Reading Time: 3 minutes Smart money management flows more from psychology than from math. Even very bright people make terrible financial choices. If we are honest, each of us has a story about how we’ve done dumb things with money. These irrational choices are often the product of some psychological or emotional impulse. As leaders, we think we make […] Read more
Guide HR: Why smart entrepreneurs do stupid things with money
The farmer as CEO
AME Management: What roles and responsibilities must a farmer assume in order to be effective?
Reading Time: 3 minutes An Internet search will reveal several definitions of the roles and responsibilities for the chief executive officer (CEO) of a business. The degree of formality of the actual position and its title varies considerably from business to business, depending on size, complexity, and organizational preferences. Potential roles and responsibilities of the CEO are summarized below. […] Read more
Guide HR: Are you ready for change?
Reading Time: 3 minutes Darwin demonstrated that human beings, like all species, must constantly adapt to change or risk disappearing. In agriculture, as in business, we adapt, changing in order to survive effectively in a competitive world. In fact, change is the only constant. However, change for its own sake is far from beneficial, either economically or from a […] Read more
Guide HR: ‘Is he suffering from the god complex?’
A narcissistic personality can come in any shape or size and can put your business at risk
Reading Time: 3 minutes He is always right,” says Matthew, age 25. “We always have to do things his way. Not even my mother can voice any kind of opinion. I’ve had enough.” When I met Matthew’s father, his initial comment was, “You will see right away that my son and my wife have problems.” At that point, I […] Read more
Guide HR: Do you make smart mistakes?
Never fear, learning from your mistakes can make you a more successful person
Reading Time: 3 minutes Let’s be honest, even though we don’t want to admit that we make mistakes. We do make them. It seems that it is inherent to the human condition. Human beings are error prone. I am a human being; therefore, I make mistakes. In fact, the more decisions we make, the more mistakes we will make. […] Read more
The strategic approach to managing employees
AME Management: It's important to foster a culture of employee engagement so people feel respected, motivated
Reading Time: 4 minutes If you own or manage an agricultural business of any size, you likely have a number of employees (family members or otherwise) working with you. And you have them for good reason. Employees come with many benefits, or at least they should. Employees with specialized skills can provide missing competencies and networks, allowing the business […] Read more
Guide HR: Don’t work harder, work smarter
We all want to be more productive, so here’s the good news. You can be. Higher productivity is within your reach
Reading Time: 3 minutes I would do it if I only had more time.” We all want to be more productive and to perform at our peak every day. We all want to manage our time better, but guess what? If there is one thing that everyone has equally, it is time. We all have 24 hours each day. […] Read more
Guide HR: Six characteristics that help build a foundation for success
We invest a lot in the idea of success, but we often take more time to plan a vacation than to plan our lives
Reading Time: 3 minutes We all want to succeed in life. But how do we define success? Success in your personal life is connected to success in your business, and vice versa. It’s like having two containers that are connected together. Each one influences the other. It’s hard to be energetic when you are haunted by negative emotions. It […] Read more
Guide HR: Assert yourself, or should you step aside?
Which personality type are you? Passive, assertive, or aggressive?
Reading Time: 3 minutes It seems surprising to meet entrepreneurs who manage millions of dollars and make so many important decisions, but for some reason become very vulnerable when it’s time to express what they want, their limits and their wishes. Why is it so hard to be assertive? “The employee is always late. Sometimes he doesn’t come to […] Read more
Are you in good physical shape?
Farmers are always active and "on the go" but this is no replacement for exercise
Reading Time: 3 minutes Farm work is physically demanding, so it is no surprise that farming has always been synonymous with health and good physical condition. But is that still the case? Peter has no energy anymore. He wakes up exhausted and feels winded at the slightest effort. It seems he always has a backache too. On his wife’s […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
