How can you tell your parents that the accountant they’ve had for years might not currently be the best option for the farm?

An email from Worried We’re Missing Something asked our resident awkward conversation pro, Patti Durand from Brightrack Consulting, for advice about what they should say to mom and dad to ensure that the right people are on board to plan for the farm’s future — and not rock the boat too much in the process.

This is the last Awkward Ag episode in our Summer Series, but if you missed previous episodes you can watch them all here: https://www.youtube.com/@agCanadadotcom/shorts

Click on the links below to watch more videos in the Awkward Ag series:

Sharing your final wishes with family

Responding to advice, whether you wanted it or not

Managing ‘not-so-good’ vibrations

Trying to find work-life balance on the farm

How to ask for a raise on the farm

Taking awkwardness out of farm family discussions

The post VIDEO: Is your parents’ accountant the best fit for the farm? appeared first on Country Guide.

If you’re thinking of asking for a raise but know that conversations about money can be awkward — especially if the boss is mom or dad — then you’ll want to listen to this week’s episode of Awkward Ag for step-by-step advice.

Click on the links below to watch more videos in the Awkward Ag series:

Is your parents’ accountant the best fit for the farm?

Sharing your final wishes with family

Responding to advice, whether you wanted it or not

Managing ‘not-so-good’ vibrations

Trying to find work-life balance on the farm

Taking awkwardness out of farm family discussions

The post VIDEO: How to ask for a raise on the farm appeared first on Country Guide.

In this week’s episode of Awkward Ag, Patti Durand answers a letter signed by “Trying to Find Balance” who asks Patti what they can say to other farm team members who make them feel guilty about trying to find a work-life balance. Do you need some advice on how to have an awkward conversation with someone on the farm? Send your questions to astewart@farmmedia.com. (Don’t worry, we’ll keep it anonymous.)

Click on the links below to watch more videos in the Awkward Ag series:

Is your parents’ accountant the best fit for the farm?

Sharing your final wishes with family

Responding to advice, whether you wanted it or not

Managing ‘not-so-good’ vibrations

How to ask for a raise on the farm

Taking awkwardness out of farm family discussions

The post VIDEO: Trying to find work-life balance on the farm appeared first on Country Guide.

Are you getting bad vibes from someone with whom you usually feel quite connected?

It can be tough for everyone to always jive with everyone else when you work and/or live together day after day.

But if there is in fact something wrong and you’d like to get to the bottom of it, Patti Durand offers her advice in this week’s episode of Awkward Ag.

Have a listen to hr advice and then send what type of awkward conversation you need help with to astewart@farmmedia.com. (Don’t worry, we’ll keep it anonymous.)

Click on the links below to watch more videos in the Awkward Ag series:

Is your parents’ accountant the best fit for the farm?

Sharing your final wishes with family

Responding to advice, whether you wanted it or not

Trying to find work-life balance on the farm

How to ask for a raise on the farm

Taking awkwardness out of farm family discussions

The post VIDEO: Managing ‘not-so-good’ vibrations appeared first on Country Guide.

Maybe you also felt that you crossed a finish line, that the time for learning had passed. But this is a risky mindset.

Research shows that our brains are neuroplastic. This means that the brain can continuously change, adapt and grow neural networks based on our experiences — which means that we can keep learning throughout our lives. So, we can and should “teach an old dog new tricks.”

And because change is a constant in today’s world it also means that we will never cross the learning finish line. We should be open to learning every day of our lives.

• RELATED: Beliefs your farm could be better without

But the realization that you will never be done learning can be complicated — especially when you have just absorbed a large amount of information in a structured, formal setting. You might just want to rest on the knowledge you dedicated so much time and resources to accumulate and stop being a student for a while.

This is especially true if you are returning to your family’s business and want to prove that you aren’t a kid anymore.

Your challenge is to share the knowledge you gained, while simultaneously reminding yourself and others that there is still a lot to learn. Everyone can be vulnerable to “you don’t know what you don’t know.” We can get caught in situations where we have little or no knowledge and end up making assumptions. And while making incorrect assumptions is risky, we can learn to manage the outcome.

Many people won’t admit when they don’t know an answer, or worse, will confidently chime in with their comments, whether it’s their area of expertise or not. So, how can you be a valued contributor without spouting off on topics about which you have little or no expertise?

You can take responsibility for several areas of personal growth, learn to understand yourself, build leadership skills and work toward becoming who you want to be in your business and personal life.

Try these approaches to help you become a trusted source of information and, consequently, a trusted business partner:

1 Be prepared to admit when you don’t know an answer but be equally committed to finding the solution. This may sound simple, but it is difficult to implement, especially when you are attempting to prove your worth as part of the farm team. As a former manager once said to me, “If you always tell the truth, you never have to remember what you said.” But what does it sound like to consistently own what you don’t know? “I don’t know, but I’ll find out.” It is surprisingly freeing to not have every answer and it’s pleasantly satisfying to know that you will find it — and learn in the process.

