Everyone would agree that our cricket is currently in ICU (Intensive Care Unit) and needs proper care to come back unto a path of growth.
We have tried the same things over and over since the early nineties and our cricket continues to slide. We have tried new presidents, new managers, new coaches, new players and yet we cannot arrest the slide.
What I think we need is for professionals to come forward. We have to realise that sport is big business and not a boys club or you pat my back, I will pat yours, or I will vote for you.
I am sick with politics mashing up our cricket, totally sick. I have been around the sport long enough to see men, who are total misfits, given positions of authority and the sport pays. I have seen men elevated to a position where they fail only because they were on the right "political" side and the result–cricket suffers.
I am totally amazed by some of the officials who run cricket. They hold on to power regardless of whether those they control are disintegrating.
I am fed up of seeing dinosaurs try to create policy in a time when cricket needs professionals to deal with the business that is sport. When will we learn? Why do we think we have all the answers? Why are we bent on being selfish?
I look at some of the men who put themselves up for office and I wonder sometimes. The powers that be need to realise that if we are to move cricket foward we need professionals. You cannot operate in a manner in which you would have operated many years ago.
I see the T&T Cricket Board (TTCB) right here make many errors in personnel, only because it was the "politically" right decision. I know the president Azim Bassarath of the TTCB personally, we have been friends for two decades now and I can say one thing, he is a very good administrator.
No doubt about it, the man has many attributes of a good leader but I am getting the feeling that some of the decisions that come out do not pass through his office.
Bassarath needs to take the TTCB and run with it. He needs to call the shots, he is the boss and he needs to be strong. Adminstration is his calling but he has to be very careful of the people that sit with him. While he may come with no agendas, others might not be of the same thinking.
They come into administration to gain things personally and to assist their friends and cricket is suffering today because of it.
I would like to take a look at the position of manager. This is a critical role and many of the problems we see between players and board are due to poor communications from poor managers.
An effective manager can't motivate others if they can't self-motivate. Self-motivation–the ability to get yourself going and take charge of what's next for you–is a vital personal characteristic for a manager. You have to keep yourself going and motivate those under your charge.
As a person, you should be dependable and reliable. Your superiors, as well as your subordinates, need to know that you can be counted on. Others in the organisation should be able to rely on you.
As the manager, you can't afford to break down when the pressure is on. The ability to remain calm and do what needs to be done is essential in a good manager. A certain amount of flexibility is needed by a manager, since he or she may need to adapt to changing situations.
Some level of business acumen is important when you are a manager. While you may not need to be on the level of a professional dealmaker, familiarity with basic business principles and practices can be helpful.
An effective manager knows that some tasks need to be delegated. You should be able to identify workers who will do well and give them tasks they can succeed at–while helping the project.
You need to be organised in order to be a good manager. Keep track of projects, employees and assignments so that you are on top of what needs to happen in the business.
A good manager needs to be able to communicate effectively. Make sure that you develop the ability to communicate as part of your efforts.
As a good manager, you should know how to speak publicly, annunciating your words and concisely communicating your ideas, whether in an interview, or addressing workers.
You will need to know how to manage relationships between yourself and your subordinates, as well as manage the relationships among those who work under you. You should also know how to develop relationships with your superiors, and coordinate relationships between those above you and below you in the hierarchy.