Corporate Governance Issues at the Jamaica Tourist Board

A week ago it was reported that all the members of the Jamaica Tourist Board, save its Chairman John Lynch, handed in their resignations en-bloc to the Minister of Tourism, the Hon. Ed Bartlett. Mr. Lynch’s resignation from his previous place of employment, Unique Vacations, around the same time did not go unnoticed. While no public statement was made by any of the former Board members, Minister Bartlett told the nation that the Board Members offered their respective resignations to “give the Minister a free hand in choosing a Board to chart the new way forward for the JTB in light of the global conditions”. The word on the ground, however, was that the Board members were not comfortable with the imminent appointment of Mr. Lynch to the post of Director of Tourism as this would ostensibly make him the Executive Chairman. At the time, the Minister told us that a Committee was deliberating on applications for the post to replace outgoing Director Basil Smith. Minister Bartlett denied that a decision had already been made. It was announced in the newspapers today that Mr. Lynch has been appointed Tourism Director. Opposition Spokesman on Tourism, Dr. McNeil while approving the appointment has correctly warned that Mr. Lynch must not be reappointed Chairman.

What is happening here?

1. Mr. Lynch’s resignation from Unique Vacations at the time strongly suggested he was promised the job. The idea of having a committee supposedly meeting to rubber stamp the wishes of the Minister does not augur well for good Governance

2. Board Members apparently knew that the Minister wanted Mr. Lynch to be Executive Chairman and apparently voiced strong objections. Minister Bartlett apparently cannot tolerate such behavior and asked them to resign. If a Minister appoints a Board, he must allow them to govern. Already there is political involvement in naming a Board; even so a Minister should not willy-nilly change his Board over what appears to be their failure to support a breach of good Corporate Governance.

3. It cannot be that when external conditions change that a Board should be changed. Boards are appointed specifically to provide strategic guidance and good governance in changing times.

4. Good Corporate Governance practices strongly discourage the Executive Chairman position. This is especially so in the Public Sector, where accountability is not very popular.

5. Finally, I am disappointed with the Media in allowing the Minister to get away with all that has happened; despite the protestations by Dr. McNeil in what I believe have been well balanced arguments.

A dollar here...a dollar there

Recently, the GF Team decided that we would pool our personal funds and give a donation to Mustard Seed Communities. It was up to each of us to give what we could/wanted to based on our individual budgets and circumstances. No-one could give "too little" - all contributions were welcome. As Office Manager, I timed collection for payday. Women's Leadership Initiative and
United Way have a great programme with NCB Foundation where they match contributions to Mustard Seed Communities! So we sent our cheque to WLI and immediately our contribution was doubled!

We were offered profuse thanks from WLI's Pat Ramsay (and here I had been thinking it was not a lot of money!). When I told her that the Team had contributed individually, Pat said "Imagine if every office did that......".

That IS something to think about..... It underscored that every little bit counts, so a dollar here and a dollar there will add up to something substantial for the needy.

I challenge each office to try this and give to ANY charity or school - don't wait for your organisation to draw a cheque to support corporate social responsibility (I wholeheartedly support this too). You ARE your organisation, so pool with your peers $50/$100/$200/$1000....whatever you can afford. Together Everyone Achieves More.

And, our team felt SO good having given and knowing that our contribution was so appreciated.

More on airport bureaucracy

Returning to Jamaica from Barbados last week, I wonder why is it that:

1. At the Barbados airport there are two Customs Officers on duty to process the two flights that were in when I arrived vs. the twelve that were on duty in Jamaica to process the one Caribbean Airlines flight?

2. The roving Immigration Officers who check that the form is completed cannot turn it over and check that the Customs section is also complete? Of course I asked, and was told that “We are two different departments” (and they report to two different Ministries)

3. As Jamaican citizens we need to complete an Immigration form? Most of the information on the form is already in our passports which we must present to the officer

4. I need to tell the Immigration Officer my intended address in Jamaica? As a Jamaican citizen, don’t I have the right to go wherever I want?

Everyone of these is an unnecessary cost to the Jamaican taxpayer, and an inconvenience to the traveller!

And I also wonder - what do Immigration and Customs do with the forms anyway? To what use do they put the information? Do they tabulate it, analyse and use it to make informed decisions? Hmmm .... something to think about!

