Leading Teams

[H_T 3,032]

Geelong & Sydney can't speak highly enough of Leading Teams, the Hawks and Doggies stand by it.

Luke Darcy wrote an article questioning Terry Wallace's coaching aspects 13 years ago recently. Stated that if the Dogs had something like a Leading Teams system back then or if Wallace embraced other players input they may have gone on to win the '97 Premiership.

I only hear and read about it a little, from what I make of it leading teams helps provide an honest and open assessment of players strengths and weaknesses, encourages leadership values and provides teams with set rules or boundaries to adhere to ie. core values.

What do others here know about it ? What other benefits or 1%'s may it provide ?

Will it provide and encourage new leaders among our playing group at Melbourne ?

I would be interested to know others thoughts on Leading Teams..

[titan_uranus 24,583]

Don't think Akermanis likes it...

Having studied such crap as Organisational Behaviour I think this kind of program can have real benefits for a football club (honest appraisal of colleagues can lead to increased confidence and harder work ethic to prevent oneself from being called out in the first place), but I can also understand players taking Aker's approach to it and truly disliking having players calling each other out in front of the group.

Whatever we're doing at the moment seems to be working well. If that doesn't involve Leading Teams then there's certainly no need to change anything.

[H_T 3,032]

Whatever we're doing at the moment seems to be working well. If that doesn't involve Leading Teams then there's certainly no need to change anything.

I think we are using Leading Teams. From my understanding Richmond are going to use it too.

[scarlett 247]

ahhh yes leading teams works fantastic if what is being said is "you need to be harder at the ball and put your head over it" fantastic, brings the player up to date with how hard he is viewed, with the aka situation i think it might of been a bit more unrealated to football and a bit more personal such as "your untrustworthy". for the footy field great, anything personall and your treading a fine line. how would you like it if a groupe of 37 people stood standing around you feeling like you were on trial and having personal attacks. not about your game but about you as a person? i think the bulldogs need to pull their heads in and keep that kind of stuff one on one. i'd be [censored] off it that happened to me.

[The Jacks 0]

Is this one of those times when people who have never experienced something are going to give their opinion on why it does or doesn't work?

[Inner Demon 1]

We've used Leading Teams for 3 years now.

It's a fantastic program and it is not a simplistic as having 37 blokes stand around you taking potshots at you. Those feedback sessions are controlled by a Leading Teams moderator who enforces very strictly that they do not just dissolve into potshots and particulary into silliness.

It's worth noting that the feedback sessions are designed to not only point out negatives but importantly to reinforce positives and give praise where it is due. It can be just as difficult to give open and honest positive feedback as it can be to give criticism.

The young leaders that are emerging in our playing group aren't an accident, they have been built, in part, by this program. Everyone in the club is being encouraged to lead, the leadership group are just the top of the pile.

[scarlett 247]

We've used Leading Teams for 3 years now.

It's a fantastic program and it is not a simplistic as having 37 blokes stand around you taking potshots at you. Those feedback sessions are controlled by a Leading Teams moderator who enforces very strictly that they do not just dissolve into potshots and particulary into silliness.

It's worth noting that the feedback sessions are designed to not only point out negatives but importantly to reinforce positives and give praise where it is due. It can be just as difficult to give open and honest positive feedback as it can be to give criticism.

The young leaders that are emerging in our playing group aren't an accident, they have been built, in part, by this program. Everyone in the club is being encouraged to lead, the leadership group are just the top of the pile.

I agree with you id, i think it is a great tool to use for football, what i was referring to is the aka case where he said it was destructive comments, and attacks on him. i would never like to see that happen, but if it is properly enforced then great.

[Inner Demon 1]

I agree with you id, i think it is a great tool to use for football, what i was referring to is the aka case where he said it was destructive comments, and attacks on him. i would never like to see that happen, but if it is properly enforced then great.

There is absolutely no way any Leading Teams feedback session actually came down to destructive comments or personal attacks. Having experienced the program myself the truth of this situation is that Jason Akermanis is too immature and conceited to process any negative feedback whatsoever. Over the course of 2 years as he continued to ignore the honest feeback of 45 teammates, I'm sure it would've felt to him like everyone was against him. However, if he had taken on board the feeback and considered the possibility that he isn't infallible it would never have escalated to the point it did.

[e25 5]

Akermanis is the only person I've ever heard speak ill of Leading Teams and he was only trying to find excuses.

One of my old coaches worked for them (still does) and using their methods was integral in winning premierships.

Proven results at many levels.

[buddha82 12]

Didn't Col Sylvia credit one of these sessions with turning around his form? Think it was last year or the year before when he had a good run of form late in the season. I'm paraphrasing here, but I seem to remember him saying that a meeting where all the players said what they thought of him really hit home and prompted him to pull his finger out and lift his workrate. Does anyone else remember the article?

[Inner Demon 1]

Didn't Col Sylvia credit one of these sessions with turning around his form? Think it was last year or the year before when he had a good run of form late in the season. I'm paraphrasing here, but I seem to remember him saying that a meeting where all the players said what they thought of him really hit home and prompted him to pull his finger out and lift his workrate. Does anyone else remember the article?

You remember correctly.

[Old Gregg 1]

As far as I know...one of the main aspects of our Leading Teams system revolves around player feedback with the emphasis on something like"Stop, Start and Keep"

- What they need to stop doing

- What they need to start doing

- And what they need to keep doing.

