Why this former Swans coach swears by his 7 out of 10 leadership rule

Leaders are in their jobs because they get most things right. “I think that’s all you can expect,” says former Swans coach John Longmire.

John Longmire was senior coach of the Swans between 2011 and 2024, during which time the team won the premiership flag once and played in the grand final five times. Dominic Lorrimer

Sally Patten and Lap Phan

May 13, 2025 – 5.00am

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When former AFL Sydney Swans senior coach John Longmire started in his role in 2011, he found himself staying up until midnight after a match.

Immediately after games, Longmire, now executive director of club performance at the Swans, would front a press conference, and he wouldn’t go to bed until midnight, when he had seen it online, to check that he hadn’t made any mistakes.

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Sally PattenBOSS editorSally Patten edits BOSS, and writes about workplace issues. She was the financial services editor and personal finance editor of the AFR, The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald. She edited business news for The Times of London.