**_Column by Basil Springer_**
**“Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” – Romans 13:1**
I sometimes engage in dialogue with my older son Captain Kevin Springer in the wee hours of the morning. Kevin, because of his extensive international management and travel experiences with Emirates Airline, often brings a broad perspective to local and regional issues.
A recent exchange with Kevin inspired this column.
Cricket West Indies (CWI) has long struggled to balance organizational success with the flourishing of individual cricketers.
Yet, for the West Indies to reclaim its stature in world cricket, the relationship between institution and individual must be reimagined — not as competing interests, but as complementary forces.
CWI needs a governance model that harmonizes **leadership** and **shepherding** — two distinct but interwoven disciplines.
Leadership is strategic. It is about vision, systems and results. It defines the collective objective and ensures accountability at all levels.
CWI leadership must set the direction, allocate resources, and measure progress toward winning and development goals.
Shepherding, by contrast, is personal. It focuses on nurturing the mindset and skillset of each player. It is about mental health support, individual performance coaching, and life beyond the boundary.
A shepherd walks with the player — not just instructing, but guiding, listening and growing together.
Let us commission accomplished cricketers, the legends of the game, as shepherds who are uniquely qualified to guide and mentor the next generation.
They possess invaluable knowledge, experience, skill and a deep understanding of the game’s nuances, making them ideal for this task.
Many of the world’s top 10 cricketing nations appear to have found this balance. Australia’s elite player pathway, India’s robust domestic system, and England’s professional contracts all reflect systems where both the board’s goals and the player’s journey are supported in tandem.
Success follows when leadership builds the environment, and shepherding cultivates the human beings within it.
West Indies cricket has immense raw talent. But without the right support structures — without leaders who inspire and shepherds who care — that talent too often remains unfulfilled. Players become frustrated. The system becomes brittle. And the region pays the price.
It’s time for CWI to evolve — not just in structure but in philosophy. Leadership must lift the team.
Shepherding must lift the individual. Only then will West Indies cricket rise again — not as a relic of past glory, but as a modern force forged by unity of purpose.
**(Dr. Basil Springer GCM is a Change-Engine Consultant. His email address is**basilgf@marketplaceexcellence.com**. His columns may be found at**[www.nothingbeatsbusiness.com/basil-springer-column](https://a9evugcab.cc.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001e5A9QAECKXGi_uGkcJ6SO0r4OvzlHYHNbvDTKMjca6HzGkbjXjOuGWwtGjbPM5v6TF6V29W4oOLw9-zN6rJk1Efp4xjr1UMd994Z_-IHZyXHYCBoBD-i_-iRxZVAvsguvHKiui90UVQ80ahFGSYitEESayhHstpG_64vG_EEPL8UkrvU1vK97fXVxgEd43DT&c=EPjVH8_uYafXPj8_BcNpVeC0Yi2j8saBlwvQXQ5Y1zeF3A3P6aKpYQ==&ch=xSglS6WrDxpY339aLGqUiXsI9V6U0huGOotyFA2iDCYAF1cHfuFE4g==)**and on**[www.facebook.com/basilgf](https://a9evugcab.cc.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001e5A9QAECKXGi_uGkcJ6SO0r4OvzlHYHNbvDTKMjca6HzGkbjXjOuGWqstS2TYXaPDPSfEtZV0j-OBNZqy-uVtUvOmkt_ENrQQtkHqxKlO_RzwMXiny_U5mAOzZaQnmw9YzDv5tyJYb4ohFf7yuK5gUthq4OkkSMM&c=EPjVH8_uYafXPj8_BcNpVeC0Yi2j8saBlwvQXQ5Y1zeF3A3P6aKpYQ==&ch=xSglS6WrDxpY339aLGqUiXsI9V6U0huGOotyFA2iDCYAF1cHfuFE4g==)**).**