● AFL RECORD HOW TO FIND A COACH 8 | AFL RECORD | afl.com.au HOW TO FIND A COACH AFL RECORD ● The science of finding EXHAUSTIVE PROCESS: Brendon Bolton (left) with the right senior coach is assistant John Barker, one of the rivals he beat for the a lot different these days. Carlton coaching position. Whereas once a casual conversation would have sufficed, now it’s a thorough process. NATHAN SCHMOOK t’s February 1977 and Hawthorn has just finished another gruelling pre-season session at Stradbroke Park in Melbourne’s south-eastern suburbs as it plots its premiership defence. Coach John Kennedy snr is walking back to his car when he stops assistant David Parkin to tell him some news. “By the way,” the legendary coach says, “you’ll be appointed senior coach of the Hawthorn Football Club tomorrow.” Just like that, a 34-year-old Parkin had his first senior job, one he held for four years, launching a career that spanned 22 seasons, produced four premierships and changed the profiling and we lean strongly on ‘art’ of coaching. them in terms of the candidate and Thirty-eight years on and the their fit.” Australian Football Hall of Fame This is 10 per cent a To understand the complexity of coach is playing a background role a modern coach search, you need to in another coach’s appointment, go back one step to the incumbent’s this time at Carlton as candidates football business departure or sacking. Brendon Bolton and John Barker The exit of Kennedy snr in 1977 jockey with others to win their first and 90 per cent a was unique at the time in that he senior job. was leaving a strong team for family Forget about handshakes in people business reasons, but there is usually the need carparks, it’s 2015 and the scene COACHING GREAT DAVID PARKIN for change when a coach leaves. is the slick, eco-friendly offices of Trouble is often afoot. international recruiting company Take the Brisbane Lions at the Egon Zehnder on Collins St in end of last season. In the words of Melbourne’s central business district. and ended in Bolton’s appointment chairman Bob Sharpless: “We have The official sub-committee is in August, 91 days later. regressed from 10 wins in 2013, to assembled, a position description For CEO Steven Trigg, the key seven wins in 2014, four wins last has been drawn up and a long list element in the search – which has season and to three this year.” of candidates has been whittled been hailed as an overwhelming Those results made Justin down to those left at the first of three success 18 months into Bolton’s Leppitsch’s position untenable and interview stages. tenure – was the involvement of change was required, but a lot Welcome to the modern search a professional recruitment firm. takes place before candidates are for a senior coach, a ‘process’ clubs “Whether people like the term presenting in a suit and tie in an take pride in stretching further and or not, you’re talking about an executive recruiter’s boardroom. further with every new appointment. executive search,” Trigg told the “Once the decision’s made that Selecting a senior coach is a AFL Record. you do need a new coach, you go gamble you don’t want to lose and “So the cornerstone was a really to the board and management the ‘process’ is about stacking the elite recruitment agency to work will put together a job description deck in your favour. It has become with us on it. It is after all their to say, ‘Here’s what we think we a science. bread and butter. need’,” Lions CEO Greg Swann Carlton’s 2015 search started with “They are the ones who counsel said of the process that led to Chris Mick Malthouse’s sacking in May on and undertake the personality Fagan’s appointment. afl.com.au | AFL RECORD | 9 SOLID● GROUNDING:AFL RECORD HOW TO FIND A COACH Alan Richardson, Simon Goodwin (right) and Luke Beveridge (bottom) all served long apprenticeships before securing senior coaching positions. Like Carlton, the Lions’ interviews took place on neutral ground – hotel boardrooms and sponsor’s boardrooms – for the convenience Clarity of of candidates who might not want to be linked to the job publicly. thought is As well as Swann, Schwab and Clements, the Lions sub-committee includes former champion Simon one of the Black and recently appointed “In our case, the criteria was providing them to make them football manager David Noble, someone who is experienced, want to go for the job. key things who is the main point of contact someone who has had a lot of jobs, Who else are they talking to? LIONS CEO GREG SWANN for the candidates through preferably someone who has coached What sort of person do they need? the process. their own team and then there’s Do they need an experienced coach The interviews start and the a care and empathy piece, or are they open to an untried questions are pointed. It’s not an education, relationships. candidate? What is the state of interrogation, Swann says, but a “So you put the criteria together their football department soft cap? serious discussion. and we weighted each of those topics And what agreements do they “We’re looking for things like as well.” have in place with their existing leadership and culture, and whether Like the Blues, the Lions had assistant coaches? they have got high emotional a five-person sub-committee, but Potential candidates will intelligence or resilience,” he said. rather than a professional recruiter, drop out at this early stage if the “Then from our perspective there they employed psychologist club’s situation doesn’t suit theirs, was a teaching aspect, delivering Matti Clements, who was also part and that is seen as a positive game-plans, footy knowledge, of the sub-committee that development in an industry people skills, communication skills. recommended Alan Richardson where coaches once raced “How would they fit in with to the St Kilda board. to win the first job they could, what we are trying to achieve Then the shortlisting begins. worried another would here? How would they go about The Lions started with a 40-man not present. teaching our guys how to play shortlist that included every senior By now the Lions’ list is down the brand of footy they had coach in the competition, as well to half a dozen and Swann and in mind? as the leading assistants at rival then list manager Peter Schwab are “What was their clubs, then working through a having initial conversations to feel game-plan? Is it simple? process of elimination. out the group. The list is further Is it easy to understand? The conversations that take reduced to three or four How are you going to teach it?” place at this stage are crucial and and the sub-committee is ready There is still room for the coach managers become heavily to interview the candidates, coach’s slideshow presentation, involved. Their clients want to who have been briefed on the but a job is no longer won or know what the club will be club’s key criteria. lost on the strength of this, 10 | AFL RECORD | afl.com.au HOW TO FIND A COACH AFL RECORD ● HAWK GRADUATES: Brendon Bolton and Chris Fagan (below) are both disciples of Alastair Clarkson. ���K with most candidates highly he role of the senior skilled at presenting. coach was described to Michael Voss won the Brisbane the AFL Record as “CEO-type Lions position in 2009 on the back of management of a group of young ���ERAL�� the most impressive and extensive individuals and people around presentation some of the panelists those individuals”. Coaching great Alastair “They’re 20 years had ever seen, but it wouldn’t be In a Fox Footy documentary Clarkson has challenged the apart, but they are both enough now. called The Graduates, Parkin AFL industry to think laterally outstanding coaches. “To do something unrehearsed is interviewed the five senior coaches when appointing coaches and “We need to continue to quite a different story,” Trigg says. who came through Hawthorn under place less emphasis on the look a little bit laterally and “These days it’s less about the Alastair Clarkson – Adam Simpson, playing careers of candidates. don’t just think the main simplicity of a presentation and more Damien Hardwick, Luke Beveridge, Both Chris Fagan and pre-requisite for your about an interactive discussion.” Leon Cameron and Bolton. Brendon Bolton came credentials as a coach is The trait, Trigg says, that comes Parkin asked them how they through the Hawthorn that you’ve played a fair through in the most impressive would describe their role to system before earning amount of elite AFL footy. candidates is “the assuredness that someone who had no knowledge senior jobs, spending eight “We have too many safe comes with breadth”. of Australian Football. and six seasons at the appointments. They might be “It’s a confidence in their beliefs “This job is about building good club respectively. OK, but are they the best? about what they want to do with the relationships with 100 people – Neither played I think we should be exploring coaching role,” he says. 50 players and 50 staff. That’s the AFL/VFL football, but a little bit more laterally in “That might manifest in a couple conclusion these coaches came to,” their senior coaching terms of our appointments.” of different ways, but those that Parkin said.