Axons Unleashed Podcast: GROWING A HIGH PERFORMING TEAM ON THE BACK OF COVID-19

When the events of 2020 forced businesses across Australia to rapidly change the way they operated, Axon already had an important advantage: much of its work with ADF members was being delivered remotely. The team was accustomed to communicating with clients around Australia, using online meetings and supporting people who were posted, deployed or otherwise unable to meet face-to-face.

That didn’t remove the uncertainty. New team members had recently left secure employment, others were still learning their roles, and no one knew how the property sector or wider economy would respond. For Robbie and Tamara, one of the priorities was reassuring their team that the business had been financially structured to weather disruption while continuing to look after its people and clients.

Rather than standing still, the team focused on adapting, communicating and continuing to improve. Remote training became more proactive, regular online updates helped the Axon community understand a rapidly changing environment, and increasing demand highlighted where the business needed additional people and specialist expertise.

In this episode, the team discusses:

• How the uncertainty of 2020 affected ADF members, their families and the Axon team.
• The importance of maintaining healthy business cash flow and preparing for unexpected events.
• Why Axon’s existing remote systems made the transition to working from home considerably easier.
• How new team members adapted their training and created opportunities for self-directed learning.
• Why regular communication became particularly important when information was changing quickly.
• How Axon’s online updates and live Q&A sessions helped keep its community informed.
• Recognising when increased demand meant the team needed to grow.
• Why growth wasn’t simply about adding more client-facing staff, but identifying specialist roles across marketing, administration and other areas of the business.
• The value of reviewing workloads and determining where people’s time and expertise could be used most effectively.
• Recruiting people with specialist skills rather than expecting a small number of team members to handle everything.
• How ADF experience contributed to the team’s approach to planning, resilience and adaptability.
• Why looking beyond immediate disruption and continuing to plan for the longer term was important.
• The role of adaptability, innovation, communication and teamwork in navigating a period of significant change.

One of the biggest lessons from this period was the importance of having the right people in the right roles. As the team expanded, Axon moved away from having individuals wear multiple hats and increasingly brought in people whose skills and interests matched a particular area of the business.

The experience also reinforced something familiar to many of the veterans within Axon: plans can change quickly, but having a strong team, clear communication and the ability to adapt makes it much easier to respond. What began as an uncertain period ultimately became an important stage in Axon’s development as the team expanded its capability and prepared for its next phase of growth.