Leading the Way

contributed article by B. Lynn Gordon Leader Consulting, Sioux Falls, SD leaderconsulting.biz

EMBRACING UNCERTAINTY TIPS TO STAY FOCUSED ON THE PRESENT

Many of us believe that bad news is the hardest to deal with. When we have our minds set on something turning out a certain way and it doesn’t – well what could be worse than that.

According to John Maxwell, an international leadership expert, uncertainty is the hardest for individuals to cope with. Think about when you first heard about COVID-19 back in early March. How did you feel? Students were being sent home from schools and universities all over the country, businesses were locking down, and the daily news report was sharing dire predications of positive case numbers and deaths. I know I had that feeling of uncertainty creep into my thoughts. I started to wonder what might be the outcome of this virus embarking on the U.S. Would it take a toll on the health of our elderly citizens and the economy?

Then it hit agriculture. Cases of the virus started to emerge in the workers at our nation’s food processing plants. In fact, the first and largest outbreak was near my back door at the Smithfield pork processing plant in my hometown of Sioux Falls, SD. As plants began to shutter, the normal food supply chain was disrupted. Feedlots had to find ways to hold cattle that were at a market weight and livestock commodity prices took a tumble. As we moved into April and May, we didn’t know if there was an end in sight. Terms like “social-distancing,” “quarantine”, and “the new-normal” were part of our regular conversations – words most of us barely even spoke before. For livestock producers, we were familiar with “quarantine,” associated with disease or sickness in our cattle, but we never thought it would apply to us in this sense.

With Agriculture deemed essential, your day-to-day routine may not have changed all that much. Calving season was still in full swing when COVID-19 hit, then it was time to get branding done, move cattle to grass, and start prepping for the breeding season. However, despite all these tasks to keep you distracted from watching the news, if you were like me, you still were experiencing uncertainty. What would summer and fall bring? Would life go back to normal? Will there be a second wave impacting the food processing plants?

As I listened to Maxwell’s podcast and his view on dealing with uncertainty in difficult times, his reference to uncertainty being worse to deal with than bad news, really struck a chord with me, especially as I thought about the readers of this magazine. Livestock producers deal with uncertainty all the time. Drought, unpredictable commodity prices, supply and demand issues, blizzards, labor supply, and financial woes are real issues producers face.

“With bad news, you can do something about it, make a plan,” noted Maxwell, “but uncertainty keeps you hanging. You are left without knowing what to do.” Maxwell shared these thoughts on why we should embrace uncertainty.

> IT SHIFTS US OUT OF AUTOMATIC

Routine means comfort. We like routines as we know what our day will consist of. Even if we believe that life on the farm is not routine, there are still days when routines set in, and things are more predictable, safe, and comfortable. “A crisis wakes us up from the automatic,” says Maxwell. As humans, we don’t maximize our abilities when we are on automatic.” To survive and thrive in times of uncertainty, one needs to shift from automatic to intention to maximize our abilities and outcomes. Actions and thoughts need to be intentional, planned, and purposeful.

> IT PROVIDES LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

In times of uncertainty, people want leaders. There is an innate desire to have the feeling of security, guidance, hope, and answers. In this time of uncertainty, what is your role? Are you the leader your family, your employees, your customers will be looking to for consistency and guidance? “Every opportunity is surrounded by a problem,” explains Maxwell. In times of stress, we tend to see the problem. It becomes much harder to see the opportunity.

> IT ENCOURAGES US TO BE CREATIVE

Times of uncertainty helps us to realize we can’t go back to doing what we always have done. We will need to change, look at things differently, prepare differently, plan differently, etc. Maxwell uses the analogy that all sports coaches have a game plan, but its the winning coaches who implement adjustments when needed. What are new ways for you to market your cattle, change up your cowherd genetics, or manage your resources? “Shifts are needed to be better on the other side,” says Maxwell.

As we move into the Fall of 2020, we have endured a lot and the unknown will continue. What will calves bring this fall? Will we get the moisture needed, or will the calves have to be weaned early to save grass? Will we be able to host our production sale or exhibit at shows? The best you can do is take care of today. Take care of what you do have control over. Focus on managing your life, your business, and your family in the present.