Coach Alastair Clarkson wants Hawthorn to make the call on who takes over when his reign eventually ends at the AFL club.
That will not be for a while yet, with the four-time premiership coach confirming a three-year contract extension that will take him through to the end of the 2019 season.
But Clarkson said it is up to others to decide when it comes time to look for a replacement.
"I don't want to be part of trying to select who our next coach is, I think that's the responsibility of our board and the management of our club," he told the AFL website.
"Otherwise they would be too prone to try and select a clone of me and it could be of the time of that change that it's time to go in a different direction altogether.
"It could be that they do find a clone of me, but I feel that the board and management need to have that flexibility to do what they want to do."
Clarkson also made it clear he is no fan of succession planning.
Melbourne will be the latest club to execute a coaching succession plan when Simon Goodwin takes over from Paul Roos from next season.
The concept has had mixed success - John Longmire coached Sydney to the 2012 premiership after taking over from Roos.
Collingwood engineered a plan for Nathan Buckley to take over from Mick Malthouse.
While Buckley remains the Magpies' coach, Malthouse spectacularly fell out with president Eddie McGuire.
"I just feel like a succession plan is too contrived," Clarkson said.
"For different clubs, different environments and different situations it may suit other clubs, I don't think it's going to suit me."
Five of Clarkson's former assistants at Hawthorn now coach rival AFL teams.
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