AFL culture, the Commission administration not the game ...

[Kwality]

Brian Cook has called into question 'the AFL for its management culture, poor handling of its staff and failure to prioritise development of personnel within the football industry'.

Cook's blunt words came during a thought-provoking session at this week's meeting of the 18 clubs, which focused on the competition's struggle to develop strong leaders and create a positive educational culture for executives from outside the football industry.

What struck me was this reference to Travis Auld, remember him, the guy responsible for the Gold Coast off field in its early days, not all that successful IMHO, ' ... the behest of AFL boss Gillon McLachlan and his people and culture executive Travis Auld amid growing concern that the game is failing to attract or encourage strong executive talent from outside the game and has not worked hard enough to develop leaders internally'.

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/geelong-boss-brian-cook-lashes-out-at-afls-culture-20160513-gouz0r.html#ixzz48aviGQf1

I remember Mr Aulds effort when drugs allegations arose not long after he got his gig at the AFL:
http://www.afl.com.au/news/2015-07-16/auld-not-surprised-by-suns-illicit-drugs-revelations

Not sure Gil can look at his efforts with the AFL in the culture stakes as a role model for principled aspiring leaders.
Look at how the tanking issue was handled, how a solution was delivered. Follow that up with the Essendon saga & the AFL manoeuvring that is best described as a poor example of stage management to protect the brand.

Not much to offer Gil.

 

[deltablues]

Meh. "educational culture for executives"/"management culture"/"executive portfolios"/HR" etc. Typical bureaucratic business-speak promulgated by consultants, org-chart mavens, chancers, and all their grifters. $20 fancy words and phrases indicative of how the AFL views itself - as a player at the big-end of town, corporate-wise, with the attendant mega-salaries paid to its "executives" and multi-tiered management. All of whom, given a chance, will try to reinvent the wheel at the expense of their core electorate - the average Joe Blow footy fan.

And the AFL even has a "people and culture" executive. Who knew? How much is this chin-stroker pulling down? It's reminiscent of the post of "thinker in residence": i.e. fatuous with a capital F.

Anyway, these guys have to make a living so we can guess what next for the AFL social engineers and their "culture" - themed game-days for trans-genders with multi-sex toilets. That'll work.

PS The AFL as a role model? I smiled when I read that. In fact, I laughed.

 

[Kwality]

Not a good week for Gil or our game:
This week, events surrounding the AFL have again ........ resulted in the game’s administrative body failing to hand down any punishment whatsoever to a club president who joked about drowning a respected female journalist, before turning around a day later and fining another club $80,000 for questioning the integrity of umpires – one of the game’s oldest and most enthusiastically observed traditions.

The argument of the AFL here is that to ensure the integrity of the games themselves, they simply cannot allow clubs to accuse officials of what amounts to conspiracy, which is all well and good on a practical level. But the league must also realise what colossal hypocrites its made of them given the immeasurable harm McGuire has done to, well, the integrity of their entire business.

Amid all the stunning and stupid statements of the week, that McLachlan should continue to make the greatest mug of himself in such wide field of entrants is actually quite remarkable.

At some point, this entire week of McLachlan’s tenure might be shown to other sporting executives as a case study in what they shouldn’t do when confronted with a public relations crisis.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/jun/23/afl-ceo-gillon-mclachlans-week-has-been-as-bad-as-eddie-mcguires

 

[deltablues]

Not a good week for Gil or our game:
This week, events surrounding the AFL have again ........ resulted in the game’s administrative body failing to hand down any punishment whatsoever to a club president who joked about drowning a respected female journalist, before turning around a day later and fining another club $80,000 for questioning the integrity of umpires – one of the game’s oldest and most enthusiastically observed traditions.

The argument of the AFL here is that to ensure the integrity of the games themselves, they simply cannot allow clubs to accuse officials of what amounts to conspiracy, which is all well and good on a practical level. But the league must also realise what colossal hypocrites its made of them given the immeasurable harm McGuire has done to, well, the integrity of their entire business.

Amid all the stunning and stupid statements of the week, that McLachlan should continue to make the greatest mug of himself in such wide field of entrants is actually quite remarkable.

At some point, this entire week of McLachlan’s tenure might be shown to other sporting executives as a case study in what they shouldn’t do when confronted with a public relations crisis.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/jun/23/afl-ceo-gillon-mclachlans-week-has-been-as-bad-as-eddie-mcguires

I think that Gillon did the best he could not to be sucked into the black hole of the culture wars, but on the other hand I do fervently hope that the further the AFL trespasses into social issues completely outside its remit as a sports organization, and the more the AFL senior apparatchiks get burnt, the sooner it will realize that good intentions are always punished and that it is riding the tiger by the tail.

Once that sinks in then hopefully the AFL will revert to its core mission of running a pro-football competition.

But I can't see that happening any time soon. Egos need to be fed and huge salaries justified.

 

[telsor]

I think that Gillon did the best he could not to be sucked in to the black hole of the culture wars, but on the other hand I do fervently hope that the further the AFL trespasses into social issues completely outside its remit as a sports organization, and the more the AFL senior apparatchiks get burnt, the sooner it will realize that good intentions are always punished and that it is riding the tiger by the tail.

Once that sinks in then hopefully the AFL will revert to its core mission of running a pro-football competition.

But I can't see that happening any time soon. Egos need to be fed and huge salaries justified.

Agreed.

The AFL will never satisfy the PC/social justice campaigners (I doubt any group of such size/profile can), and should really just stop trying to involve themselves in such things and concentrate on the game itself.

 

[madmug]

I think that Gillon did the best he could not to be sucked in to the black hole of the culture wars, but on the other hand I do fervently hope that the further the AFL trespasses into social issues completely outside its remit as a sports organization, and the more the AFL senior apparatchiks get burnt, the sooner it will realize that good intentions are always punished and that it is riding the tiger by the tail.

Once that sinks in then hopefully the AFL will revert to its core mission of running a pro-football competition.

But I can't see that happening any time soon. Egos need to be fed and huge salaries justified.

Running pro football is its core business. However it has a huge conflict of interest trying to run Australian rules football as well.

Maybe if it eased of on its complex social welfare involvement & put some of that effort into starting an Australian rules football authority to manage the game as a whole, it could/should palm some of the social welfare activities to that body. After all the game is Australian rules football, not AFL.

 

[Kwality]

I fear a stuff up through inaction on a potential problem, e.g the stomach punch scenario getting more & more force until someone gets hurt. The AFL sitting on their hands.
Its happening in the NRL over domestic violence with 'experts' aka activists telling Parramatta what it should be doing, going down the Goodes booing path, soon ALL Parramatta fans will be labelled as pro domestic violence.
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...over-semi-radradra-claim-20160630-gpvfji.html