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Wellness Wednesday with Andrew Rusell - Change and Stability within an organisation (13.05.26)
12 May 2026
Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
Chapter 1: What is the main focus of this episode on change and stability?
Wellness Wednesday with Andrew Russell for MIOK, the app that helps you stay on top of your mental health. Download it today. Henley Homes, we're hard to beat. Ask other builders, then come back to us.
It's been a very, very popular addition to the show, Andrew Russell Wellness Wednesday. We get great feedback, although today we won't because the temper text machine is still down, unfortunately, but we can deal with that. He's in the studio with me. G'day, Jack. Gaz, Tim. How are we? Hi, Jack. Good to talk to you. Now, how many years did you spend at Carlton? Right.
So you've got as good an insight into the place as anyone. And strength and conditioning, you've been with premiership teams in that space for a long period of time. So not that I need to establish your bona fides, but if people aren't Listening for the first time, this is who we're talking to here. So what we will talk about this morning is change and you've brought this topic to the table.
What happens in our lives when big change happens and then Vossie leaves and what does he leave behind? Is that where we want to get to today?
Yeah, absolutely. I mean, the whole focus has been on Michael Voss, but there's a whole number of people that work in that organization that are significantly affected by the leadership change. So I wanted to dive into what happens to everyone else, not the leader themselves.
Yeah, I think it'll be great. So we'll do that. We're going to get a breakaway and then we'll do that. But just very quickly, and I asked you this beforehand, so I'm not putting you on the spot.
Having been there and seen it and understand what's taken place and the amount of change that's taken place, I don't want you to name a coach, but the sort of coach do you think that this football club needs going forward? Because the options are those that have been there before, and we know the names, the Longmys, the Hinckleys, the Simpsons and Buckley, all those sorts.
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Chapter 2: How do individuals typically respond to significant change in organizations?
The first-yearers? success for McRae and Fagan and King and Cox relatively, or the absolutely untried, the names out there, which will be bandied around for the next 10 weeks, which just without naming anyone, which sort of path would you go down?
Can I throw one other one in there? Because Jared Healy did this, the Paul Ruse type coach as well.
Well, it's a great question. It's a question that's going to be debated heavily and, And no one knows the answer, but what I would say, and I've been down this path, this journey with Alistair Clarkson, when we started together at Hawthorne, I've seen so many changes over so many years and I just can't go past the young energy of an untried coach.
Who's been in the system a long time, because a lot of these guys have been around football a long time, even though they're untried. They've been in the system a long time. They understand the system. They've been in lots of different environments. So the guy that's been in three or four different clubs, player, knows what success looks like. been under great coaches themselves.
And then they say, well, this is my time in the sun. And, you know, Carlton's had so many changes in the last two years. So from a playing group had so many changes from a football department point of view. And when Carlton were going well, they had real stability, both from a playing point of view, but around Vossie, there was real stability. So he had so much change around him.
So connection and trust is so hard to, so hard to find.
And, And build.
And build. So a young coach, and then he needs to get a team around him of people, and they need to lock that team in, and they need to go for it.
Good advice. How do you deal with change? How do humans respond to big change in our lives? On the back of Michael Voss leaving the Carlton Footy Club. He's gone. He won't be there this morning, but he's left behind a big team. How do you deal with that?
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Chapter 3: What impact does leadership change have on team dynamics?
That's coming up next.
Breakfast with Gary and Tim. Well, it's on.
with us um it is wellness wednesday we're talking about change and how people respond and react to it major change at carlton but this is not just um exclusive to sporting clubs or in this case the carlton football club that change happens right across the working landscape um so straight away jack what happens is i would imagine there's a portion of the workforce or in this case players who are um you know really disappointed and sad but there'd be quite a few that are going magnificent how's this good for me
Yeah, sure. Look, everyone goes to self, don't they? Number one is what does this mean to me? So, I mean, your perspectives, your relationships in the organisation and your past experiences are going to shape your response, which way you go, whether you're motivated by this or demotivated by this.
And so, you know, the positive effects are, you know, it's going to give a lot of people hope and it's going to give people something to look forward to. Already, you can feel the supporters.
are thinking this is new and fresh and they're excited again it doesn't even matter what it is just change in itself excites people um it's going to the environment's going to open up to new perspective and ideas so suddenly people that may not have been heard maybe listen to who's an assistant coach in this instance would be heard but now he's got autonomy he can well he'll still work with his assistants but he can put in place stuff that he's passionate about
Absolutely.
And a whole lot of other people in the organisation then will go, Josh, say, how about this? How about that? He'll be listening to new ideas coming at him from everywhere. You can get real momentum and real energy when you get change if it's managed well, especially off the back of early wins.
And I don't mean, I mean, early wins is obviously, you know, winning games of football, but early wins and the way they go about it is really, really important with change. You don't get those early wins... And then demotivation will really, really kick in.
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Chapter 4: What are the positive effects of change in a workplace environment?