What the leader must do in times of crisis - crime in Jamaica

There is a sense of panic in Jamaica over the recent spate of abductions mostly of young women. Consistent with panic are the decisions people make – not going out at night, not exercising early in the morning, suspending after-school activities, cancelling events. There is no rational decision making when people are in a state of hysteria. I understand that many of the reports of abduction are not true. This does not matter to people anymore as they are now fearful not just of abductions, but of everything – going to the supermarket, travelling to and from work, walking on the street, sitting in their homes, watching TV, etc.. As the stories spread, mushroom and multiply, so does the hysteria and frenzy. No conversation nowadays is without some story of a recent abduction, usually begun with “I hear that ….”

As I reflect on my recent keynote speech to the Caribbean Association of Indigenous Banks in Barbados, it occurs to me that our political leadership would be well-advised to follow my 6-step “CRISIS” formula for leading in times of crisis.

Communicate – there is an paucity of information about the abductions, which creates a vacuum which by natural law must be filled. In the absence of the facts, people will create stories. The first step of the leadership therefore is to give the populace the facts – how many true abductions have been reported, the status of the investigations and perhaps some report on the rumoured abductions. There must also be clear, ongoing communication about the solutions that are being implemented. Leaders MUST speak the truth

Respect - our leadership needs to respect and listen to the voice of the people. There are many that have great ideas about how to solve crime, but they are not to be found in the hallowed halls of power, nor in academia, but rather “pon di corner” or even in the prisons! Listen more than talk is always good advice to politicians!

Independent – the leadership itself must not get caught up in the hysteria. The Parliament is slated to take a conscience vote on the issue of the death penalty tomorrow. Each parliamentarian must stay independent of the panic about crime, examine the facts and figures, weigh the issues and then vote as he or she TRULY feels – not by what they think is expected of them by their constituents

Stay on message – leadership must find a message that resonates with the people in terms of authenticity, and then stay on it. To say “we are in control, don’t worry” is not very authentic nor reassuring in these circumstances, as crime continues to run rampant. A message such as “Together, we can create peace” or some such thing is what is needed

Invicibility – the leadership of the nation MUST send clear messages that they WILL solve the crime problem. I would like to see some targets set, for example, reduction in murders, and a focused, targeted action plan implemented, along with monthly reporting on progress. The criminals MUST get the message that they will not conquer the people, and that law and order will prevail

Smile – throughout all this, the people need to see leadership that is calm and collected and that is not afraid (perhaps dispensing with some of their own security detail).

Now more than ever we need leadership that does not succumb to fear – we need leadership that can rise about the crisis and take the tough decisions required.

Public sector boards

Robert was quoted in this article on Transparency in Public Board changes:

http://jamaicagleaner.com/gleaner/20081123/lead/lead3.html

Leadership in times of crisis - when everything is melting down

Yesterday I addressed the Caribbean Association of Indigenous Banks 35th Annual Conference on the topic “Leadership in Times of Crisis”.

At this conference, the association members examined a number of issues that will or are affecting their organizations, and the Caribbean financial system in general. These include the European Economic Partnership Agreement, Global Financial Regulations, the Sub-Prime Crisis, Financing Opportunities in the Tourism Industry and Enterprise Risk Management. The factor that will pull all of this together and galvanize action is leadership.

As I prepared my speech, I found that the root of the word ““crisis” (Greek): krisis = decision. The dictionary further tells us that a crisis is a condition of instability or danger leading to decisive change. A crisis is therefore a turning point, or a time to decide, not to be paralysed. Our normal response in a crisis is to PANIC! We become paralyzed, not so much by what is happening but by our FEAR of what has happened in the past and that could happen in the future. The terrible thing about fear is that it feeds upon itself (contagion effect), and soon everyone else is in a panic. One cannot see clearly in this state, for a state of FEAR clouds our vision and therefore our ability to make decisions. Ironically, this is the very time that we MUST make decisions!

