Delisted Former CEO Xavier Campbell - Resigned - 24/8

[The Prosecutor]

Xavier has spent too much time in the corporate world. Friday night bad news emails are corporate 101 when delivering bad news. Didn't read the room. Interested to get Hirdys or Jobe's view on this....they sounded like friends in their podcast

It's called 'taking out the trash'. The concept being to drop the undesirable news you have during a timeslot that will ensure minimal impact. After 6pm on Friday nights are highly desirable as news bulletins by that stage will be 'locked' with their programming, Saturday papers tend to go to print earlier and will likely be at printing stage at 8pm combined with Saturday being a day that's notoriously hard for news to gain traction. That's 100% the tactics they tried on here except that they inexplicably weren't able to identify the difference between applying this method to employees compared to the general public.

As much as Xavier is rightfully getting heat for this, Rodski is also to be held accountable here as communications (internal along with external) is his portfolio and there's no way he had no input into this (especially given he's effectively Xavier's deputy).

 

[Lore]

It's called 'taking out the trash'. The concept being to drop the undesirable news you have during a timeslot that will ensure minimal impact. After 6pm on Friday nights are highly desirable as news bulletins by that stage will be 'locked' with their programming, Saturday papers tend to go to print earlier and will likely be at printing stage at 8pm combined with Saturday being a day that's notoriously hard for news to gain traction. That's 100% the tactics they tried on here expect that they inexplicably weren't able to identify the difference between applying this method to employees compared to the general public.

As much as Xavier is rightfully getting heat for this, Rodski is also to be held accountable here as communications (internal along with external) is his portfolio and there's no way he had no input into this (especially given he's effectively Xavier's deputy).

What are the chances of Rodski taking up the mantle as CEO if XC did head off to some cushy gig at AFL HQ?

 

[The Prosecutor]

What are the chances of Rodski taking up the mantle as CEO if XC did head off to some cushy gig at AFL HQ?

Probably more likely than not given our propensity to look within. Would start as interim title before becoming permanent after six months and an 'exhaustive' international executive search by an external recruitment firm. The end result being a six-figure fee for the fantastic advice that Rodski is the best candidate.

 

[Lore]

Probably more likely than not given our propensity to look within. Would start as interim title before becoming permanent after six months and an 'exhaustive' international executive search by an external recruitment firm. The end result being a six-figure fee for the fantastic advice that Rodski is the best candidate.

When did Rodski become COO anyway (that's his title right? idek.)

I feel like that was around about the same time the general communications from the club stopped being anything resembling an authentic connection with the members, but I could be wrong.

 

[The Prosecutor]

When did Rodski become COO anyway (that's his title right? idek.)

I feel like that was around about the same time the general communications from the club stopped being anything resembling an authentic connection with the members, but I could be wrong.

Joined the club roughly 2010, worked his way up from there. 2014 from memory is when he started expanding his remit beyond media.

 

[yaco55]

Says more about the playing group? Sending the at email at 8pm on a Friday is very poor form not matter how you cut it. Don’t think anyone would be impressed with their employer.

It says plenty about the playing group to find about it in the media - It's an internal matter which could have been handled better - So know we have a public apology from Campbell on the website which magnifies any INITIAL issue

 

[yaco55]

Not sure what it shows about the playing group....Getting that kind of an email at 8:00pm on a Friday is simply atrocious by management.

Nothing should have been sent until the players were spoken too in detail first, and had questions answered by the club.

Absolute reeks of amateurs., and shows there was no basic process was followed.

So lets leak to the media every time someone in the footy department or administration makes a mistake.

 

[yaco55]

Why the fu** do they feel the need to do statements - it just makes them look more stupid

Because people leak to the media and some in this forum think this is the way togo.

 

[ghostdog]

It says plenty about the playing group to find about it in the media - It's an internal matter which could have been handled better - So know we have a public apology from Campbell on the website which magnifies any INITIAL issue

...or does it reflect the general opinion internally that Campbell is an ass who doesn't listen and is arrogant? I'm not sure but there's probably more to it than just throwing him under the bus.

 

[fairbump_playon]

...or does it reflect the general opinion internally that Campbell is an ass who doesn't listen and is arrogant? I'm not sure but there's probably more to it than just throwing him under the bus.

Yes they probably wouldn’t have used this media approach for a first offense - although pay is a sacred cow

Where does Dyson stand on this one, I wonder

 

[DERO]

I think so, but he’s just enrolled charlie in an very expensive private school.

Charlie is ok with change. He’ll be fine.

 

[jmoo wan]

XC has been at EFC for the last 12 years. he needs to get back into the corporate world

 

[HirdsTheWord]

So lets leak to the media every time someone in the footy department or administration makes a mistake.

how do you know an Essendon player leaked it as opposed to the Players Union?

 

[DERO]

Actually don't mind JRod.

 

[DERO]

Not that I would know a good CEO from my own rear end.

 

[citizen-erased]

Xavier has spent too much time in the corporate world. Friday night bad news emails are corporate 101 when delivering bad news. Didn't read the room. Interested to get Hirdys or Jobe's view on this....they sounded like friends in their podcast

i find it less so these days.

Thurs AM is better. gives a day for things to set in, conversations to be had, etc.
Never send ppl into the weekend with bad news.
Though i suppose at 8pm on a friday they're already on their weekend....maybe he was hoping they'd miss the email?

