself, the next best in the auction pile (where you can bid on it in the next phase), and the rest in the public space (for the other players to draw).  But since the cards are drawn (and placed) one at a time, you must choose without knowing which card(s) will be drawn next.  So, you take a decent card and possibly pass up a great one?  And which goes in the auction pile?  Choose wisely . . .

The types of cards: item (top), Church (bottom right), gold (bottom left)

Auction Phase
Here, the Auction pile (created during the Gift Phase) is shuffled.  The person who started the game (the first active player during the Gift Phase) starts again here, and reveals the top card of the Auction pile.  He then bids on the card:

• if a gold card, he bids the number of cards he is willing to discard from his hand to obtain the card;
• if a church or item card, he bids the amount of gold he is willing to pay (by discarding gold cards of sufficient value) to obtain the card

Bidding goes clockwise; when all players pass, the person who bid the most discards or pays the amount promised, and collects the card.  Then, the next person (moving clockwise) reveals the next card in the Auction pile, and the bidding commences.  This process is repeated until the Auction pile is empty; the game has ended.  Tally your points for each category, and assign winners to each.  Then, each player adds up their victory points, and the highest total wins.

Review
Biblios is a tidy little game.  For 2-4 players, it takes only 30 minutes, is simple to learn, and fun.  Both phases have hard choices to make (an essential element of good games).  There's a large luck component, of course, especially in the gift phase.  The Scriptorium concept is an interesting and enjoyable twist.  My only ding on this one is that the theme- which is what attracted me to the game in the first place- is just pasted on.  It gives some flavor, but you could do this game with just colors, so I didn't get the Medieval experience I was wanting.  Still, this will have a place on my shelf.

Rules can be found here; a video review, here.

Rating: A-

Ticket to Ride

I plan to review lots of games in the coming months.  I'll start with a winner: Ticket to Ride.

Overview
In Ticket to Ride, your goal is to claim tracks on a map (like the USA map shown below).   You do this by collecting sufficient numbers of appropriately-colored train cards to complete a given segment of track (so, for example, you need 6 black train cards to complete the track from Los Angeles to El Paso).  You get points for each segment of track you complete, and if you complete track between cities on destination tickets you own (which you draw at the start of the game, and can add more later), you get further points.  The person with the most points at the end of the game wins.

The USA map for Ticket to Ride

Simplified Gameplay
At the start of the game, every player draws three destination cards (keeping at least two), and four train cards.  Play proceeds clockwise; on your turn, you can do one of three things:

1. pick up two train cards
Five train cards are shown face up on the table, with the remainder face-down in a pile.  You can pick up two from the table, draw two from the pile, or any combination thereof.  If you choose to pick up a rainbow train, though, that is the only card you get that turn.  If you pick up cards from the table, replace them with cards from the pile.

The colors of train cards.  The "Rainbow Train" can be a substitute for any color.

2. lay a segment of track
You start with 45 plastic train cars; you must put one car on each square in a given segment to claim that segment.  Once you have it, nobody else can claim it- so plan carefully.  You can lay only one segment at a time, and you must lay the entire segment at once.  Example: you want to claim the Denver to Kansas City segment.  You can do this on your turn by laying 4 plastic train cars between the two cities.  To do so, you need to pay either 4 black train cards or 4 orange train cards (see the map above).

3. draw three destination tickets (keeping at least one)
The key to the game is to re-use as much of your tracks as you can.  So, if you have built track from Los Angeles to New York, and then draw a San Francisco to New York destination ticket, you have most of the track built already, and need to complete only one segment- from LA to SF- to complete the second destination ticket.

Example destination tickets

The game ends when a player ends his/her turn with 0,1, or 2 plastic train cars remaining.  Then every player gets one final turn, and points are tallied.

Review
Ticket to Ride is a great game.  It has a luck component (the randomly-drawn destination cards can make or break you), but it also requires a fair amount of strategy.  It's infinitely replayable, and a good choice for any game night.  Many maps have been produced since the initial USA offering- a sure sign of the game's popularity.

You can read the complete rules here or watch a video tutorial here.

Rating: A