Worst Leaders in the AFL!

[Vivian]

Expecting Daisy to have effected immediate and significant change to our group was a childish expectation. He was brought in for more than his playing but his leadership. Again, patience Grasshopper. Daisy is an important part of our growth.

I too agree.  Prefer to think of this as a change management exercise in the context of a salary cap limit and a limited number of players on a list. New folk have to be brought in, but in a complementary way so as not to disrupt things too much. Change has to be undertaken at a pace that can allow many people to grasp and understand what is going on, and then buy in. And in any organisation, this process identifies those resistant and they either change or leave.  A corporation of a few thousand people may go through a similar exercise in principle.

Of course results tend to lag the actions, which is why there is a need to communicate change and its purpose.  None of this is without risk, and certainly the club has made a big effort to better communicate this process in recent days which was clearly needed.

Leadership is the intangible in any organisation, and despite many efforts to measure and categorise it remains often a subjective quality. I am of the view that bringing Thomas in was a good move as it demonstrated a bit of risk but with a purpose. He is a very good footballer and evidently has some of the qualities that were desired. He is no silver bullet either, which along with injuries have made him a target of criticism.  But good leadership is also alot about the conection between people. Those who follow have to have a willingness to listen and consider as well as make a contribution, just like those apparent or annointed leaders. It's a process that is dependent on a feedback loop that if successful functions as a kind of virtuous circle where everyone asks more of each other and everyone is motivated to do better. In reverse it spirals down, replete with blame and finger pointing.