What the Australian Bushfires can teach us about business

I was listening to the Christian O’Donnell show on Gold 104.3 FM today. He was talking about the Clifton Creek Primary School that was devastated by the recent bushfire. What you may or may not know is that school was “home” to 10 kids…

Yes, you heard me right. 10 kids.

Sarsfield CFA Captain Ian Brownrigg on ABC News , 15th January 2020 said:

“There is a whole lot of better things that they could do for the community than just going and spending whatever amount of money, just going and slapping a school up for the start of the school year,”

It’s not something you hear from rural leaders too often, but Mr Brownrigg said he had concerns about defending any rebuilt school from future fires.

He said he was never consulted about the fire risks of rebuilding the school on the same site.

How do I read that? Was he pissed off he was never consulted? Or is his perspective clouded by what would be a problem for him? Or is he just trying to be practical?

Was he concerned about the kids who called that school home? Or the difficulty that would cause his job if it was rebuilt and it happened again? Better not to rebuild the home for kids who treasured that school because he viewed it as slapping up another school for the school year.

An inconvenience or a concerned firefighter?

Meanwhile Dan Andrews was all over it pledging funds to rebuild. A quick grab for votes? Or a heartfelt concerned Premier who really wanted to make a difference?

Then came along Christian O’Donnell a radio jock Gold 104.3 FM with a breakfast show who just put the world out there and the world responded.

A shipping container was donated for the school to keep. Wow!

People from all over the world responded to that call to action for the few, yes 10 kids who could have easily been shipped off to the next town’s bigger school that survived.

Donations of teacher resources came from all over the world as did musical instruments and 20,000 books for the new library. Also the kids received handwritten messages from other kids across the other side of the globe… in Greenland and America that just made them feel all that better.

So what can we take away from this in business?

Here is what I think:

1. People not things whether it be fancy sales funnels or any other thing someone is trying to convince you, you need to build your business makes thing happen. And when people come together they can quickly make a difference.
2. When deciding to engage a supplier for your business watch for the opinions, attitudes and actions – do they have your best interest in mind? Are they hearing you? Seeing you?
3. When telling a client, they need this or they need that, are you really having their best interest at heart or understanding what they desire or are you just thinking what is easier for you? More practical?
4. Beware of any show pony that may be more interested in how they appear in relation to working with you so they can make it all about themselves.
5. There are many small businesses out there that represent that group of 10 kids. The ones you don’t give your time to or perhaps overlook because you don’t see them.

So many lessons in business we can take away from the Australian Bushfires.