The world culture may not appear in his job title but Daniel Jackson has the mojo to build it at Adelaide
His title may say he is charged with developing leadership at the Crows but newly appointed Daniel Jackson can help coach Matthew Nicks drive a winning culture, writes Graham Cornes.
Graham Cornes
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Daniel Jackson, the man appointed to the newly created position of Leadership Development Manager at the Adelaide Football club, faced the media for the first time on Wednesday.
He was impressive, very impressive.
Clean-cut and well-groomed, he spoke strongly and confidently. But the title seems a little misleading. Wasn’t this appointment more to do with driving culture rather than developing leaders?
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The much publicised external review questioned the culture of the team.
It wasn’t that the culture was abhorrent, as can often be seen in all-male sporting teams, but it certainly was fractured.
Individual players and indeed, groups of players, with agendas or personal interests that are not always conducive to team harmony will quickly bring a team undone.
You didn’t have to be an insider to see it at West Lakes over the past two seasons.
However, it’s a new start and Jackson has one of the best jobs in football.
Working with young, talented, highly motivated athletes can be immensely rewarding.
They hunger for leadership and challenges and demand opportunity. Well most of them do. Others need a little more encouragement.
He mentioned again that word “relationships”.
It’s been the cornerstone of the new coach’s philosophy and it’s obvious this relationship between Matthew Nicks and Daniel Jackson has to be symbiotic.
Which is probably one of the reasons Nicks wants him sitting on the bench on matchday. What seems to be missing in this summer of optimism, however, is just how the team will improve without the coach vigorously imposing his demands.
Jackson spoke about how this younger generation of footballers respond in a high-conflict, high-demand environment.
Pumped to be onboard! https://t.co/RQW0laeEZk
— Dan Jackson (@DanJackson23) March 4, 2020
“You need a nurturing, care environment to get the best out of them”, he said.
“But you have to have high standards!” Seems contradictory to we old coaches.
However, it’s a theme that both Dane Swan and Nick Dal Santo expressed at the Advertiser Football Launch during the week.
Their coaches had transformed from autocratic martinets into sensitive, new-age, caring leaders.
Perhaps Damien Hardwick had always been that.
“Great teams are built on authenticity”, Jackson said in one of his many interviews.
He’s right: great teams have a point of difference. But not for long because opponents are quick to identify the points of difference that enhance a team.
They look to the dominant teams – Richmond of the last three years and Hawthorn before that – but things can change quickly. Richmond’s structure and some personnel changed between the premierships of 2017 and 2019.
What didn’t change was their hunger for the contest, the simple joy of playing and the satisfaction of succeeding.
The Richmond players are laughing when opponents’ faces are fixed in concentration and endeavour.
That is the Richmond point of difference. What will Adelaide’s be?
At Alberton, Port Adelaide don’t have a Leadership Development Manager to drive their culture.
That comes from the chief executive and the coach – Keith Thomas and Ken Hinkley. In a perfect football world that’s the way it should be.
The football manager, Chris Davies, also monitors and drives culture.
As much as those of us who have waged war with Port Adelaide over the decades might scoff at it, Port Adelaide has an enormous start when it comes to infusing the players with a winning culture.
Walk the corridors of Alberton or into the changerooms and legends beetle over you.
Legends and champion teams immortalised on the walls demand you follow their success.
The inherited history of the Magpies is imbued into the psyche of young Power recruits.
It hasn’t yet resulted in regular premiership or even finals’ success but it must make it easier to love your club and its jumper.
Port does have two welfare managers in Paul Stewart and John Hinge but they are more concerned with day to day issues that might worry or distract a young player.
Ken Hinkley has had nearly seven seasons to establish his relationships and as the insiders will say: “He is much loved – the players love him”.
Additionally, Port’s investment in earlier draft picks and young players has them poised for finals action. The challenge could not be stated more definitively.
Make the finals and Hinkley keeps his job. Miss out and he will be on his way. He won’t have to be sacked.
At Adelaide, it might be tougher.
The past 29 years have laid a foundation of excellence but the gradual dismantling of their spiritual home at West Lakes, the continuous defection of good players and the real tragedies they have endured have impacted.
The “camp” which was so good in 2017 turned on the group and provided endless speculative, destructive fodder for the ignorant masses, some of who had a voice.
Indeed, with the proliferation of social media platforms, most people have a voice.
The world is poorer for it. Those social media platforms are a vehicle for mischievous propaganda.
We’ve seen the damage it can do with the recent ruckus at the Adelaide 36ers and to a lesser extent at Richmond with the departure of Alex Rance.
If clubs are serious about protecting their brands and growing their cultures they must gain strict control of their players’ (and partners’) social media behaviours.
There will be plenty of time after football to become a social media “influencer”. But even that has its pitfalls. Just ask Kane Cornes!
Daniel Jackson’s first public utterings at the Adelaide Football indicate a compassionate, new-age leader with a consultative, collaborative approach.
All very Kumbaya! However, there is something else about Dan Jackson.
He may have won a best and fairest at Richmond and been runner-up another time, but he had a hard edge and more than a little football mongrel in him.
He was no stranger to the AFL tribunal and suspension.
By all means build leaders, an admirable culture, good citizens and generous team-mates but for heaven’s sake, don’t leave out that mongrel.