#21 – Clarko’s Conundrum

My one regret in a leadership context.

In Year 12 I was head of the Melbourne High School Jew Crew. Hawthorn was marching toward their 4th AFL premiership under Clarko and gave fans more reason to celebrate than a kid on Christmas Day; which more than stacks up against my one guest speaker at senior assembly.

For those who don’t know, Alistair Clarkson is the most successful AFL coach in my lifetime. He took a team at rock bottom and won the grand prize with them 4 times. My team hasn’t won the grand prize since 1964 – a year where Queen Elizabeth II was England sovereign, Tokyo hosted the Olympics and.. wait a minute.

Clarko is a phenomenal leader, but even he can’t do it forever. The Hawthorn Football Club has decided his time is up at the end of 2022; with his successor to be Sam Mitchell – a champion coach in the making. It’s a gutsy call to say the least.

Now there’s speculation over whether Clarko will actually keep to the succession plan.

Here’s the part where some bloke who writes a blog gives advice to one of the greatest leaders of this century. The blog has gone to my head.

Dear Clarko,

Succession planning is the most important leadership test bar none. You can join a business, charity, sports club, anything. You can make it more profitable, efficient, successful in whatever metric.

If you don’t pass on that wisdom for the next person, it’s worth nothing. Your successes will barely outlive you. You leave a steep learning curve for whoever steps into your giant shoes and there’s a good chance the organisation is worse off.

It’s the biggest test because it’s where you recognise the cause is higher than yourself and you put the organisation first. It’s where you stamp yourself as a real leader who isn’t after the accolades, but leaving it better than where you found it.

I was the head of the Jew Crew. I led all sorts of initiatives for a group which existed on/off for decades. I had a ‘successful’ year. I passed it onto no one.

It died within six months.

And on the Jewish theme, succession planning is such a big deal that even the Bible includes it.

The irreplaceable Moses, seeing his time is near, confers his wisdom and values onto Joshua. He recognises he won’t go on forever and publicly confers Joshua with wisdom and virtue to lead the Jewish people into their next chapter. It’s a lovely little chapter amidst some of the wars and commandments for which the book gets a bad rap for.

It’s my only regret in a leadership context. Don’t let it be yours too.

Next week: Look left, look right, look ahead