Don’t neglect your head when you’re trying to achieve more in your farm business.
That was one of the messages delivered to delegates at the Achieve Ag Solutions forum in Inverleigh last week.
Solly Business Solutions consultant Ken Solly said essential elements to good decision making were:
Mindset: attitude really is everything
Structures: robust systems
Planning: what, when, where, who and why?
Chemistry: how does it all happen? Need a good team around yourself to get the chemistry right
Culture: Trust, honesty, integrity, time management
Mr Solly said much of it came down to “your ability to communicate, negotiate and lead”.
“You need to communicate – with your ears and eyes – before your can put the technical stuff into practice,” Mr Solly said.
He said priorities should rarely change. The keys included physical and mental health, family, the business, personal priorities, friends and the community.
Business operators needed to improve their communications, problem solving, negotiating skills, stress management, conflict resolution and leadership.
“I would like to see everyone spend 1-2 per cent of their gross income on professional development. How much is one good idea worth? You have got to keep challenging your beliefs. Farming is a people business,” he said.
Resilience was important in a farming operation – having the capacity to bounce back and thrive in pressured times.
Have an awareness of how you change under pressure and align yourself with positive people and maintain dialogue with those people.
Share problems. Decisions made in the good times get you through the bad times.
Timing in agriculture is paramount. “Face facts as early as possible and make sure you are always dealing with reality,” he said.
He said never base decisions on hope, “but on a high probability of a positive outcome”. After the event problems were never as great as they appeared during the event.
He said damage control was just as important as profit optimisation. “If you worry a lot you need someone at your shoulder”.
