HOW to deal with the what's next and steps in pandemic recovery comes back to sound organisation culture for Sara Quon, Sean Toohey and Bec Djordjevic.
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The three business leaders have been tackling vastly different challenges in keeping their workplaces operating and surviving. They say the foundations they had in place set them in good stead for the unexpected and will continue to help business grow and thrive moving forward.
All three will share their expertise and perspective in a Business with Our Stars forum fundraising event next week to support The Ballarat Foundation via Dancing with Our Stars entrant, The Courier reporter Rochelle Kirkham.
Ms Quon and Mr Toohey had barely been in their roles when pandemic effects hit Ballarat.
As Sovereign Hill's chief executive officer, Ms Quon inherited the much-loved Ballarat institution when it still had lingering shadows from accusations of sexual harassment and bullying.
Within the year, Sovereign Hill was one of the first Ballarat organisations to feel the pandemic's impact when international tourism, particularly from China, halted.
Transparency was critical to Ms Quon and Sovereign Hill's leadership team from the outset and, when the pandemic hit, how with staff through repeat closures and uncertainty in what was to be the open-air museum's 50th anniversary celebration year.
From a cultural point of view, transparency in what we were doing and what we did and didn't know... (we) created a shared discomfort.
- Sara Quon, Sovereign Hill chief executive officer
"From a cultural point of view, transparency in what we were doing and what we did and didn't know - and we were as overt as we could - created a shared discomfort," Ms Quon said.
"When the crisis first it, it's amazing how galvanising it was. We were one team in facing something we couldn't control. There is some part of that in the community."
Ms Quon said it would take at least 18 months for visitation to recover to the levels it was at before 2019. Community support has and will continue to be vital to Sovereign Hill's survival.
Ms Quon said the past year has been a great chance for Sovereign Hill to focus on reconnecting with the community and she has loved seeing so many people choosing Sovereign Hill as their chosen place to reconnect with each other.
Even though Sovereign Hill could not celebrate its 50th anniversary as planned, Ms Quon said delivering a 20-year master plan aimed to be a sign of optimism, just as it was in hearing when other businesses were doing well.
McGrath Ballarat director Sean Toohey said it was often difficult to finds the words when people in other industries asked how business was going, when real estate was "flying" and he was putting staff on.
Mr Toohey and co-principal Daniel Nestor had launched their real estate branch about 12 months before lockdowns hit. In that time, the pair had grown the business to 14 staff and maintained a hands-on approach to operations.
Creating the right culture was a high priority for the pair who were particular about recruiting the right personalities and fit for the team. Mr Toohey said they were prepared to teach and mold skill sets if need be.
In an industry often dominated by egos and most sales, Mr Toohey said they worked hard to keep a focus on a team environment. A key part of this, he said, was in giving back to the community helping school fundraisers and partnering in community events, such as Run for a Cause. Mr Nestor is training for the upcoming Dancing with our Stars.
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When things got real tough, Mr Toohey said this culture was more important than ever.
"It was rocky at the very start (of the pandemic)...I remember the two of us thinking 'this is the end, nobody's going to buy a house'," Mr Toohey said.
"We wanted to get everyone united knowing everyone would have a job protected for as long as we could - we would go without pay for ourselves before laying anyone off.
"As things changed, we gave everyone a little pay rise as a thanks and way to say we will all get through this."
We wanted to get everyone united knowing everyone would have a job protected for as long as we could - we would go without pay for ourselves before laying anyone off.
- Sean Toohey, McGrath Ballarat director and co-principal
Mr Toohey said that culture was reinforced from the top of the company in the wider McGrath network with all staff members invited to daily virtual briefings for as much transparency as possible.
Bec Djordjevic said the very nature of her industry needed contingency plans. The Munash Organics director said drought was farming's biggest equivalent to a pandemic in the sense that they had to pivot to other income streams.
Ms Djordjevic said Munash Organics had already foreseen the oncoming boom in indoor plants about four years out and it had been a matter of bringing forward planning works fast.
But Ms Djordjevic said this did not mean you could do away with caring for the wider supply and distribution chains.
It was important to employees that, while they could still work, to look at what they could do to promote and support others in the community. Just as importantly, they rang every retailer and offered care packages featuring Ballarat produce.
Ms Djordjevic said this was the tone they wanted to keep setting as a family business. When more competitors started emerging, particularly in the indoor plant care space, Munash Organics already had strong, genuine relationships in place.
We wanted people to know we're there and I think we're lucky to have that. There is that real sense of supporting each other in Ballarat.
- Bec Djordjevic, Munash Organics director
"Little by little there were ripples of everyone banding together," Ms Djordjevic said.
"When we would call suppliers and retailers to check on them, we couldn't believe it when we heard no-one else was doing it.
"We wanted people to know we're there and I think we're lucky to have that. There is that real sense of supporting each other in Ballarat."
Ms Djordjevic, Mr Toohey and Ms Quon are donating their time to the Business with Our Stars panel, both as a way to help support and recovery Ballarat's business community and to boost The Ballarat Foundation's charity work.
The Courier reporter Rochelle Kirkham has organised the event as a chance to help Ballarat businesses and leaders learn and support each other in pandemic recovery.
"These three business leaders have done amazing things in these spaces and are top level examples for Ballarat business," Ms Kirkham said. "...I hope this can help others with strategic planning and thinking about the future."
Tickets will include drinks - courtesy of Michael Unwin Wines, Red Duck Brewery and Daylesford and Hepburn Mineral Springs Company - and snack boxes from Workshop Cafe.
Business With Our Stars is at Runway Ballarat on February 25, from 5.30pm. Tickets: trybooking.com.