Hotton Takes Leadership School To The Uk

The Sunday Age

Sunday March 2, 2008

Rod Curtis

WHEN Collingwood sacked Trent Hotton for turning up to training drunk, few would imagine he'd build a career training leadership groups in how to reach their goals, let alone be pioneering the popular Australian concept in England.

Five weeks ago, the 34-year-old was made chief executive of Leading Teams Europe, as the company used by 10 of the 16 AFL clubs decided to respond to the ever-growing appeal from English sporting teams - county cricket teams, rugby league and union and, soon, Premier League soccer teams - to adopt the "leadership group model" that Australia has embraced so rigorously.

Based in London with wife Deborah and his two young sons, Hotton has started coaching coaches in rugby league teams and mentoring leadership groups at county cricket sides, and has no doubt that the success of Australia's sporting teams over the past decade is the greatest business card he can carry.

"The fact that our sporting teams have done so well has been good for our business," he said. "And it's in several different ways - like, there's a number of Australian coaches coaching here now across the various codes and they already know us, they say, 'We know you worked with these guys, can you come and work with us?' "

Hotton worked last year with Port Adelaide, and said it was exciting to watch the players and coaching staff mould themselves into the club they wanted to be. "It was exciting, yeah. But it wasn't easy - it took a hell of a lot of work to get there. The coaches handed a lot of responsibility over and did that really well, it was a credit to them but also to the players, who actually took it on board.

"It was rewarding, yeah, but it's not about me, it's about them deciding for themselves what they want to do and where they're going to get to and how."

A talented and courageous 193-centimetre key-position player who could pinch-hit in the ruck, Hotton's early years were laced with controversy. While at Collingwood (17 games from 1994-96), he faced court for urinating near a Bourke Street nightclub, then was sacked by Tony Shaw for arriving at training in an "unacceptable condition" and finally was plucked by Carlton (61 games from 2000-2002), then accused of handing the Blues the Magpies' "playbook" - an allegation he has denied.

Hotton sounds like a lad. But in truth, he's intelligent and well spoken, and while growing up in the AFL system, he finished a Bachelor of Applied Science and Physical Education degree at RMIT. Better than most, he's able to tell a young player that perceptions are made quickly but changed slowly.

"Perceptions are based on reality," he says. "You're only perceived a certain way because at some point you behaved that way. Pretty much everything you do is out there for people to judge you on. And I certainly know what some of the pitfalls are and what you need to look out for.

"Back then there was a real culture of getting on the turps and having a good time and if you could play good footy as well, that was a bonus. I wasn't talented enough to get away with the things I was doing. These days it doesn't matter how talented you are. But sometimes that realisation still comes too late, as it did in my case."

Steve Johnson is a case in point. The Norm Smith medallist turned his career around when suspended by Geelong last year for six weeks. But it wasn't the coaches or the CEO doing the suspending - it was the newly empowered leadership group.

Hotton doesn't believe the penalty was harsh. In his methodology, the proof is in the pudding. "Leadership is about action, pure and simple. In Johnson's case or any case where you're trying to do something to help someone, the measures taken have to be the ones that you think will work."

Hotton believes Leading Teams will shine in the UK. "If we didn't believe that we wouldn't have come over here. I've got no doubt - no doubt - that the methods and methodologies tried and tested in Australia are transferable."

As are his football skills. "I just saw on the web that the Wimbledon Hawks are starting training in a couple of months, so we'll wait and see. If I keep eating pies the way I am they might need to butter the doorway."

© 2008 The Sunday Age

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