Freeing up the human spirit to achieve a healthy body and a healthy mind. If I am asked to phrase what Olympism is from the top of my head, that is how I will define what the movement is about.
Saying that sport can make a positive difference is a tired cliché that no longer catches people’s attention far less fire their imagination. When you tell someone the mission of the Olympic movement is to make a positive difference through sport, it doesn’t grab their attention.
Grabbing and maintaining attention for the right reasons is a critical success factor and a strategic imperative. Almost every sport organisation in T&T is in a battle for relevance, legitimacy and I dare say survival. Every single one must find different—some say new ways of obtaining financial resources, generating revenue, attracting and keeping competent, dynamic and skilled human resources and standing out, amid the clutter and distractions. Many are struggling, and in some cases fighting a losing battle to rebrand, re image and redefine who they are, what they represent and do.
In a world where there is so much going on. If you aren’t meeting people where they want you to meet them, an organisation or club is literally doomed. Irrelevance and oblivion can’t be far behind.
I am sorry for organisations and individuals who are stuck in traditional mode. Sport organisations must as a matter of survival re-invent themselves. It’s about reaching out to stakeholders where they have needs. Unless you have a clear understanding of how your organisation can adapt to provide the service and meet the needs of stakeholders making progress is not realistic—however you choose to define progress- standing still or falling behind is not progress.
To succeed in moving forward, you have to want to develop new ideas and drive change. If you’re not one of those people, you’re going to hate what’s going on in the modern world and you won’t be effective. To many sport leaders are just trying to hang on, but it’s only a matter of time before—the games up- and people realise they don’t know what they’re doing. It’s getting harder to fake it.
By way of example, what are the options facing a National Olympic committee? if one were to look at the Olympic Charter there are a number of objectives set out for the Olympic movement. Based on resources and strategic priorities, different national Olympic committees make choices based on an assessment of their operating environment. They interpret their offerings to meet the needs of their stakeholders.
For instance just last week, bpTT, the T&T Olympic committee (TTOC) and Michael Johnson performance centre launched a new programme. Like everything else there were some fears, concerns and potential issues raised by sport stakeholders.
Human nature being what it is people tend to read into things motives and intentions that they themselves may have rather than conduct an objectively analysis. The fact of the matter is the TTOC would have been focusing on building capacity through education and development with significant intensity for the past 17 years and the Michael Johnson, BpTT programme is the next phase in an ongoing continuum. The TTOC can’t sit or stand idly by and ask ”who moved the cheese?” The global sport and Olympic landscape changes almost hourly if not daily and it is the duty, obligation and responsibility of the TTOC to remain alive to its operating environment. Choices have to be made in a fast paced environment. Standing still is not an option.
Allowing any organisation to be boxed into a narrow corner is a recipe for failure and oblivion. The TTOC and NSOs must create the reality they want and desire.
By Brian Lewis
Source: www.guardian.co.tt