Breaking Free from Mediocrity – Part III

This is the final article in my series and focuses on changes needed within the South African sporting fraternity if it is to build a world-class sport culture. I have received positive support for the ideas presented in Parts I and II (full versions available on my website); for that I am truly grateful.

To quickly recap, Part I identifies the issues that need to be addressed to make sports more accessible to impoverished communities and to build a larger talent pool from which to identify individuals with the potential to become elite athletes. Part II dispels the myth that individual success in elite global sporting events proves the existence of widespread, effective sporting systems across the country. Rather, their success masks a much larger failure. However, these issues do not provide a comprehensive view. To achieve that, I need to shift the focus to two key success factors that, if not attended to, will hinder South African sport from breaking free from mediocrity.

Being Consistent

Throughout my professional life as a sports leader, manager, and administrator, I have discovered that remaining consistent in my instructions, expectations, processes, and procedures has been key to the success and sustainability of the programmes, projects, and events I have had the privilege of being a part of. A common definition of consistency is “staying the same at different times". But this definition implies resisting change. I would suggest, rather, that consistency includes embracing change such that it will result in positive outcomes by providing a firm basis on which to build for the future. For instance, if I commit to jogging five times a week and maintain this routine over the medium to long term, I will experience improved fitness and health.

After a while, I will find myself able to jog faster and longer. Eventually, I may qualify to enter a half or full marathon, possibly even the Comrades marathon. In other words, being consistent leads to refining how I do things, ultimately resulting in improved performance.

In people management, consistency fosters confidence and trust, assuring followers that their leader or manager will uphold their expectations. If you are a leader, manager, administrator, coach, or team manager—whatever your role is in your sports organisation—this means developing routines and habits that will make sure that you are trusted with your decisions and guidance by those with whom you work. A leader’s success is dependent on the quality of followership that supports the pursuit of the common goal. Consistency leads to the development of good routines and habits that contribute both to the welfare of the organisation and individuals’ personal and professional development.

I have witnessed situations in which an organisation elects or appoints people for positions.

As soon as they start, management issues confusing instructions for whatever reason, distracting them from following their job specifications. If job specifications exist and qualified people have been appointed to each job, nothing is more frustrating than trying to focus on critical matters while being pestered with petty issues. Such interruptions disrupt one's efforts to build consistency, which serves as the foundation for professionalism, systems, and processes. Rather, one is forced to focus on urgent rather than important tasks because immediate time-sensitive demands take precedence over long-term goals. However, according to author, speaker, and pastor John Maxwell, consistency transforms small, daily actions into significant, lasting results because it builds habits and momentum.

Having a Plan

Where there are no plans, there are costly mistakes, financial losses, short tenures of critical staff such as coaches, and lack of consistency in athletes' or teams' performances. Peter Drucker once said, "Without commitment, there are only promises and hopes... but no plans." A plan demonstrates commitment, allows for consistency, ensures the proper allocation of resources, and provides a road map toward the goal. If the Johannesburg Stock Exchange requires listed companies to have strategic plans, it means these plans have importance and value. The same requirement should apply to sport governing bodies in South Africa developing strategic plans that outline their medium- to long-term goals. It is encouraging to note that the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture has a 2025/26 Strategic Plan. This should make it easier for all sport governing bodies to follow suit.

A search on the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture’s website lists many South African sport governing bodies (sport federations) with links to their websites. Of the sixty websites I was able to access, forty-four either do not have plans or have not uploaded their plans on their websites. Ten have plans, but only two have plans beyond 2026—one for 2027 and another for 2030. Based on this website's information, it appears as if sports governing bodies in South Africa do not take medium- to long-term planning as an integral part of leading and managing their organisations.

So here we are with a desire for South Africans to play sport everywhere and create pathways, starting with sport development and leading all the way to elite participation at the highest levels... but apparently without any plans. If indeed there are no plans, such a situation implies that sport is being led and managed without a roadmap and at the whim and fancy of the elected leadership. This approach will never lead to truly organisationally effective sport programmes able to take a child from grassroots to elite participation in sport.

Conclusion

If we consider the words of Aristotle that “excellence is achieved through repeated effort guided by reason and wisdom", we can deduce that repeated effort guided by reason and wisdom are akin to consistency and planning. There are no quick fixes, but through consistent effort and a well-thought-out plan that draws on the sporting fraternity’s vast knowledge and experience, we can unleash our country’s extraordinary potential.