And I think a lot of people start to reflect and look inward. When we go through periods of change, it's like, well, what's my role in this? And how can I make this organization better? So they're the positives. Was I responsible? Yeah. Was I part of it? And they won't tell anyone else necessarily, but inside we know whether we're part of it.
And then the negative side of it, the uncertainty, some people will be questioning the organization's direction. Did they make the right call, the wrong call? Self-preservation is a huge one. You question your own security. Will I be here? How long will I be here? Do they rate me? Energy can be really challenged because there'll be lots of reviews. There'll be lots of reflection.
There'll be lots of questions. What was your role in this? I imagine the leaders will be pushing buttons everywhere and asking those questions. So that can be really... And there'll be people really loyal to Lossie and the people around him saying... That's the one I wanted to get to. Saying, I don't know about this. I'm not happy at the way that he was treated.
That has to be addressed, surely, because some people would be so... you know, acutely aligned with him, that he goes and then they, they then take it personally and they go, and if they stay in the organisation for the next 14 weeks at least, how do they deal with that disappointment? Do they undermine?
It's like a, do they confront it and say, listen, I was a boss man, but I am prepared, I understand I prepared this and move on, which is the best case, or I am a boss man and, And then behind the closed doors, whisperers, you know, this is bullshit. Then that cancer starts to infiltrate the whole group. I think that's the critical part.
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Chapter 5: How can organizations manage the challenges of change effectively?
That's my experience anyway.
Well, that will probably decide their future because I think you manage yourself in or you manage yourself out of an organisation.
So Nick Austin just left as well. Was he part of, he would be part of the VOS regime?
Look, he was there before, you know, Vossie came on board. So they had a good relationship. Right. I don't know how tight they were, but they had, you know.
I read that he's gone, okay, well, let's get some clear air here right across the board. So he's gone and the list manager's gone, the recruiting manager's gone and the senior coach has gone.
Well, I mean, there's so much change. You know, the head of football is new. He's not even, is he six months in? So they need stability. They need to lock it in and say who's his group going forward for the next, you know, three to five years. Because you absolutely need stability and you absolutely need strong connection and trust between those key people in the footy department.
It is just essential.
Who's more important right now then? Is it Josh Fraser, the interim coach, or is it Cripps, the captain? Or Chris Davies, the footy manager?
Look, they're great, great questions. I can't answer that categorically, but I think Chris Davies is the key because he is the one that's going to be managing and leading people today. At every level. But that's the connection point between everyone, between the coach and the players and the admin and the board and calming things down and hang on, you know, where are you going with air?
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Chapter 6: What role does trust play during periods of organizational change?
That's a relationship that is ongoing the whole time, whether you're winning, losing. It's a challenging role for the captain.
You didn't have a sack coach, did you, Wisp? Or did you?
No. Yeah. I had coaches that walked away, but not those that were sacked.
So Patrick aligned to my ā I don't know how strongly they aligned. They looked strongly aligned to me. They had a great relationship. Okay, so he has to deal with his disappointment, but I think he's absolutely pivotal because all of those questions that everyone has in the organisation will either be directed to Chris Davies or from a playing group, a lot of it will be directed to him.
A lot will look to him to see how he responds to this. And if he's got any residual resentment, then that will infiltrate that planning group like that. So he will have to make peace with the decision, whether he agrees with it or disagrees, but then move on really quickly. He has great perspective. Which I'm thinking he will. I think he's a terrific leader.
And as much as he was extremely loyal to Voss, he understands the business. He understands how it goes. And I would think he would say, well, what's best now for the Carlton Footy Club?
The club's always bigger than anyone. Absolutely.
That's the bottom line, isn't it? I think Josh... is the least important because, and I don't mean that in a disrespectful way other than he needs to coach the team and not do anything else. So he won't be involved, I imagine, in a whole lot of the list discussions, the staffing discussions, whereas the coaches are across so many things in that role.
But the interim coach, my understanding would be that he is just there to coach the team and doesn't have to worry about any other peripheral issues. Terrific stuff.
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Chapter 7: How can leaders ensure stability amidst ongoing changes?
Breakfast with Gary and Tim.
We're driving blind this morning, our text machine's still down, so we're missing our interactions, but we've enjoyed Dandry Russell. We've got about a minute, mate. Opportunities, what's the opportunities that are there now?
Yeah, well, there's some really good opportunities for the club right now. To... One, cultural refresh. Are there any blind spots within your organisation? So I'm sure they're working hard on that. Hidden talent, on-field, off-field. So you're just going to play some different players, try new things.
But it's not just about the on-field, it's also the off-field talent and who in your organisation have got some absolute gold that might make us better that for whatever reason we haven't heard from them for a long time. So...
Really consulting the people, listening to them, really trying to work on that sense of belonging and bringing whatever they've got, bring it out of them within the organisation.
It is an opportunity that presents itself. It's in where the clubs are good enough for organisations to be able to take advantage of what's an unfortunate situation. Hey, we loved it. We're going to talk Tassie next week, maybe.
Yeah, let's talk about Tassie and building a football team from scratch.
Magnificent. Andrew Russell for Wellness Wednesday.
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