This week, there have been a number of leaks and stories from the camp of NRL club the Canterbury Bulldogs regarding a player revolt against the coach. According to various sources, the coach has “lost his dressing room” and players feel as though they are being overworked and mistreated. The variety of stories culminated with a specific story concerning a player who was late to training and forced to wrestle up to 20 players as a punishment. Sadly, the player is now said to have taken leave from the club and he is reported to be suffering from mental illness at present.
Now, in the spirit of transparency, let me admit to being a passionate Parramatta Eels supporter. For those of you who don’t know, Parramatta and Canterbury were massive rivals from the 1980’s and were the dominant sides in that decade.
Parramatta had the attacking style and Canterbury were a defensive force who were known as the “Dogs of War”. Needless to say, I do not like the Canterbury Bulldogs club but I do have a begrudging respect for their club and the success that they have achieved. Scandals such as this don’t tend to happen to a club as tight and well-run as the Bulldogs but this one has the potential to cause lasting damage.
The reporting on this has interested me. I was coming into work listening to the radio show “The Big Sports Breakfast” and the hosts, former Australian rugby league captain Laurie Daley and Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke, were effusive in their praise and support of Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo. “He is only setting and enforcing workplace standards” they remarked as they reflected on what happened in their day when they were playing. Clarke then stated that these types of punishments were common when setting the standards for a high-performance culture.
This final statement certainly made me think. All businesses strive to build a high-performance culture. I don’t think I know of any who set out to build a low-performance culture. So, what would happen if we punished our staff in the manner that allegedly occurred within the Canterbury Bulldogs rugby league club?
I think the first mistake people are making with this issue is reflecting on the “good old days”. Times have changed and we need to accept it. My mother will hate me saying this but when I was a young lad growing up in Northern New South Wales things were very different. If I swore, she washed my mouth out with soap. If we were cheeky or rude, we received either the wooden spoon or jug cord around the back or our legs. It was perfectly acceptable punishment at the time but in the year 2023 there is every chance that my parents would be reported to the Department of Child Services for child abuse!
The alleged “crime” that lead to the punishment at the Canterbury Bulldogs was that the player was ten minutes late to training. As a result, it is alleged that the punishment was the player being required to wrestle 20 players for thirty seconds each to make up the ten minutes he was late. Apparently, the player felt belittled and bullied and he has since taken a leave of absence from the club sighting mental illness as a result of the punishment.
Now, I have to admit that I hate it when people are not punctual. I would go as far as to say that this is a pet peeve of mine. I believe that you should be at least 15 minutes early for work so that you are prepared and ready to go and I believe that being late is showing a lack of respect to your teammates and the business in general.
Like Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo, I am always striving to build a high-performance culture and enforce standards but if I handed out the same punishment for being late, I would be sued and have no staff left. Lack of punctuality frustrates me greatly but this type of punishment, irrespective of the environment, is no longer acceptable in 2023.
Creating a high-performance culture is a goal of most business leaders but there is a risk that you destroy this culture in doing so. Times have changed when it comes to setting standards. It is no longer acceptable to deal out physical punishment or demean your team members. Employment laws make this illegal. There is a fine line between being firm and setting standards, to being a bully to your employees, and employers and leaders need to understand this. The danger in crossing that line is that everything you set out to achieve implodes before your very eyes. Maybe the simple solution is to not be late!
BRAD MCMAHON
Managing Director
Brad is the Owner and Director of Optimum Consulting Group. Founding the company in 2003 he has seen it grow to over 30 staff across Australia, Indonesia and the Philippines. Brad is responsible for all operational and strategic functions for the group and he still actively recruits executive assignments for a select group of clients.
