Leading the Way
How leadership works on the ranch.
contributed article by B. Lynn Gordon Leader Consulting, Sioux Falls, S.D. leaderconsulting.biz
NAVIGATING THE CURVES AHEAD H
appy New Year! We may say this greeting with a little extra skip in our step as we roll into 2021. The new year typically brings excitement for what’s ahead and an opportunity to drive forward with a clean slate. Some years we are more eager than others to move into the new year. However, I have the feeling welcoming the new year and hoping for new possibilities in 2021 is probably a common denominator across not only cattle producers but many businesses along the food supply chain right through to the consumer. The hand our country and many other countries were dealt in 2020 is not going to disappear on January 1. Nevertheless, as I pen this column there appears to be light at the end of the tunnel with distribution underway of a vaccine to control COVID-19. There is hope this will allow us to begin to drift back toward some degree of normalcy.
time, pivoting to find ways to adapt to disruptions in the supply chain yet, continuing to produce a quality product. There is no doubt the industry will continue to experience disruptions in the future, from one source or another, but finding ways to navigate the curves by pivoting when needed and making the tough decisions can lead to new opportunities.
DECISIONS DRIVE DESTINIES Recently, I listened to Kevin Ochsner, a seedstock producer from Kersey, Colo., and host of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association television program, Cattlemen to Cattlemen, address attendees at the 137th Angus Annual Meeting in Kansas City, Mo. He said whether responding to the adversity and change directly associated with the pandemic or other challenges confronting the beef industry, “Our decisions drive our destinies.”
to navigate in times of change and adversity is to anticipate, align, and act. He emphasized the first key to making sound strategic decisions begins with anticipation. Anticipating how the changing landscape will impact your farm or ranch, your breed association, or your industry is crucial to long-term success. “All businesses have to navigate turns in the road,” he said. “What curves in the road will the beef industry need to navigate over the next several years?” For example, he challenged the beef industry to think about the lessons we can learn from the impact of COVID-19 over the past nine months. The pandemic may result in 25-40% of the nation’s restaurants going out of business, many of which are steakhouses. “If some of these steakhouses don’t reopen rapidly, how will that impact demand for middle meats? Plus, dining has shifted to carry out or delivery. “This has impacted the
_________
January 2021
Our industry has exhibited resiliency in many ways during this
32
Ochsner believes, “the best way
“Our decisions drive our destinies.” Kevin Ochsner, host of Cattlemen to Cattlemen thestockmanmag.com | THE STOCKMAN