Authentic leadership might sound like an industry buzzword but it’s actually a critical component of business success – and it’s a key reason why Bright & Duggan won the award for best large Strata Community Management Business at the 2018 CHU Strata Community Awards.
Joint Managing Director Chris Duggan says company leaders should determine the culture of their organisation – not the other way around.
“The values we promote need to be lived and breathed by us as leaders, to be truly adopted by others as the yardstick for exceeding our customers’ expectations,” Chris says.
Established in 1977, the company is proud of its family values.
“By leveraging the simple values of our business, we have kept the growth of our team members firmly at the core of what we do,” he says.
While some strata management companies suffer from high levels of staff turnover, Bright & Duggan has had a fairly stable workforce, noting the challenges the industry faces around the attraction, retention and development of key talent.
“Our secret is our people and our investment in training and engagement with staff,” Chris says.
“To address employee feedback regarding long travel times and family pressures, we established a branch network across the broader Sydney region,” he says.
From a single office in Crows Nest five years ago, the company now has offices at Dee Why, Cronulla, Rose Bay, Sydney Olympic Park, and the Central Coast.
“Investing in staff convenience has contributed to their happiness, development and retention.”
There’s also an honesty about the way Bright & Duggan does business.
“It’s important to acknowledge that we don’t always get it right. And even when we do, we still look for ways to improve,” Chris says.
This could be the reason the company won the same award in 2015, 2016 and 2018.
“It’s a proud moment for us, to again be recognised among an A-class group of finalists.”
But the 40-year-old company takes nothing for granted.
“The burden of incumbency has not dampened our creative or entrepreneurial spirit. We consistently adapt ourselves beyond reactions to market changes, to lead transformational restructures that resonate through the industry,” he says.
Continuous improvement against the backdrop of a rapidly changing strata management industry has been the key for Chris.
“We are embracing technology changes and improving our IT systems to ensure that our processes are better and our teams are properly equipped with technologies to support their work experience.
“It’s an ambitious strategy, but our aim is to create the most scalable, accessible and flexible IT framework in strata,” he says.
This year’s award also reflected industry and peer recognition for a business that makes a significant contribution to the strata industry.
Employees of Bright & Duggan are actively encouraged to contribute to industry programs.
“Being authentic also means legitimately trying to improve the standards of the industry and contributing to the broad development of policy, sector development and best practice,” Chris says.