Growth means nothing without the right people

There was a time when business growth was mostly about working harder.

Take on more clients. Expand the team. Push through the pressure and keep moving.

But according to We Are HR co-founders Leanne Clavan and Grant Barrow, that approach is becoming increasingly difficult to sustain in today’s business environment.

Speaking with Moreton Daily ahead of International HR Day, the Moreton Bay-based HR leaders, who support businesses across South-East Queensland, said many organisations are struggling to adapt to changing workforce expectations, leadership pressures and rapid growth because they are underestimating the importance of people strategy.

“The pace of change is hard and these days it seems never ending,” Grant says.

“The biggest problem is the lack of strong leadership capability to lead change and bring people along with them.”

Leanne says many leaders are still relying on outdated approaches to people management, despite employee expectations shifting significantly in recent years.

“People now want flexibility, real support, and to feel heard,” she explains.

“This can become a major source of friction in workplaces that are unwilling to move away from outdated management practices.”

Across the City of Moreton Bay, the pair say many businesses are now facing the challenge of making sure leadership, workplace culture and communication can keep pace with growth.

Growth exposes leadership gaps

Businesses often struggle most during periods of growth, uncertainty or operational change because they fail to properly prepare their people and leaders for what comes next, according to Leanne and Grant.

“Change and uncertainty are a bit like death and taxes, it’s going to happen,” Leanne says.

“The difference is how well you prepare for it.”

Grant says many businesses only realise their leadership systems are under pressure once cracks have already started to appear.

“We see the same scenarios all the time,” he says.

“Businesses are adding more clients, opening new locations or going through major changes, and suddenly they realise they don’t have the capacity to cope.

“We see overworked leaders, things get missed, poor decisions get made at the very time you need clarity of thought.”

Businesses that handle change well are usually the ones that have already invested in leadership capability, communication and workplace culture before problems arise, the pair say.

You can’t policy your way to great people management

One of the biggest mistakes businesses make, according to We Are HR, is relying too heavily on policies and procedures while overlooking the human side of leadership.

“You can’t policy your way to great people management,” Leanne says.

“Policies are important, but they are not a substitute for leadership.”

She believes many businesses rely on policies as protection rather than building genuine trust, communication and accountability within teams.

“When leaders hide behind policies instead of having real conversations, people feel managed rather than led,” she says.

“That’s when disengagement, resentment and quiet quitting show up.”

According to We Are HR, businesses navigating growth successfully are often the ones prioritising:

• strong leadership capability

• clear communication

• accountability

• trust within teams

• investment in workplace culture

Turning around workplace culture

Leanne and Grant recently worked with a care provider experiencing major turnover, absenteeism and workforce instability after years of operational pressure and leadership challenges.

The business was relying heavily on agency staff and struggling to address the underlying causes behind its workplace issues.

Grant says the turning point came when leadership stopped viewing staff as “the problem”.

“If leaders see their staff as the problem, that business will ultimately never succeed.”

Over a 12-month period, the organisation improved leadership accountability, recruitment and retention strategies, and rebuilt trust across teams.

Leanne says the transformation helped move the organisation out of “crisis mode” for the first time in years.

For local SMEs, the pair say the lesson is simple. Businesses that invest in people early are often the ones best positioned to navigate pressure, growth and uncertainty later.

Investing in people is a business strategy

The pair believe businesses that adapt best are ultimately the ones investing in people long before problems arise. This is about getting the right balance between supporting your staff and holding them accountable for their performance.

“Treating staff like commodities might save money short-term, but it costs you far more in the long run through constant recruiting, training and lost knowledge,” Leanne says.

Grant says investing in people does not always require expensive workplace initiatives or large-scale programs.

“Treat your people reasonably, it’s the best investment you can make,” he says.

As International HR Day highlights the evolving role of workplace leadership and culture, We Are HR says businesses can no longer afford to treat people strategy as an afterthought.

“The bottom line is, if you look after your people in simple but effective ways, they’ll look after your business, especially when it matters most,” Grant says.

Editor’s note: This article is sponsored by We Are HR and proudly endorsed by Moreton Daily. Thank you for supporting the sponsors who make Moreton Daily possible.