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to Success By Dr. Basil Springer |
"A web definition of 'team spirit' is esprit de corps: the spirit of a group that makes the members want to succeed" www.cogsci.princeton.edu
Bridgetown, Barbados, April
18, 2005: Charles Randall,
a cricket journalist who writes for The Daily Telegraph in England,
filed an article on April 14 2005 about the Kent cricket team
which I think is very instructive in the context of West Indies
cricket today. He reported as follows: Captain David Fulton
allowed his players' derision and doubt to wash over him when
he instigated some Fame Academy pre-season team bonding for three
days last month. With the assistance of the real-life Fame Academy
choreographer Kevin Adams, the Kent squad were required to wise
up on singing and dancing, stretching their limited show business
talent for a couple of days at Sutton Valence School. This
imaginative ordeal provided Graham Ford, Kent's new coach, with
an opportunity to judge the character of his charges.
Fulton admitted that the players' initial reaction had ranged
from scepticism to outright disbelief until the work began. "They
really got into it and they responded well," he said. "It
showed what could be done." 
Kent had shown what could be done last season when they finished
runners-up in the Frizzell County Championship, a surprise in
the absence of their leading bowler, Martin Saggers, to injury
for most of the summer. The batting top order shouldered the
responsibility for achieving match-winning advantages, with Robert
Key pummeling six centuries before joining the England teamFord,
the former South Africa coach, has a reputation for good man-management
and investing time with individuals. Fulton said: "He has
impressed everyone hugely, and he isn't going to suddenly change
everything." It was wise of Fulton, 33, to seek intensive
coaching for himself in Australia over the winter the captain
has started scoring runs again as an opener The Kent academy
has completed the second winter at the St Lawrence Groundthe
Kent county team is entering a transitional period and will have
to work hard to churn out the right results. The old lime tree
within the boundary has gone and a sapling installed in its place.
Randall concluded that the process of regeneration continues.
So much for those who think that success comes and goes in cycles
without significant inputs from the science of management.
In my article last week, I called for strategic visioning for
the WI cricket industry. My regular female respondent,
Jocelyn, did not disappoint. She contributed the following
food for thought: Basil, I support your suggestions contained
in the final 3 paragraphs. I would add that job specs/descriptions
should also be created and published for all players in addition
to the captain, so that even young boys in primary schools can
know what would be required to qualify for a play on the WI team.
Qualifications could include, for example, probably 75% - 80%
skill, a good 'team' player, deportment, behaviour, public speaking
etc. Those who reach selection that have not met the full
requirements could be allowed a time frame, with training, to
see how they can match up. I'm simply tired of seeing bad
behaved people trying to be sporting ambassadorsMy thinking is
that if people know from early what is required they can work
towards achieving and not suddenly find themselves on a WI team/national
team with demands that are foreign to them...She concluded
that skill can take you only thus far.
There was another comment from Malaysia. Dev is a former professional
and cricketing colleague. We used to play on the same University
team 35 years ago. He commented: Dear Basil - Greetings
from this end. I have followed and read with interest your
last few excellent writings with a focus on WI cricket. I fully
agree with your analyses and the probe for corrective direction.
Arising from these, you can obviously take credit for stirring
up healthy wider public response. This probably is also linked
to recognition of guiding principles that resulted in WICB`s
stand to continue with Chanderpaul as captain, and the comments
of Deryck Murray and Brian Davis with all of which
I agree. WICB`s stand is especially commendable as principles,
discipline and transparency together, will determine the 'make
or break' outcome of the oncoming World Cup series in
the West Indies.He concluded that: More particularly, your call
for a one-day interactive dialogue or workshop to discuss issues
including captaincy is most appropriate and very timely. Alas,
I am not alone.
As Tony Cozier intimated in a TV interview following the latest
WI defeat against South Africa: it is neither the captain, coach,
selectors, players' representatives, veterans, youth, superstars,
sponsors, supporters, pitches nor umpires. He concluded
that we have had all these in varying combinations and we are
still unable to achieve consistent performances. The problem
is indiscipline and the lack of team spirit. The ball is
in the court of the WICB to do something about it. We are
gambling with the future of our cricketing industry. There
is no short cut to a systematic approach of strategic visioning
which will lead to a process of change where we set our priorities
and establish and implement a plan. Let the WI squad
wise up on singing and dancing, stretching their limited show
business talent for a couple of days at Sutton Valence School
or equivalent.