Paraic Duffy to Stand Down

[Seany]

PAUL ROUSE: Leading GAA's new era is strictly business
   
   
Friday, December 22, 2017
There is a fascinating line in the job description issued by the GAA as it seeks a new Director-General.


New GAA president-elect John Horan at Croke Park's 16th annual senior citizen Christmas lunch with James Kell and Tom Mooney. Pic: Mark Stedman
It sits right at the very end of the advertisement and it reads: 'Third level business-related qualification (min Level 8 NFQ).' This is the only formal qualification sought from applicants for the position.

Other stipulations include things such as 'Established leadership and influencing skills', 'Experience of policy development and strategic planning', and 'Proven ability to effectively manage multiple projects and priorities'.

These latter stipulations are all things that you would expect to find in terms of the scale of experience and ability of any individual who wished to take over such an important and prestigious position.

But looking for a formal 'business-related qualification' is something different. It places a premium on formal training in a particular area.

Why is this the case? Why does the Director-General of the GAA require formal training in business and not in, say, management systems or communications or project organisation?

The competition for the job is being run by Lincoln Recruitment Specialists who have been 'exclusively retained' for the purposes. The company is run by Shay Dalton and its Commercial Director is Paul Flynn, the Dublin footballer.

advertisement
Incidentally, it may be noted in passing that Paul Flynn is also the secretary of the inter-county Gaelic Players Association.

In setting out the job description, the GAA hierarchy — assisted by Lincoln Recruitment Specialists — stipulate that the successful candidate should have 'Exceptional attention to detail.' It is fair to assume that the people running the appointment process to hire such a person should themselves have 'exceptional attention to detail' and that they knew exactly what they were doing when they looked for a 'business-related qualification', as against any other.

It would be extremely interesting to know, then, why they have privileged business in the way that they have done.

As things stand, the logic of their job description is that you could have left university with a degree in, say, engineering or science or sports science or architecture, or an arts degree, and have subsequently embarked on a career as a successful manager (as many graduates from those disciplines do) but be ineligible to be appointed to the job of Director General.

Equally, you may never have been to college — never even have finished secondary school — but moved on to run a business or enjoy a hugely successful career, but be deemed unfit to run the GAA because you haven't studied business to degree level.

How can that be justified?

Given that the GAA is blessed with a wide variety of exceptionally talented people who work tirelessly at all levels and with extraordinary success, why would you close the door on those who do not have a business-related degree?

The basic question is this: what is it, precisely, that motivates the insertion of that requirement?

Of course, if nothing else, the privileging of business reveals a fairly extraordinary shift in the operations of the GAA.

It is absolutely the case that times change and every organisation must reshape itself to adapt to circumstances. The extent of the reshaping underway in the GAA is laid bare in this job description.

Paul Flynn
What is also clear is the scale of the challenge that faces the person that will take the job. Another line in the job description notes: 'The successful candidate will report to the Central Council while working closely with Uachtaran CLG, and will be responsible for providing leadership and direction to full-time and voluntary teams across the association at all levels.'

It is not easy to provide leadership, while reporting to a higher authority (Central Council) and at the same time 'working closely' with a president who probably thinks they're in charge. The inter-personal skills and strength of character (not mention wisdom, patience, knowledge, and absurd amounts of good luck) demanded in fulfilling that aspect of the job are obvious and extensive.

Naturally, the job description also makes the obligatory bow towards the inspiration provided to the GAA by 'its amateur status and supported by the voluntary efforts of its members'. Extending from this, there will be a responsibility towards 'ensuring that the ethos and values of the GAA are preserved' and delivering on 'its mission, values, and strategy.'

The new Director General will be expected to lead on this. That should be interesting. Leadership, of course, is defined by deeds and not by words — at least, it should be. So, how will the new incumbent meet the challenge of balancing the shift towards professionalism that has been sanctioned over recent years against the needs to actually move beyond rhetoric in respecting the wider membership?

Will the new Director General continue to indulge the divide created between the self-proclaimed 'elite athletes' of the GPA and the needs of club players?

A starting point would be to identify the extent to which the supposed 'ethos and values' of the GAA have shifted to allow for such elitism to become essential to the operation of the GAA, the fulcrum around which all else turns.

All of which brings us back to the job description and the apparent need to be formally trained in business to meet the challenges of this job. Asserting the full formal qualifications of any other person is always a risky business, but it would appear that none of the five men (Luke O'Toole (1901-29), Padraig Ó Caoimh (1929-64), Seán Ó Síocháin (1964-79), Liam Mulvihill (1979-2007), and Páraic Duffy (2008-now)) who have held the office during the history of the GAA had a 'business-related' qualification when they assumed the position.

Still, if you happen to be interested — and suitably qualified — the closing date for applications is January 10, 2018.

And, as for the pay: 'The remuneration package will reflect the responsibility of the role, the seniority of the position and the successful candidate's level of experience.' In other words, less than John Delaney gets for running the FAI, but tasty enough all the same.

Paul Rouse is associate professor of History at UCD

[Rossfan]

First requirement -knowledge and experience of GAA politics.

[DuffleKing]

http://hoganstand.com/Article/Index/279394

First step in positioning McKenna as a wholesome Association man and not a valueless commercial operator.

Did someone actually suggest renaming Croke Park? That's as cynical as it gets.

[AZOffaly]

He says they won't get adequate Wifi in Croker because it would lead to an upsurge in gambling. What a crock.

a) Paddy Power, Ladbrokes etc all accessible over 4G anyway.
b) Most people would use wifi to either facebook or tweet. Big deal.
c) If you really, really wanted to, you could just blacklist the web sites.

[LooseCannon]

He says they won't get adequate Wifi in Croker because it would lead to an upsurge in gambling. What a crock.

a) Paddy Power, Ladbrokes etc all accessible over 4G anyway.
b) Most people would use wifi to either facebook or tweet. Big deal.
c) If you really, really wanted to, you could just blacklist the web sites.

Exactly, similar to what schools do.

[Seany]

Who are the main runners and riders?  I actually like Peter McKenna. Most of the stuff about him in this board is negative and wrongly so in my opinion

[Syferus]

Who are the main runners and riders?  I actually like Peter McKenna. Most of the stuff about him in this board is negative and wrongly so in my opinion

Yeah, the GAA is going well.

[Seany]

Not sure what you mena by that, syferus.

[LooseCannon]

Not sure what you mena by that, syferus.

I think he means that he wants Frank Feighan to get it.

[Rossfan]

Syfīn has an irrational fear of HQ.
Then again Syfīn is irrational about most things.....

[Syferus]

Syfīn has an irrational fear of HQ.
Then again Syfīn is irrational about most things.....

1,600,000 vs 64,000.

[Rossfan]

So will appointing someone other than Peter McKenna remove a load of people from Dublin  and drop them into Ros?

[Lar Naparka]

Syfīn has an irrational fear of HQ.
Then again Syfīn is irrational about most things.....

For once I was going to agree with you but then I read it again....
At first glance I mistook the H for an I. 

[seafoid]

Say the Dubs win in 2018.
4 in a rows in the 2 sports within a period of 15 years is not a great sign of underlying health.

[orangeman]

Say the Dubs win in 2018.
4 in a rows in the 2 sports within a period of 15 years is not a great sign of underlying health.

A sign of 2 simply outstanding teams who know how to win surely ?. Mayo could have been double champions but for ............. whatever, luck, bad luck etc but that's a different day's work. Tipperary could have won more when KK were at the top but again KK knew how to win.