And just on culture - shared values, beliefs, behaviours - I think in rugby league it is the coach and a group of players that start a culture. Whether that culture stays in a club depends on other coaches and other groups of players.
I think back to Canterbury’s “dogs of war” period. Nobody can say that the current coach and players at Canterbury think they are dogs of war. Canterbury were also once described as ‘the entertainers’, that’s not true now either.
We need a coach who can start a new culture - Maguire’s not him and neither is this group of players.
This is spot on.
I would say that this is not any different in the professional world. If your work team is habitually unprepared and underperforming and their manager does not have the ability to turn it around, this may be because none possess the requisite skill set and/or they simply might not be the right people for the job.
When confronted with the reality of the vulnerability of their position, everyone will feign loyalty and dedication, but because this has barely ever been evidenced, one can only conclude that they are most happy collecting their wages in their no pressure, no accountability job, while continually delivering poor results.
After years of being on the gravy train there has never been the dire need or condition of their employment to deliver results and as such, they most certainly do not want this to change, and will resist all pressure.
Ultimately, we have a serious culture problem and need to realize that we do not have the right resources. On the field, coaching, and unless they take action, in the boardroom.
If poor performance makes no difference, or your stakeholders are happy with the status quo, then it will be a tough sell to promote change. But if prolonged failure is deemed unacceptable and causes great discontent amongst your most important stakeholders, then the situation becomes untenable and if this is a responsible board, then it is their obligation to step in and take action.
Madge and his team, if reasonable men, should be perceptive enough to understand that they only have a short window, or the next time they meet the board will be under inevitable circumstances.