Vanessa

[Vanessa @vanolilog]

@tommorris32 @7AFL @GWSGIANTS Not the answer he expected and/or wanted.

[Vanessa @vanolilog]

@Shadowwork6969 👏👏

[Jonny Bakks @Shadowwork6969]

Over the past week, discussion surrounding Essendon's coaching vacancy has largely centred around one question: who should coach the Essendon Football Club? As someone who has spent more than twenty-five years coaching athletes, building teams, leading organisations and operating within high-performance environments across multiple countries and sports, I believe the discussion is missing a far more important question. Not who should coach Essendon, but what does Essendon actually need right now? These are not the same thing.

One of the mistakes organisations make during periods of instability is assuming that leadership appointments are primarily about technical expertise. They begin comparing résumés, analysing tactical systems, counting premierships and debating who possesses the strongest technical credentials. While those factors matter, leadership appointments are rarely won or lost on technical competence alone, particularly in organisations experiencing prolonged underperformance.

The reality is that every organisation moves through different phases of development. What is required from leadership during a period of growth is often very different from what is required during a period of crisis, renewal or reconstruction. In my experience, there are times when an organisation needs a strategist, times when it needs an innovator, times when it needs an operational expert, and times when it needs a unifier. From the outside looking in, Essendon appears to fall firmly into the latter category.

The club has spent two decades searching for sustained success. Coaches have come and gone. Administrators have come and gone. Players have come and gone. Yet the underlying challenges remain remarkably consistent. When performance problems persist across multiple leadership groups over extended periods, it is often evidence that the issue is no longer purely tactical. It becomes cultural, relational and organisational. These problems are rarely solved through game plans alone.

This brings me to the debate surrounding James Hird. The most common criticism I hear is that Hird has not coached at @AFL level for a decade. I understand the argument. I simply don't find it persuasive.

The assumption underpinning this criticism appears to be that stepping away from a formal coaching role somehow results in a significant loss of leadership capability, football IQ or performance expertise. My experience suggests otherwise. Throughout my own career, I have stepped away from specific sports and environments for extended periods before returning with success. What I discovered was that the fundamental principles of leadership, coaching and performance remain constant. People still require trust. Teams still require alignment. Cultures still require standards. Performance still requires accountability. The tools may evolve, tech may advance and methodologies may improve, but the core principles remain largely unchanged.

The suggestion that a 250-game champion, Brownlow Medallist, former captain, former senior coach, and lifelong student of football has somehow become disconnected from the game simply because he has not occupied an AFL coaching position for ten years strikes me as a simplistic interpretation of expertise. Guys like Hird do not suddenly become novices, particularly those who have spent their entire lives immersed in a particular industry.

That does not mean Hird is automatically the best candidate, nor does it guarantee success. No leadership appointment comes with such guarantees. However, I believe it is reasonable to argue that his candidacy should be evaluated through a broader lens than simply asking how many AFL games he has coached recently. The more interesting question is whether he possesses the specific leadership qualities Essendon currently requires.

My view is that he does. Not because he is a former champion player, not because of nostalgia, and not because supporters may feel emotionally connected to him. Rather, there appears to be a strong alignment between his profile and the club's current needs. It just happens to be that he's an Essendon legend.

Leadership is contextual. The best leader for one organisation may be entirely wrong for another. The best leader for an organisation today may not be the best leader for the same organisation five years from now. The challenge facing Essendon is not simply winning more games. The challenge is rebuilding belief, rebuilding trust, rebuilding alignment, and rebuilding identity. Those are fundamentally leadership challenges before they become performance challenges.

This brings me to another interesting aspect of the discussion. Recent commentary has suggested that some experienced coaches may be reluctant to enter the process because the outcome is effectively predetermined. If that is true, I find the observation fascinating.

One characteristic I have consistently observed among elite performers is an unwavering belief in their ability to compete. The best coaches I have encountered throughout my career have never feared selection processes, scrutiny or competition. They back their capability. This is not a criticism of any individual coach. I do not know Adam Simpson or Ken Hinkley personally, nor do I pretend to understand their circumstances. Both have earned enormous respect through their achievements within the game.

However, speaking generally, leadership requires conviction. If an individual genuinely believes they are the right person for a role, then entering a competitive process should not be viewed as a threat. It should be viewed as an opportunity. More broadly, if a club is searching for a leader capable of driving significant organisational change, confidence and conviction are hardly undesirable traits.

Ultimately, the decision facing Essendon is less complicated than many make it out to be. The board must first decide what problem it is attempting to solve. If the problem is purely tactical, there are numerous qualified candidates. If the problem is organisational, cultural and relational, then the field narrows considerably.

