On Favil West and the Business Development Club

Insight, Speculation or Just Plain Psychobabble

When one is on the attack as Mr. West has been in the case of the Business Development Club, one has to evaluate whether such efforts are being expended out of a sense of righteousness or duty, or as some may believe, out of one or more of the base senses, fear being one example. On the other hand, unexplained and unsupported efforts to bring the BDC to its knees by taking away their privileges without due process may be no more than simply looking to take revenge, as in satisfying a vendetta for defying the wishes of the leader. This type of behavior might be displayed by a leader who exhibits a take-no-prisoners attitude in dealing with those perceived to have a bad or unacceptable behavior problem.

However, for the purpose of this brief exercise, I’ll address the issue of leadership and how fear may have a role in affecting that leadership. Having attained the presidency of the Association, and given the long leadership prominence not only within our community but also outside of our community, is it possible or reasonable to conclude that Mr. West just might be in fear of something that just might be motivating his behavior towards the BDC? And, if so, what might Mr. West be afraid of? [To those who might dread the prospect of a long dissertation on this subject, stay with me a moment since we are almost at the end of the page.]

Holders of an elected office may fear being challenged. Or, they may fear the unknown or the absence of certainty, all viewed by this observer as not being terribly important in our situation here. If Mr. West is afraid of anything, I would suggest he may be fearful of two things. The first would be the fear of losing control. When a leader begins to lose control, real or imagined, his or her effectiveness to lead has been impaired and the mission will likely suffer. The second fear would be the fear of failure. Leaders, especially highly motivated ones, do not relish the prospect of failure or to be perceived as a failure. A look at what has happened in corporate America over the last decade to highly paid CEOs and similar officials should tell us that failure (or the perception of failure) at the highest levels can be very costly in personal terms, apart from any monetary considerations.

It is no secret that Mr. West has a tremendous amount of personal capital (the ability to make a difference) invested in or riding on the outcome of the Trumpets lease agreement negotiations. So much so it makes one wonder whether Mr. West is more than willing to sacrifice what remains of the Business Development Club as an ill-fated offering to salvage his image and a favorable community outcome on the fate of the forthcoming settlement agreement.

If anything can be concluded, the Association’s nominal issues with the BDC have little to nothing to do with membership, numbers of meetings, or a definition of “business development,” but everything to do with the single issue of Trumpets and the outcome of the negotiations.

Realistically, the last thing Mr. West wanted to see from his lords in waiting was any measure of counsel, resistance or interference that might sway the less informed masses to cast their vote against the negotiated agreement. It would be a stroke of bitter irony if the actions currently being considered by the Board against the Business Development Club have the unexpected and unwanted outcome on residents of turning their thumbs down to the proposed settlement.