It is well known that the Chinese symbol for “crisis” is the same as for “opportunity”. Therefore, how do we see the opportunity within the crisis? This is the fundamental function of leadership – to see the opportunities, to give hope of a brighter future, since the present is so bleak and most people can’t see beyond that and to provide forward momentum – make decisions, keep vision alive

I identified 6 things that the leader must do:

C = Communicate
R = Respect
I = Independent
S = Stay on message
I = Invincibility
S = Smile

C = Communicate to build community; communicate not just to share and give news, but to invite feedback and gather information so that you can make better decisions. Communicate via all media possible – in person, by e-mail, intranet, bulletin boards – fill all information voids early, for failure to do so will result in speculation which is the food of fear

R = Respect the feelings and views of others. Allow people to vent their worst fears and insecurity. Listen more than talk

I = Independent – do not get pulled into the panic. I know of a CEO in Jamaica who locks himself in the bathroom every morning and laughs for 5 minutes. This immediately puts him in a good mood that last throughout the day. This allows him to stay clear and focused, aloof from, yet observing the panic, and so able to make the tough decisions that these times require

S = Stay on the message e.g. Obama – “yes we can”. Nothing must keep you from the message. Find something that resonates with your team, and stick to it. Every communication, every speech, every action must reflect this message. A good message to start with is “This too shall pass”

I = Invincible – help others to have courage, and the feeling that they can conquer the crisis situation

S = Smile - The July 17 issue of Time Magazine featured Nelson Mandela’s 8 lessons of leadership. Lesson #6 was “Appearances matter — and remember to smile”. The article noted about Mandela when he was running for President in 1994: “But more important was that dazzling, beatific, all-inclusive smile. For white South Africans, the smile symbolized Mandela's lack of bitterness and suggested that he was sympathetic to them. To black voters, it said, I am the happy warrior, and we will triumph. The ubiquitous ANC election poster was simply his smiling face. "The smile," says Ramaphosa, "was the message."

In closing, I reminded the conference delegates to find the opportunity in crisis, to remember what they need to do as a leader – C (Communicate) R (Respect) I(Independent) S (Stay on message) I(Invincibility) S(Smile), and to keep hope alive.

Why do we do the things we do?

“Why do you want to?” I incredulously asked the security officer at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston yesterday, in response to her request to feel my hair. Granted, I do have a lot of hair, enough to ensconce a pound or two of drugs, is what she was probably thinking. Opening her eyes wide, shoulders bracing with all the power invested in her uniform and position, she responded “So you are not allowing me to feel your hair?” I replied quickly, seeing that this could get ugly, and that I was in HER space, not mine, that I did not have any such problem.

The next line was Immigration. I stood behind a lady who was being asked by an Immigration officer to turn off her cell phone. Energised by my encounter with the hair-hounding security detail, I asked him why. He looked at me aghast, smiled and said “Because this is a sterile zone”. So, I asked him what that meant. He repeated his statement. I proceeded to the Immigration counter, to another officer and asked “Why can’t we use cell phones here?” “Because it is a sterile zone”. I pressed on, and got a series of responses with the ultimate declaration that this is the way it is in here as in all Immigration zones throughout the world and well, just … because.

This got me pondering – why do we do the things we do in our organizations? Why do we have the systems, processes and procedures? Why do we have certain regulations, systems, procedures and processes in our government? Presumably, they were put in place for a very good reason, and they served a useful purpose when they were instituted. But do we ever stop to question why we still have them and whether they are still useful?

Further, do our organizational team members know why they do the things they do? The security officer should have been able to respond to my question, for it was a reasonable one – she wanted to put her hand on my person, my body, my space. I wanted to know why she would want to do such a thing, which frankly, I consider an invasion of my privacy, and maybe even fraught with health issues (like, how clean are her hands?) And surely Immigration officers, highly trained and educated, should be able to tell me in one sentence or less why cell phones are not allowed in their space. “Because that’s the way it’s done all over the world” is not an appropriate answer to my question.

There was a time when all of us used to ask “Why” constantly – the time was called “childhood”. Unfortunately, the adults in our lives quickly beat this out of us (figuratively, and some even literally) and we soon learned that asking “Why” was not a good thing to do, since the only response it elicited was “Because I say so”.

As organizational leaders, we need to constantly be asking “Why”. This is how we create organizations that are efficient, effective and profitable. This is how we create organizations that truly serve the needs of our customers and create unassailable competitive advantage. We also need to encourage our team members to ask “Why”. They are the ones actually carrying out the processes and procedures, and who receive direct feedback from those on the receiving end i.e. your customers. When they ask “why”, it is important to be open to the feedback and give them straight, honest responses. If “because I say so” is the only response you can muster, then you need to get back to the drawing board and redesign (or eliminate) your systems, processes or procedures.