The more I watched the video the more disappointed I became in this man's inability to distinguish
himself from Mr. Warner and I came to the realization that this is not the right man to lead this
business, non-profit or otherwise, out of it's doldrums.
I can think of a lot of cliches to describe this situation but I think "The more things change
the more they remain the same" is most appropriate.
"You make promises on things you have control of
but we had no control over those funds because
we were depending on the funds coming from CONCACAF via FIFA".
"Nothing from nothing is nothing. I don't have a mint to manufacture money".
"Que sera, sera".
"Then I gave, now I loan. I haven't got a cent".
"I thought there would have been some greater appreciation for my selflessness to
see things done right but the pushing that is going on now; I still have the option to use
the marbles in my hands"
"I don't have money, football owes me money. I gave money to football".
"No football, no sport, could get me to go to court"
That shit sounds very familiar indeed.
But, for me, what was really telling about the individual sitting behind the desk in this
interview with Joel, was his statement that "Football has never been closed down as a business
because it is not a business, it was never set as a LLC, football is a non-profit
organization, it is an act of parliament". So, it stands to reason that there is no business
model and business plan to ensure a successful future for the organization.
Right now, Mr. Tim Kee is the mayor of a city that is a hotbed for criminals and also the
president of an organization that is experiencing a near death experience. Both situations
require the total, 100%, attention of a dynamic leader to guide both elements out of the deadly
conditions they are facing. Both assignments are complex in nature, so much so that they require
the undivided attention of a savvy leader. One who will give his or her undivided attention to one
or the other, but not both. Neither situation is a joke.
In regards to the Federation, there are several factors, we are all too familiar with,
responsible for this near death experience; factors that are self inflicted like; a lack of
accountability, incompetent management and poor financial control being some of the internal
forces responsible for this. The continuous survival and success of any business greatly depends
on managing these forces expertly. Neglecting them can spell doom for the business. In addition,
there is no way to bring your dying business back to life by mere words of "Hope", you need to
do the work. And not just as you have always done before, you need to change the way you used to
work. If you had been engaged in random work rather than focusing on performance-driven work or
goal-oriented work, that will not work.
It is one thing to work and it is another to align your work with the strategic goals of the
organization. Only by doing so can the business be saved from dying. This is going to take your
undivided attention. Mr. Tim Kee, the non-profit organization you were elected to lead, is a
business, whether you choose to accept it or not, that requires a sound business model and plan.
I recall when Mr. Tim Kee was elected to lead the TTFF he used "Hope" as a key ingredient in
his ambitious plan to reorganize and restructure the TTFF. Any savvy business leader will tell
you "Hope" will never be a sound, viable plan. But then that begs the question, how can you talk
about an ambitious plan to reorganize and restructure the Federation as though it was a business
and turn around and say it was never a business? It is doom to failure. What the Federation
clearly needs is a clear thinking, savvy non-profit or for profit business leader with intelligent
ideas of the essential elements, plans, strategies or otherwise, to lead this non-profit business
out of this valley of resource despair.
The Federation needs a leader to start thinking about a business model, especially if the
objective is to have resources needed to do the job well. That individual needs to stretch, to
find alternative revenue sources to join the Federation's diminishing sources, to become more
efficient, more “business-like.” An analysis of an implicit or explicit business model is in order.
There has to be a need to capture the essential elements, the dynamic processes and methods of
what is needed to know to progress the institution. And a business model together with a business
plan is a good place to start.
18 minutes into the interview, Joel said that Sancho wanted the TTFA to tell the players something
tangible for them to hang on to, tangible being the key word here. What should have emerged from
Tiny Tim's mouth should have been a more intelligent response of ideas of the substantial baseline
that's needed to plan the Federation's future direction, the areas it seeks to improve, those it
will expand, those it may decide to drop, the new markets it needs for resources, and a brief
outline of the range of other elements necessary for significant success in the future, instead
of the incoherent bullshit about nothing from nothing is nothing. You cannot be another lame
duck president like Oliver Camps and expect Sancho and the Band of Warriors and to a greater
extent we, the Soca Warrior fans, to applaude that.
That is unacceptable.
According to Frances Hesselbein, the author and chairman of the Drucker Foundation, leadership
that achieves results goes beyond how to be, and becomes how to do.
To Sancho and the Band of Warriors, George Santayana once wrote, "Those who cannot remember the
past are condemned to repeat it." I mean, fellas, how many times are you going to fall for the
okie doke? But, you know what, I understand that you were between a rock and a hard place and you
trusted another fast talking businessman who promised you if "this", then "that". But, isn't "that" why
you are at "this" point in the first place?
