What is your playbook going into this year’s crop?
Not an easy question to answer right now, given the global trade turbulence. As Evan Shout writes in The Farmer’s Playbook, volatility is likely to be the most-used word in agriculture this year. But, he writes, it’s also during down times that some farmers are able to find their competitive advantage.
I think this is true of many businesses. It’s also true for a lot of people at a personal development level, too. Call it “building character” or “learning to deal with adversity” or whatever you like, but the fact is that we can learn a lot by working through challenges.
Read Also
Ground rules for farm family communications
Establishing meeting ground rules can help your family find ways to communicate that work for your farm. Here are some…
But it’s also true that some people — and businesses — crumble under pressure. Others might survive for a while but be significantly crippled. So how can we increase our chances of not only getting through it, but growing stronger, too?
First, it’s important to acknowledge that a lot of things happen in life that are beyond our control. There’s nothing more frustrating, and toxic, than platitudes that ignore this or ineffective “strategies” that waste our time and energy.
But if we look close to home, there’s plenty we can control, or at least influence. A family friend used to have a sign hanging in her kitchen that said: Respond, don’t react. Fifteen years ago, I rolled my eyes at that kind of message. But the universe has a way of teaching you what you need to learn, even if it takes the metaphorical equivalent of a two-by-four. I can now say I fully understand what that sign means.
So when I read the article in our April issue about emotional intelligence — particularly Kelly Dobson’s point that you can’t control other people, you can only change how you respond to them — I found myself nodding in agreement. Dobson, a leadership coach and farmer, says once his clients start leadership training (which connects self-awareness, mindset and management), they find their stress drops. Plus, they can do more with the resources they have. I suspect that’s partly because they’re focusing more on what they can control, instead of what they can’t.
Two of the things Dobson recommends are meditation and breathwork. If you picture meditation as something like George Castanza’s father, Frank, screaming “Serenity now!”, trust me, I’ve been there. I’m still there, a lot of the time, when things are not going well. But I don’t stay there, and that’s important. Meditation can look as simple and low-maintenance as five minutes with an app on your phone.
We can also control how we treat other people — coworkers, friends, family, acquaintances, even strangers. Do you acknowledge and value the work of everyone on your farm team, as well as provide honest, constructive feedback when things don’t go well? The themes in What Is Work Worth? sparked an interesting conversation between associate editor April Stewart and me about the roles women fill on farms and ranches today. Stewart is a farmer, and I am not — and we both made those decisions very intentionally. Women have a lot more choice these days in what they take on, but there’s a lot of work involved in running a family farm. And then there’s the caregiving roles, for children or aging parents. Even the strong, capable people who take on these roles need acknowledgement and support.
There is no shortage of other areas to take a close look at. How’s your cash flow? Is your farm developing “iron disease?” Would your farm benefit from on-farm trials? Some of these things are long-term improvements, rather than short-term solutions.
I’m sure readers have a lot to think about as we head into spring. Whatever your farm business, I wish you the best as we enter what’s sure to be a challenging season. Just a note that our print issue will be on hiatus until the fall but be sure to sign up to receive our e-newsletter. We’ve got plans for digital editorial over the next few months.
