Slack.

'One thing I said I could help him with was Leadership. Because I was thrust into that with West Coast. 

'And I'll be honest as I have said to him privately...probably not publicly as much as I am about to now...but I probably let him down a few times giving him...probably cutting him too much slack to go home and do all those sorts of things.

'So I don't think I actually helped him. I thought I was doing the right thing by him keeping him happy so he would continue to play football which is...ultimately...I was trying to help the Club.

'But from a Leadership...from a pure Leadership point of view...would I have done that in [his home town of] Melbourne? Well...I would not have had to have done that in Melbourne...to give him a training session off here and there so he could stay back with family and friends back in Melbourne.

'But I thought to keep him happy...to keep him playing happy...I thought that was the most important thing from an early point...

'I went to him and said 'I've probably let you down'.'

- Guy McKenna, Coach of the Gold Coast Suns AFL Team, speaking about Gary Ablett.

The first job of a Leader is to create the Space. Allow people to stretch and become who they are. Whack them if they breach it. Not as discipline or punishment. Not as an exercise in power. Not to diminish the person. To invite them to become as she knows they are.

Evidence that Guy McKenna is a Leader. His humility. His honesty. His measure of himself by his service to others. He doesn't wait to be criticised - to be complained about - for him to proactively admit - 'I failed you. Sorry.'

A month after this interview, Guy McKenna was criticised for allowing Gary Ablett too much freedom leading up to a big game.

The day after the article was published Gary Ablett led in possessions as he captained the Gold Coast Suns to a 40 point win - its first ever - over his former club Geelong.