From my perspective, James Hird deserves serious consideration because he may represent more than a coaching appointment. He may represent an opportunity to reconnect a fractured organisation with its identity. Whether Essendon ultimately appoints him remains to be seen. Whether he would succeed remains unknown. What I do know is that leadership appointments should never be assessed solely through the lens of recent job titles.

The role of leadership is not merely to direct performance. The role of leadership is to create the conditions in which performance becomes possible. That, more than tactics or résumés, is the question Essendon should be asking itself right now.

@Thomo_Grant @MrJohnnyRainman @Andrew12Welsh @gregpeartpolish @essendonfc @davidking34 @GerardWhateley @SENBreakfast #Essendon #BombersFC #jameshird #afl

[Vanessa @vanolilog]

@ballislife65741 @bomber_bennett Oh don’t worry about that - we actually ARE laughing at all of YOU.

[Vanessa @vanolilog]

@ballislife65741 @bomber_bennett What Essendon people would love to understand from non-Essendon people who comment against Hird is why you all care so much?!?

[Ryan Bennett @bomber_bennett]

This is the thing about non-Essendon people and Hird.

They mock Essendon supporters for wanting Hird back, while still parroting myths about a saga they barely understand.

To them it’s a punchline. To us it was 10+ years of watching our club torn apart.

There’s a difference.

[Vanessa @vanolilog]

@stevem1717 @FOXFOOTY Please explain the “Essendon” way?!?

[Vanessa @vanolilog]

Very interesting from around 15:30

https://t.co/k64vrb8yX5

[Vanessa @vanolilog]

@HeathLyons Absolutely

[Vanessa @vanolilog]

Excuse me Will Schofield - what is the definition of “so Essendon”?!

[Vanessa @vanolilog]

@abcsport Embarrassing for all those who want to coach but too scared to put their hat in the ring. Welsh has said there will be a process, so grow up and express your interest. I certainly don’t want a coach who doesn’t back their ability.

[Vanessa @vanolilog]

@Thomo_Grant The media argument will be that they don’t rate Essendon’s list. Well maybe Hird has never rated the other clubs hence hasn’t put his hand up to be part of it. Learning occurs in many ways and he doesn’t have to sit under someone else to know what it takes to succeed.

[Vanessa @vanolilog]

@Thomo_Grant Any of these so-called amazing coaching prospects who don’t put their hand up to coach Essendon will shoot themselves in the foot. Shows they don’t have the tenacity and strength to back themselves - including for Blues and Tassie job.

[Charlotte Corday @C_Corday]

Isaac Smith actually gets it, as I said in my previous post people confuse the action with the outcome and think that the right process guarantees success, but it doesn’t. All a ‘proper process’ does is act as a layer of insurance for the board if it goes wrong by duck-shoving responsibility onto someone else. You’re much more likely to get a better outcome if the decision-makers are having to put their necks on the line and personally own the outcome, good or bad. And I can’t see many persuasive arguments as to why ex-players from other clubs, who don’t have any stake in the outcome and won’t suffer the consequences of failure, should be involved. Unless it’s to fill a specific knowledge gap their opinion should count for little.

[Vanessa @vanolilog]

@C_Corday Absolutely spot on.

[Vanessa @vanolilog]

@1116sen Wow, this is just baffling and hypocritical.

[Grant Thomas @Thomo_Grant]

I really find it quite pathetic that prospective coaches are being “scared away” from the process because James Hird has applied and they are exerting pressure for the club to not interview him so these gutless wonders can have a free run. Make no mistake the perceived “top liners” will NOT be entering the process unless they have been given an undertaking they will get the job. They will not just enter the “process” and hope to win because if they lose their brand is significantly diminished. James is happy to go head to head with anyone and let the club decide, unfortunately the other pussies want a more guaranteed outcome. If I was Essendon I’d welcome their application, give no guarantees and see how the interview process pans out. If they ask if Hird is going to get the nod I’d just tell them “If James Hird is the best candidate through the process of course he will…..are you doubting your credentials against his? If so you’re probably not the right person for the gig”.

[Vanessa @vanolilog]

Now @zachmerrett07 is “not a champion” in Gerard Whateley’s eyes.

[Vanessa @vanolilog]

The hypocrisy is real @GerardWhateley @1116sen

[Alex Fair @AJFair85]

There's been a lot of talk about "old Essendon" and "new Essendon" this week.
If 'old Essendon" is representative of the club I grew up with, where success was expected and there was a mixture of respect and fear from the rest of the competition, well count me in. #AFL #GoDons