After spending a week in Cuba and listening to the people about their life struggles at this moment, decided for this week’s blog, I should run the country. Of course, that is not going to happen but I thought I would write out a few ideas and maybe someone else in those leadership roles may find some benefit. Remember just because you are in a leadership role, get promoted, or are the dictator of a country doesn’t mean you have all the answers and you don’t get smarter. Be curious!

We just spent a week in Cuba, which was totally awesome. And I realize since the last 17 years that we’ve been here, so many things have changed for the good, but these last few years mostly for the bad. Even though the Castro government is gone, the current government is bleeding their people dry with their unrealistic policies, and changes in their currency without changes in wages or income level, people/businesses are forced to get a credit card which allows the government to monitor what they spend, profits and take a cut, they are taxed beyond their means so they can never get ahead.

From my perspective and experience with a ‘bullying culture,’and in a dictatorship this is bullying on a HUGE scale! From my observation, it is criminal to take away a person’s ability to be heard, valued, successful, or even try to provide for their family ( a better life) is a sure way of demoralizing your people. When will cooler heads in the Cuban government prevail and let go of these decades of hate and forced isolation?  This type of thinking prevents progress and only keeps you and your people in poverty and despair.

No country is perfect but why spend so much money keeping your own people poor and miserable? As a coach/consultant/trainer I am always amazed at EGOS and how EGOS gets in the way of a company, person or country achieving success and happiness.

In recent years with low sugar prices the Cuban government stopped the sugar refineries. No sugar was produced and today, guess what, there is a sugar shortage even at the hotels so I cannot imagine how the locals are managing. Like does that make sense? This is the problem in Cuba the failure in the ability of long-term thinking.

People are fleeing. Of course in desperation and have drowned along the way to the US shores. This is a current crisis for both nations with 200,000 Cuban people possibly the best and the brightest have left the country to find a better life. What we’ve noticed in the 17 years we’ve been here is people love their country they love each other. They love their family, and they want to have hope, and this current government is destroying their sense of value, and their sense of hope.

If I ran the country, I would have a group of 12 to 20 people and each would have the expertise and we would spend our government time in conversation and collaboration on how to build a great nation. If you don’t have the answers ask someone, seek out those who live on the ground level of the economy, and see what progress is needed. Any change is slow but doing nothing then you have the same problems. Right now there are so many issues to be addressed, public transport, jobs, and hope.

We have immense respect for the Cuban population and hope that at some point in the near future things change. But what I see in Cuba today in 2023, is despair, and a sense of hopelessness. If you want to destroy your people, you take away their value, you take away their opportunities, choices in their profession, and their homes, and finally, you take away the freedom of their voice. This is a tragedy.

This is my opinion only. I am not an economist, diplomat, road builder, doctor or teacher. I am a person who observes the steadfast determination in the Cuban population and how sad they look in 2023.