What do you need to schedule to make sure it happens?

I think farm leaders are the masters of getting things done. On any given day on the farm, farmers wear any number of different hats and different roles requiring many skills, ranging from agronomist to HR manager to operations manager to marketer — far too many to list here.

In any single hour of the day leading a farm, farmers may have to shift between 10 and 20 different “roles” that they play on the farm or maybe even more than that. It all depends on the complexity of the operation and what needs to get done.

This is why I believe farmers are the masters of getting it done, whatever “it” is. They have learned to do whatever the operation requires of them at that moment, especially if they’re the leader and ultimately responsible for the farm and its results.

Keeping It In Front

Getting things done can come more easily when it’s something that you either love to do or feel that you’re very competent at that particular task or activity.

It can become a bit more challenging at times to dig into something that’s either not your favorite thing to do, or something that you’re less familiar with or haven’t ever done at all.

Choosing to get those things done can seem like a tougher proposition. But it’s important and essential when you’re the farm’s leader with a business to run and make sure it succeeds.

There will be certain tasks or activities that will vary from leader to leader that tend to get put on the back burner.

Sometimes, these tasks are the very same ones that will really help propel the success of the operation into the future, yet they can get pushed to the back burner.

It might be that there are more pressing, urgent tasks that the leader must deal with first and there are always going to be seasons when that needs to happen more often.

But when this continues to happen, these less-urgent, not-favorite activities can go by the wayside altogether, yet if they are critical for farm success, they really need to be achieved. So, how can farm leaders choose to get these things done, as well?

Three Ideas

1. First, figure out what these particular activities are for you. What tends to get pushed to the back burner? It might be something you’re just not as naturally attracted to doing or don’t enjoy. It could even be something you don’t feel you have as strong of a background in, or would like some more assistance with.

Many farmers find that certain aspects of the business of farming fall into this category for them whether it’s the farm’s marketing plans, the farm’s financial plans and so on. Working with an adviser for your farm in those areas can be a good place to start.

2. Next, what gets scheduled gets done. Determine the level of priority for these activities. How impactful are they on the overall success of your operation?

The higher the impact, the more likely you may need to schedule working on them to ensure that it gets done. Figure out what you need to schedule and then commit to working on it during that time frame.

3. Commit to doing the hard stuff. Break it down into smaller steps so you can attempt it bit by bit, building your confidence. Get help from someone experienced in helping others with that particular area.

Don’t worry if you’re not a master right away. In fact, acknowledge that you probably won’t be. But choose to move forward anyway. Everyone has been a beginner at some point, with everything that they do.