 

[CBombers17]

XC has been at EFC for the last 12 years. he needs to get back into the corporate world

His actual level of experience in the real 'corporate world' is a big part of the problem IMO (his experience not his age) - 4 years in sports business development then one as a BDM manager. Then it's all Essendon for 12 years and many of those in senior positions. That lack of diversity is on top of football clubs already being pretty dumbarse business environments to learn in (as we have witnessed a lot).

That is a pretty limited business background for a CEO of an operation the size of Essendon. There's not enough operations exposure / experience, unlikely to be enough people management experience and not enough exposure to different workplace cultures. It doesn't mean he's not a smart guy or couldn't be very capable, it's just that he simply has to make a lot of it up as he goes. The Corp speak absolutely reeks of that IMO - because Its exactly what a marketing dude who was pretending to know what they were doing would do. Compare that to Brasher and you can see someone who carries a weight of knowledge when they speak (not that I think he should be there either but that's a different matter).

Compare him career wise to someone like Brasher who as a consultant would have had deep exposure to the inner workings, operations and culture of hundreds of businesses accross many sectors by the same career stage. Campbell did not have a strong base of experience to get the postion in the first place (and why i've comapred him to Jared Kushner at some point in here).

Whilst it's good to promote internally if that same organisation has been poorly run it can be problematic -.especually if the person doesn't have alternative experience to draw upon to fix the problems. They may just repeat the same mistakes or make worse ones.

I read somewhere there were some doubts on giving him the job in the first place. But instead of a proper look at the best available here we are again. It would have been best for all parties if he left when there was talk of it in 2019. Not an unfamiliar situation at Essendon lately be it players, coaches or management it seems.

 

[Lore]

how do you know an Essendon player leaked it as opposed to the Players Union?

We don’t, but we know the feelings of senior players and the age had a copy of an email that was sent to a senior player, so unless the club CC’d the union/a player manager or the email got forwarded through multiple hands along with the opinions of senior players to a journalist, one of them leaked it.

 

[jmoo wan]

Would male

His actual level of experience in the real 'corporate world' is a big part of the problem IMO (his experience not his age) - 4 years in sports business development then one as a BDM manager. Then it's all Essendon for 12 years and many of those in senior positions. That lack of diversity is on top of football clubs already being pretty dumbarse business environments to learn in (as we have witnessed a lot).

That is a pretty limited business background for a CEO of an operation the size of Essendon. There's not enough operations exposure / experience, unlikely to be enough people management experience and not enough exposure to different workplace cultures. It doesn't mean he's not a smart guy or couldn't be very capable, it's just that he simply has to make a lot of it up as he goes. The Corp speak absolutely reeks of that IMO - because Its exactly what a marketing dude who was pretending to know what they were doing would do. Compare that to Brasher and you can see someone who carries a weight of knowledge when they speak (not that I think he should be there either but that's a different matter).

Compare him career wise to someone like Brasher who as a consultant would have had deep exposure to the inner workings, operations and culture of hundreds of businesses accross many sectors by the same career stage. Campbell did not have a strong base of experience to get the postion in the first place (and why i've comapred him to Jared Kushner at some point in here).

Whilst it's good to promote internally if that same organisation has been poorly run it can be problematic -.especually if the person doesn't have alternative experience to draw upon to fix the problems. They may just repeat the same mistakes or make worse ones.

I read somewhere there were some doubts on giving him the job in the first place. But instead of a proper look at the best available here we are again. It would have been best for all parties if he left when there was talk of it in 2019. Not an unfamiliar situation at Essendon lately be it players, coaches or management it seems.

That's pretty much exactly what I was saying

 

[mike14]

Not that I would know a good CEO from my own rear end.

Should be easy to tell the difference; your rear end gets s**t done on a daily basis...

 

[The Dustbin]

Joined the club roughly 2010, worked his way up from there. 2014 from memory is when he started expanding his remit beyond media.

Same time (2014) X was made CEO by Little. Rodski is climbing the ladder the same way X did, only difference is X is there for Rodski just like Little was there for X. Get rid of them both and bring in quality people with some real expertise and probity - advertise for external candidates. I am all for professional growth and promotion, but they are both not the best person for their role and I doubt any of their subordinates are too.

Only reason Essendon hire/promote like they do internally is to reduce cost e.g. post an add, pay for background checks, use particular job databases. And of course to look after a mate/family.

 

[TheGreatBarryB]

how do you know an Essendon player leaked it as opposed to the Players Union?

Exactly, any player or employee for that matter would take that to their union

 

[The Dustbin]

From what I heard, Travis Auld was the one that got away. He would've succeeded PJ if he didn't get the Gold Coast CEO offer.

 

[Vander18]

Actually don't mind JRod.

Appointing JROD as CEO would be peak Essendon.

When Campbell was appointed I posted that he was lightweight and lacked experience. Rodski is even more so. He is what....35 years old with no experience as a CEO, with no experience outside the AFL industry and almost no experience outside of Essendon.

It would be beyond a farce.

 

[DERO]

Appointing JROD as CEO would be peak Essendon.

When Campbell was appointed I posted that he was lightweight and lacked experience. Rodski is even more so. He is what....35 years old with no experience as a CEO, with no experience outside the AFL industry and almost no experience outside of Essendon.

It would be beyond a farce.

The but hurt will be tremendous.