Think like a farmer to transform your leadership approach

 

We don’t often think of it this way, but 🌾 FARMERS are some of the best leaders in the world!
Reflecting on my own journey in leadership, I've come to appreciate the powerful lessons we can learn from them. Farmers understand that success doesn’t happen overnight. It requires patience, nurturing and the right environment for growth.

Here’s how adopting a "farmer’s mindset" can transform your leadership approach:

🌱 Don’t Rush Growth – I’ve been there, wanting immediate results and feeling the pressure to deliver fast. But growth takes time. Just as farmers can’t rush their crops, leaders must give their teams the time and space to develop. Bersin by Deloitte found that companies investing in long-term employee development see a 37% higher employee productivity rate.

🤔 Don’t Blame the Crop for Slow Progress – It’s easy to fall into the trap of blaming the team when things don’t move as fast as expected. I’ve learnt that focusing on what’s not working won’t yield results. Instead, nurturing and supporting your team is key. A Gallup study found that employees who feel supported are 31% more likely to stay with their organisation.

🌾 Choose the Best Plants for the Soil – A farmer doesn’t plant just any seed; they choose what’s best for their land. Similarly, I’ve seen firsthand that when we place employees in roles that align with their strengths, engagement can soar.

💧 Irrigate, Fertilise, and Remove Weeds – Ongoing support is non-negotiable if you want your team to flourish. I believe in regular feedback, professional development opportunities and removing obstacles. This consistent ‘cultivation’ helps teams grow strong. Research by Deloitte has highlighted that organisations with strong learning cultures tend to have 30-50% higher retention rates than those that do not - a testament to its importance.

🍂 Prepare for the Seasons – Leadership, much like farming, isn’t immune to ups and downs. I’ve faced challenging ‘seasons’ and learnt that preparation is everything. By fostering resilience and adaptability, your team can face any storm!

At the end of the day, leadership is about more than just managing, it’s about planting seeds, nurturing growth and having the patience to see your team reach its full potential. Like a farmer, great leaders know that success is a long-term game. 🌟

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Simplify Leadership for Success

 

Justin Mecham

1. Dream Big

   • Actionable steps: Visualize your ultimate goal each morning. Write down three strategic actions weekly that move you closer to this vision.

2. Believe in Yourself

   • Actionable steps: Start a success journal. Each day, jot down one decision you made that had a positive outcome, reinforcing your self-efficacy.

3. Embrace Failure

   • Actionable steps: Create a 'lessons learned' log. Each time a project or task doesn't go as planned, note what you learned and how you can apply this knowledge in the future.

4. Take Action

   • Actionable steps: Implement a '5-minute rule'—if something takes less than five minutes, do it immediately. Set three 'must-do' tasks each day and complete them first.

5. Express Gratitude

   • Actionable steps: Write personalized thank-you notes or messages to individuals in your team at least once a week, specifying what you're grateful for.

6. Enjoy the Journey

   • Actionable steps: Keep a 'gratitude or achievement' diary. At the end of each day, reflect and write down one part of your day that you enjoyed or a small win.

7. Respect Diversity

   • Actionable steps: Schedule regular 'culture days' or 'diversity hours' where team members can share something unique about their background or perspective.

8. Find Balance

   • Actionable steps: Establish 'no meeting' time blocks during your week dedicated to family, hobbies, or self-care. Respect these blocks as you would any professional commitment.

9. Practice Empathy

   • Actionable steps: Initiate 'empathy exercises' in meetings where team members express their current feelings or challenges, and others reflect back their understanding.

10. Be a Good Listener

    • Actionable steps: Practice active listening in every conversation by turning off electronic devices, making eye contact, and asking open-ended questions to delve deeper into the speaker's perspective.

11. Prioritize Health

    • Actionable steps: Schedule workout sessions as you would business meetings. Choose one day a week to plan a healthy meal menu, and take short mental breaks every two hours during work to refocus.

12. Take Responsibility

    • Actionable steps: When errors occur, openly acknowledge them to your team, discuss what can be learned, and describe concrete steps you'll take to prevent a recurrence.

13. Lifelong Learning

    • Actionable steps: Dedicate at least one hour per week to learning something new related to your field. This could be through webinars, reading, or online courses.

14. Value Relationships

    • Actionable steps: Set up monthly 'coffee chats' with different team members or colleagues to build and maintain relationships beyond the confines of work-related tasks.

15. Be Patient

    • Actionable steps: When feeling rushed, take five deep breaths before responding to a situation. Integrate a 10-minute meditation or quiet reflection into your daily routine to cultivate patience.

16. Maintain Integrity

    • Actionable steps: Reflect on your day every evening and assess if your actions aligned with your core values. If not, identify why and how you can correct this moving forward.

Practice Empathy

My team was facing a critical deadline, and I noticed one of our key members was not their usual self, missing details they would typically catch. Their performance had dipped noticeably over the past week.

I approached them privately to discuss the change. It turned out they were dealing with a family health crisis and were struggling to manage the stress. I could see the strain in their eyes, the weight of their world was tangible, and it was affecting their work.

To address this, I offered them the option to work from home and adjusted their workload to accommodate their situation. I also connected them with our Employee Assistance Program, which could offer professional support.

Over time, they were able to find a balance and their performance recovered, not only restoring their previous high standards of work but also reinforcing their trust in the team and the company.

Actionable Tips to Practice Empathy:

• Approach the individual privately to discuss any noticeable changes in behavior or performance.

• Offer a listening ear without judgment and ask open-ended questions to understand their situation.

• Provide flexible working arrangements or adjustments to workload where possible.

• Refer them to professional support services if available.

• Follow up regularly to show continued support and to make further adjustments as needed.

Here's how you can make it real over the next 4 days:

Day 1: Listen Intently

• Today, focus on listening more than speaking in all your conversations.

• Pay close attention to what others are saying, and resist the urge to interrupt or formulate your response while they are speaking.

  • ChatGPT Prompt to Help: "Provide strategies for active listening that help in fully understanding someone's message without planning my response while they are speaking?"

Day 2: Acknowledge Feelings

• In every interaction, acknowledge how the other person might be feeling.

• You can say something like, "It sounds like that was a frustrating experience," or "I can imagine that made you happy."

  • ChatGPT Prompt to Help: "How can I effectively recognize and validate someone's emotions during a conversation to improve our communication and connection?"

Day 3: Offer Support

• Reach out to a colleague or team member and offer your support.

• It can be as simple as asking, "Is there anything I can do to help you today?"

  • ChatGPT Prompt to Help: "What are some ways I can offer genuine support to a colleague or friend today, showing empathy and understanding for their situation?"

Day 4: Reflect and Share

• Reflect on a time when someone showed empathy to you and how it made a difference.

• Share this experience with your team to encourage a culture of empathy.

  • ChatGPT Prompt to Help: "What are effective ways to share my own experiences of empathy in a team meeting to inspire a culture of understanding?"

Let the commitment and insights gained not just linger as thoughts but manifest in your actions. Repeatedly.

In embracing these lessons, remember that leadership is not a title but a journey of continuous growth.

A wonderful journey impacting lives and shaping futures beyond what's immediately visible.

Consider how each lesson can transform not just your approach to leadership but also how it can elevate those around you, creating a legacy of positive change.

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