2 Own your mistakes and clean up quickly. This is also easy to say and hard to do, particularly when working with family who may tease or shame you for errors. Even when committed to admitting when you don’t know the answer, there will be times when you will confidently share the wrong information. When you realize your mistake, go back to the team and own up to your error. This is a quality of a good leader. A team culture in which individuals can admit errors without being punished frees everyone in the group to follow that example.

3 Practice lifelong learning. All your life experience and education to date is just the beginning, not the finish line. Being aware of the knowledge and expertise you currently possess means that you can always be on the lookout for what else you might want to learn. None of us will ever know everything, but as an individual, you can:

• Surround yourself with a network of people from whom you want to learn.
• Access the incredible amount of information available at your fingertips through technology.
• Stay consistently curious and build a habit of asking thoughtful questions.

(For more self-awareness and self-reflection tips, visit page 28 of The Future Leader: The Successor’s Guide to Family Business Leadership.)

Rest assured that you will bring an amazing amount of knowledge and insights to your farm during your lifetime.

The real opportunity will be to continually build your base of understanding, embrace the reality that there will be missteps, and realize that no situation in which you’ve learned is a waste.

To benefit you and your family enterprise, add those experiences to your knowledge bank, admit when you’ve made a mistake and lead with a commitment to growth.

– Patti Durand is a strategic action planner, speaker and author of The Future Leader: The Successor’s Guide to Family Business Leadership. pattidurand.ca.

The post You don’t know what you don’t know appeared first on Country Guide.

They show up in our day-to-day lives and we treat them as respected “facts,” when that may not be the case. We tend not to question or consider whether these beliefs are true.

These rules are often learned in the household in which we grew up and they are reinforced by the world around us. They’re usually not documented anywhere, nor are they reflected on or questioned.

And, critically, some of these long-held beliefs create barriers for the farm transition process.

For example, the following beliefs may not be serving family farms any longer, if they ever did:

• “It’s the parent’s responsibility to come up with a plan for succession.”
• “Successors must prove they are ready before we start planning.”
• “All children have the right to be a successor.”

If you hold one or more of these beliefs, what would happen if you questioned them?

In an approach used in counselling and coaching, people are prompted to “flip the script.” They are told to ask, “Is this belief true?” and “What else is possible?”

Here’s what that might sound like in real life.

“It’s the parents’ responsibility to come up with a plan for succession.”
Is that true? Historically, this may have been the pattern of the current business owners who have authority and responsibility to develop and subsequently reveal transition plans to their successor and/or heirs. But sometimes the successor had to wait until the will was read. Is it reasonable that a parent develops a plan in isolation from the people who will implement and live with that plan?

What else is possible? What if other stakeholders (e.g., successors, heirs, advisors) were included in planning conversations to add more ideas and possibilities for fruitful outcomes? Each family member could be asked for their perspective, not to give them authority over the plan, but to gain their insights and understand their hopes and intentions.

“Successors must prove they are ready before we start planning.”
Is that true? Perhaps there are specific skills, abilities and years of experience that should be required. But are those requirements clearly defined? Is there a way to indicate the level of skill required or expected timelines for experience needed? For some families, this saying is accurate: “We expect a lot, but we don’t tell you what we expect.” (For more on communicating expectations, read page 47 of The Future Leader: The Successor’s Guide to Family Business Leadership.)

What else is possible? While it is reasonable to have requirements to help a successor prepare to take over the business, it can be demotivating for the successor if clear parameters of success aren’t set. Clarity of expectations provides a successor specific tasks and timelines they can act on. This step may also reveal that the successor is not qualified or suitable for leadership. This situation can be difficult to navigate but is better communicated sooner than later. 

“All children have a right to be a successor.”
Is that true? Despite a parent’s desire to treat their children in a balanced way, not all businesses have the capacity to support additional people. This can be an issue when there is one committed successor, and other siblings ask to join the business at later dates. In each scenario, consider: Does the business in its current state have capacity to fund additional people or households? Do skill sets support that involvement? Have promises been made to the first successor that didn’t include “you’ll also have to navigate this choice with your siblings?”

What else is possible? This belief also benefits from clarity of expectations. Children can be taught from a young age that the “door is open” to join the family business but that there are limits based upon when they express interest, what their abilities are and what other successors are already involved. Is it reasonable for parents to sacrifice everything in an attempt to make things possible or “fair”? Part of unconditionally loving our children is providing clear conditions on what is possible, or what would need to change to make goals possible.

We all tend to hold our beliefs strongly and unwaveringly. This can be a point of pride for some people. However, if you are attempting to navigate a challenge, such as farm transition planning, and continue to feel frustrated, look at your beliefs. We would all do well to question some rules and decide that they no longer serve us.

Setting aside old, outdated views and adopting new possibilities will continue to serve you and your family now and in the long run as you navigate and communicate about your shared future.

– Patti Durand is a strategic action planner, speaker and author of The Future Leader: The Successor’s Guide to Family Business Leadership. pattidurand.ca.

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