Viewpoint
CHRIS BADDOCK CEO, AUSTRALIAN LIQUOR MARKETERS
A LOT HAS HAPPENED SINCE OUR LAST CHAT WITH AUSTRALIA’S LARGEST INDEPENDENT WHOLESALE AND BANNER GROUP, SO WE CAUGHT UP WITH CHRIS BADDOCK, ALM’S CEO, AND ASKED HIM WHAT HAS CHANGED IN HIS BUSINESS AND HOW RETAILERS ARE DEALING WITH THE CURRENT TRADING CLIMATE. With so much happening, not least being a global pandemic, and recognising that the year is not yet finished, how has ALM/IBA emerged from the significant impact of 2020, and what changes have you seen within your own business? Times like these challenge us in many ways; they also offer us an opportunity to reflect on how we have managed the situation and how we may have done things differently. When you’re in the middle of the situation, you don’t realise that you and even your business is changing. For example, by not traveling and doing everything over video calls, you realise that you can get things done differently. I’ve also realized that I have team members who have been in this business for many months, and I have not met face to face. This is a massive change in how you think about leadership. What have you and your team done to keep the communication strong in that environment? The remote style of working highlights and intensifies leadership. The old way of thinking that you must be in the office to be productive doesn’t make sense any longer. I have learned that leadership under these current conditions is about granting trust and giving autonomy which frees your team up: as long as you provide them with direction, they will use this trust to get things done. At the height of COVID I communicated with the whole ALM team on a video call most weeks. It allowed me to share what the priorities are and for the team to provide questions that addressed any concerns, importantly, we were then able to act on them quickly. It worked well, so well that one of the questions was: “When COVID is over, can we continue to do these calls?” The answer was, “Yes.”
16 drinks trade
