After 10 years of UPP “losership” it’s time for Gisele to go
Dear Editor:
Many were shocked to hear that Hon. Anthony Smith, a rising star in the UPP has joined the list of defectors from the party. Many may see this as an act of political suicide by a young politician who is liked and respected. But what pushes people to commit suicide? Feelings of helplessness and hopelessness.
We cannot ignore the mass exodus of members from the party since losing office 10 years ago. Yet the Party refuses to change. Almost all dissenting party members say that they are frustrated with the Party leadership.
This is a major issue. They feel that they are ruled by a dictatorship and it is impossible to air their views in the hostile environment that has been created.
The famous saying “people don’t leave jobs, they leave bosses” comes to mind.
Why is it taking the Party this long to accept that something is wrong with their leadership style? Maybe they don’t fully understand what is wrong and it will take some soul searching to address the problems. But it begins with accepting that there is a problem within the UPP.
After the convention in April, D. Gisele Isaac was asked in a radio interview about the MPs who supported Richard Lewis.
I was shocked when she said that the convention is over and the dissenting MPs needed to get on board. Miss Isaac sounded more like a boss than a leader.
A boss focuses on control, giving orders, and checking off tasks. But a true leader motivates his or her team to reach new heights through communication, collaboration and support. This is the culture that the UPP must cultivate to recruit and retain members and position itself to win.
The Party leadership organized a retreat a few weeks ago to give members a chance to air their grievances. This was supposed to be the beginning of the healing process.
But Gisele Isaac, one of the organizers, showed up over an hour late and stormed out of the session once the discussion got too heated. So it looks like the boisterous chair cannot sit the hot seat. She is more focused on control and command than actually listening to the team.
After 10 years as the chairperson of the UPP, is Gisele happy with where the Party is? Does she think the Party is on the right track? She needs to get off her high horse and really ask herself why everyone sees her as the problem?
Is she too arrogant to accept that she could be standing in the way of the Party’s progress? Even if she doesn’t think she is the problem, shouldn’t she as the chairperson be committed to finding the problem?
A good leader looks to inspire and lead people, with a vision and commitment that convinces other people to follow them as an example.
They focus on guiding and supporting their team, not just barking orders. When people feel valued and inspired, they go above and beyond. But when they feel controlled and unappreciated, motivation goes out the window and many eventually quit the team.
Bosses like Gisele stick to the status quo and are quick to tell you how things are done and what works. They’re resistant to change, new ideas and a new direction.
They refuse to get out of their comfort zone and so they fight to stifle innovation and growth. But in today’s political landscape Gisele’s leadership style will continue to fail the UPP and the mass defections will only continue.
It’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks and unfortunately, it might be too late to reprogram Gisele. The time for fresh blood and a change of leadership has come. T
he stats are not good. She’s not good for business, it is time for the UPP to either change its course, or continue to drift in the wrong direction.
Harold Lovell stepped down after three failed attempts as the political leader of the party. Gisele has been the chairperson of the party during this period of the party’s failure, it’s time for her to step down and help to save the UPP.
Frustrated UPP Member