[Grandson of a gun 276]

Colin Sylvia was on SEN this afternoon and the Ox asked him the question of Leading Teams.

Colin unequivocably stated that his turn around in his life, attitude and football came as a result of the Leading Teams program. He was first cab off the rank and the home truths are what got him to where he is today.

From an outsiders perspective, that would seem like it is working for MFC. Hopefully it continues to do so.

[Felix 92]

...home truths are what got him to where he is today.

LOL, thats the same with Brock Hack McLean, home truths made him "throw his teddy" in the corner and move to Carlton... 3 positives for MFC, 1. getting rid [censored] from MFC 2. getting rid of a slow hack footballer 3. JORDAN GYSBERTS

[Jumping Jack Clennett 1,748]

What's happened to "Gizzards?" Is it 4 to 6 weeks?

Edited August 3, 2010 by JUMPING JACK CLENNETT

[ChaserJ 4,646]

Didn't Col Sylvia credit one of these sessions with turning around his form? Think it was last year or the year before when he had a good run of form late in the season. I'm paraphrasing here, but I seem to remember him saying that a meeting where all the players said what they thought of him really hit home and prompted him to pull his finger out and lift his workrate. Does anyone else remember the article?

Here's a link. Written by Emma Quayle (not 'Quayke'). Far and away my favourite sports journo.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/clubs/melbourne/taming-the-demon/2009/06/06/1244234424043.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap2

[Inner Demon 1]

As far as I know...one of the main aspects of our Leading Teams system revolves around player feedback with the emphasis on something like"Stop, Start and Keep"

- What they need to stop doing

- What they need to start doing

- And what they need to keep doing.

That's correct.

[e25 5]

LOL, thats the same with Brock Hack McLean, home truths made him "throw his teddy" in the corner and move to Carlton... 3 positives for MFC, 1. getting rid [censored] from MFC 2. getting rid of a slow hack footballer 3. JORDAN GYSBERTS

A bit unfair to a player who was never likely to play many games for us this year, saw the writing on the wall and by his actions we ended up getting a very promising youngster with more years in him (who has every chance to be a better player).

The more time goes by, the less I see this as a selfish deserting move, rather Brock was able to "read the play" and could see his future lay elsewhere.

Lucky for us Carlton jumped at the chance to take him off our hands.

[sylvinator 96]

According to Col, we've been doing in for 4 years.

Seems to be going ok. All the players regularly speak about how great the group is and how exciting it is down at melbourne. We've had lots of players sign on for long term contracts this year.

We never really get bad press from our players in the media, so i think we've got a really great group atm.

If its working, keep it going

[titan_uranus 24,583]

As far as I know...one of the main aspects of our Leading Teams system revolves around player feedback with the emphasis on something like"Stop, Start and Keep"

- What they need to stop doing

- What they need to start doing

- And what they need to keep doing.

Yep, Daniel Giansiracusa on One Week at a Time last night talked about LT and this is exactly how he explained it.

[buddha82 12]

Here's a link. Written by Emma Quayle (not 'Quayke'). Far and away my favourite sports journo.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/clubs/melbourne/taming-the-demon/2009/06/06/1244234424043.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap2

That's the one. Great article. Especially when you think that Col is probably our best player of the last few weeks, and is rapidly becoming one of, if not the, most important player in our team. He deserves a lot of credit for knuckling down and doing the hard work to turn his life around.

It does make you think though, when you look at the amount of talented players who have come through the club and haven't acheived their potential (Sylvia of old, TJ etc.), how much this seems to be working for our group. As a previous poster mentioned, it really seems that we have a good group of guys now. I'm not sure if we could have always said that in the past.

[H_T 3,032]

*BUMP*

I would be interested to know others thoughts on Leading Teams..

...and I would still be interested to know other thoughts....working a real treat ~!

[Tricky 341]

*BUMP*

...and I would still be interested to know other thoughts....working a real treat ~!

No personal experience; I'm not sure about it from the varying reports...

Mick Malthouse made some interesting comments:

“I hate it. I think it’s degrading,” he said.

“It depends on each club, and I’m not for a moment saying the Bulldogs have got it right, wrong or indifferent because I don’t know their system. All I’m saying is when I first arrived at Collingwood, a certain young bloke who wasn’t mentally really strong was out in the middle and I let those groups go because there’s no use me joining them...and what I saw, to me, was appalling.

“Some will respond. They will stand up and they’ll be strong and they’ll come away thinking, ‘I can do this’. But it’s not going to make everyone strong. It’s going to make some players actually weaker. And for all intents and purposes you may well lose that player, totally. That’s not the system.”

Fab or Fad

According to the LT website the following clubs use their service:

Geelong Football Club

Western Bulldogs

Melbourne Football Club

Sydney Swans

Adelaide Crows

Hawthorn Football Club

Richmond Football Club

Essendon Football Club

I think Ray McLean has several books if you are interested HT!

[H_T 3,032]

Thanks Tricky for that contribution. Very handy.

As far as I know...one of the main aspects of our Leading Teams system revolves around player feedback with the emphasis on something like"Stop, Start and Keep"

- What they need to stop doing

- What they need to start doing

- And what they need to keep doing.

When it comes to football related stuff on the field, perhaps the coach or coaches need to take control of these "start", "stop" and "keep" doing tasks. Most likely they probably are, but still some may need to be revised on these set tasks. Such as head over ball, and go when it's your turn.