The former Adelaide coach has been appointed as Essendon's new football performance manager – with interim coach Mark Thompson and, when he returns from suspension, James Hird reporting to him.
Speaking exclusively to AFL.com.au Craig declared he has no interest in "power struggles."
"That's just a matter of building relationships with people," Craig said.
"I'm not interested in power struggles, I'm interested in having good, strong professional relationships.
"You always pull back to the worst case scenario, if those tough discussions need to be had. If you've got that professional relationship, whilst that discussion's never easy, you have them.
"Ego, trust and clarity are three key issues in any high performing environment."
After the Ziggy Switkowski report into the club's failed governance processes declared the football manager's role was 'critical,' the club embarked on a lengthy search.
In the end, the role has been deemed so crucial it's been split in two.
Craig will oversee performance while former Brisbane Lions list manager Rob Kerr will be responsible for operations, including recruiting.
In his first interview since landing the new position, Craig said he saw no reason why Hird wouldn't return to the club as planned.
He said his last conversation with the banned coach was before he took on the head of coaching development and strategy role at Essendon, which he secured when Thompson agreed to stand in for the season.
He admits it will be his role to oversee a smooth transition back to Hird.
"It's an unusual situation in AFL football," Craig said.
"There'll be some things that we don't even know about at the moment that will pop up that will need some, maybe management, but more about really strong, open communication to make sure that's a smooth transition for the sake of everyone (in) the Essendon family."
Twitter: @MattThompson
