When the United States Bowling Congress board of directors hired Roger Dalkin to become USBC's first Chief Executive officer, what were they thinking? By hiring "the old guard," the message that "things are not so bad" was sent loud and clear throughout the industry.
"After an extreme search, we came to the conclusion that the right leader for the future was right in the (ABC) building," said USBC President Mike Carroll after the selection. "It came down to two factors," he continued, "One was our evaluation of his leadership, and two, we felt he had the organizational skills to put five companies, including Shared Services, together into one combined unit."
Leadership? What leadership? Roger Dalkin has been employed by the American Bowling Congress for 21 years. He was first hired in 1979, left to work in his father's insurance office from 1981-85, was assistant executive director from 1989-97, and executive director from '97 until this year.
During Dalkin's tenure with ABC, membership has declined 70 percent from a high of near 10 million (combined ABC/WIBC/YABA) in 1979 to less than three million today. Also, during Roger's time of attempted leadership, scoring has escalated to a level of ridiculousness where honor scores are now a dime a dozen (over 48,000 last year) and where the once prestigious ABC Championship Tournament has become a strikefest with very little of the prestige it once had.
Here are a few more examples of Dalkin's leadership:
Roger, if you are reading this, it's not personal—please don't threaten to sue me like you did in 2000 when I wrote that ABC didn't deserve a dues increase because it was a corrupt (not dishonest, just broken) organization in need of serious repair and new leadership. It wasn't personal then, and it's not now. The truth is Roger is a nice fellow who truly loves bowling, but he has a long history of making bad decisions that have adversely prevented the progress of the industry, among them those I mentioned.
Actually, I thought it was noble that Roger became such a strong supporter of USBC, and that he was willing to give up his job to see USBC happen. He actually cried when talking about the prospect with ABC delegates. He's an emotional, very likable, very capable administrator, but based on his record, not a strong leader capable of changing bowling's continuing digression.
One member of the USBC board of directors who obviously strongly agrees with me is former Team USA member David Garber. In fact, Garber felt so strongly that Roger was the wrong guy to lead bowling into the future that he resigned from the USBC board and walked out in the middle of the meeting where Dalkin was selected.
In case you don't' know Garber, who is now a sales rep for Storm Bowling Products, he is the kind of guy who if he called Bowling Headquarters and told them he shot 900 bowling alone, they would believe him and send him the award. He has integrity and principles and convictions, and obviously is willing to give up personal status for the greater good. For David to be on the USBC board of directors was a very big deal; but he was not willing to compromise his integrity to keep his position.
When I heard he quit the board in protest over Roger's selection, I called him in Florida. He told me he just could not be a part of a group that "put politics ahead of progress."
"This industry needs new leadership and new ideas, and by selecting Roger they said they are satisfied with the way things are now," he told me. He said he tried to convince others on the board to vote for new blood, but it seemed as if they had already made up their minds to maintain the family ties.
When you look at the 23-member board and see that the majority are directly associated with ABC/WIBC, it's not difficult to see why the choice was made. They know Roger; they didn't know the other candidates as well. One board member told me not long ago that if Roger didn't get the job, he would be "very, very disappointed." Actually, two ABC insiders were among the final four candidates according to my sources. The other was USA Bowling's Kevin Dornberger, but his resume didn't measure up to Roger's in terms of industry experience. A surprise candidate, but one I think would have been a very good choice was BPAA Executive Director John Berglund. John has been a very good leader for BPAA, and has acquired a good picture of the industry in recent years. He obviously had the backing of proprietors and board members Jack Moran and Jeff Boje, but couldn't sway the strong block of ABC/WIBC board members.
Another question rises from Berglund not being hired. Will this affect the formation of the BPAA's Contemporary Bowling Association? It may accelerate those plans. I also wonder if the USBC board considered that by hiring Berglund they might have been more involved in the CBA planning. Now CBA has no direct ties to USBC and perhaps less incentive to work closely with USBC.
The only "outsider" in the final four was an association executive from another industry. I was told by two board members that his qualifications fit the job, and he gave a very good interview presentation, perhaps the best of the four, but ghosts of previous outsiders hired and fired after no results made him a long shot. The learning curve was also a consideration in his case.
Finally, I'd like to end this editorial dissertation by giving Roger Dalkin credit for the best decision he made in his ABC career. Obviously, it was the decision to strongly push the creation of USBC. I know he really wanted USBC to become a reality, and he knew it might mean he would be in another line of work, but he also thought he might have a chance to hang on a few more years with USBC, and now he has that opportunity. I just hope he is held accountable for USBC's progress.
In 2000, after we settled our differences over my controversial editorial, I did a 17,000 word interview with Dalkin. It's probably good for Roger that board members didn't read that interview before making their decision. We sat in his office in Greendale for three hours, and I was impressed by some of the things he said. I was also puzzled by many of his answers and thought they sounded a bit rehearsed. Not surprising from somebody who speaks publicly as often as he does. He comes across as a politician with too many canned answers, but he can be very charming and persuasive.
Time after time in that interview, he expressed that he disagreed with decisions that led to failed projects, but had to compromise to get something done. Sometimes compromise is good, but strong leaders are willing to fight for their ideas, even if it means you or your friends have to find another line of work. Can he break away from the good 'ol boy network? Will he be willing or able to do that as head of USBC?
I don't see that happening, but I'd sure like to be proven wrong on this one.