So Buddy Franklin, getting paid $9m over 10 years , is ordered to rest for a semi final due to mental health issues…..a semi-final….exactly the type of game the club paid him the big dollars for.
The decision from the Swans was brave, compassionate and absolutely the correct one.
The ex Victorian premier Jeff Kennett praised the Swans for ‘setting the bar for putting player welfare first’.
It’s yet another example of the Swans putting culture before immediate results.
They are not new to this and have a history of putting culture first. Ex-coach Paul Roos strict culture of discipline was underpinned by the well-known ‘No d*&^heads’ policy – all new recruits had to meet that criteria first, ability came second. During Roos’ tenure, the Swans gave up many higher-ranked draft picks (draft is the process of recruiting and trading players by AFL clubs).
That policy resulted in a cultural transformation, and the results are now etched in the history books. In the last 10 years they have featured in 4 Grand Finals winning 2 premierships.
There’s an old saying in the Business world, culture eats strategy for breakfast.
Most Business leaders intellectually get this but many continue to pick the higher ranked players based on ability alone. They continue to prioritise short term results at the expense of player welfare.
And then wonder what happened to the strategy….yes that’s right…it just got eaten for breakfast.
Well done to the Swans for a timely reminder.