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"Shin Splints"
A Blog by Doug Logan

The Greater Good

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

In the summer of 1787, the Founding Fathers gathered in Philadelphia for a Constitutional Convention. They were to draft the document that would lay the bedrock for the peculiarly American form of representative government.

There were two prevailing schools of political thought at the time -- republicanism and federalism. Led by Thomas Jefferson (who was actually in France at the time of the Convention), republicans believed in a limited amount of power being invested in the national government, instead placing a great deal of power and independence with the states, or republics, if you will. Led by James Madison, federalists believed that private rights and the public good were best protected by a large federal government working toward the Greater Good rather than small, loosely joined republics. Jefferson felt constitutions were made to be amended as necessary as times change; Madison viewed a constitution as a document that can and should stand the test of time, being subject to only occasional amendment.

Though at political loggerheads, Jefferson and Madison were friends and correspondents. Differences of political opinion never prevented civil discourse between the two, and in the end, a compromise between the two philosophies, and two of the greatest minds our country has seen, resulted in what is now the longest standing constitution in the world.

On a large scale, the issues surrounding the Constitutional Convention are still in play with our government. Which functions better -- a strong, centralized power, or a conglomeration of individual groups? Bestowed with the trust of their constituents, elected officials are charged with doing what is best for the individuals who elected them, but sometimes it means doing what is best for the Greater Good.

Last weekend in Indianapolis, the USA Track & Field Board of Directors had a bit of a constitutional convention of their own, meeting to discuss restructuring. The question on the table was: How can the sport best govern itself? Throughout the weekend, the men and women at the table represented their constituencies and committees while also advancing the organization, and thus embodied Jefferson's statement: We are all republicans -- we are all federalists. By putting the Greater Good above the needs of special interests, they served all those who are part of their sport.

USATF's Law & Legislation (L&L) Committee spent two days developing a comprehensive USATF restructuring plan that will make us more efficient, better managed, more professional and a more responsible organization. Those late-night L&L sessions were followed by two days of Board meetings to discuss the proposed changes and, if necessary, amend them.

The specifics of the restructuring plan will be spelled out on the USATF Web site, and in this blog, next week. In short, our Board will reduce significantly in size, becoming more independent while still having all constituencies represented by committees; management of USATF will become the responsibility of the professional staff; and the organization's decision-making processes will become much more streamlined and responsive. Accountability, responsibility and efficiency are cornerstones of the plan.

Any member of USATF should be proud of the work your Board did this weekend. Although I have been with USATF for only three months, I had been told in the past that a culture of mistrust had at times pervaded the organization and the Board. After some initial hesitancy, that culture quickly evaporated this weekend, and the Board functioned in the way that all such bodies should: representing their electoral interests by recognizing that acting in the interest of the overall organization also benefits specific constituencies.

The process wasn't easy, and it wasnt always comfortable. But there was one overriding reason why they were able to accomplish what they did.

Trust.

Using a Jeffersonian philosophy of having a constitution -- in this case, our bylaws -- open to change in order to adapt and thrive, the Board took a more Madisonian approach to management and accountability.

I don't think it is presumptuous to say that each one of the chairs of our disparate committees -- youth and masters, officials and athletes -- recognized the benefits of this fundamental shift in how our organization will do business in the future. The full announcement of the restructuring plan next week will be followed by many weeks of hard work by volunteers and staff as we seek to educate and inform all of USATF's constituent groups about the plan, which will be voted upon at USATF's Annual Meeting December 3-6 in Reno.

In the end, it is our belief and hope that in speaking with their chairs and colleagues, USATF membership will recognize and trust the plan does indeed advance the goals of our sport during this critical time -- for the Greater Good.

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Doug Logan is the CEO of USA Track & Field (USATF), the national governing body for track and field, long distance running, and race walking. Headquartered in Indianapolis, the organization has more than 90,000 members throughout the country.