A corporate leader to a farm leader – It’s all relative
Working on a farm day-in and day-out is real hard work. Even more so, getting the work done to the best of nature’s rules.
There are so many instances that make me recall and imitate the leadership methodologies from the corporate world. Yet so many that make me aware of so much more that we can do, as a professional corporate leader.
The most important question, when it comes to leading at farms, is - how do we scale the amount of work we do or we are capable of doing? There are people involved and there is work to be done, just as in any organisation. What people miss is that, farming is much more about leading well than we ever realise or pay attention to.
A few mistakes that I have experienced people making and how organisational leadership helps address them-
Getting too personal about work and working mechanisms. “A teacher is one who makes himself progressively unnecessary.” - Thomas Carruthers In order to scale and grow, we need to continuously keep creating leaders. And for that we need to trust and empower the people we work with. Build collaborative teams who can work independently than try to manage and control every little thing. Not healthy.
Giving less, expecting more. This is a very common and unattended aspect of leadership. One of the best ways to influence people, is by inspiring them through actions. Farming is about loving what we do. If one isn’t passionate about it, there is no way, she/he can sustain it. So, share the love, share the knowledge and expertise. And it will all come back with enormous returns.
Undermining the significance of sharing the bigger picture with the non-owners’. There is a huge difference between pursuing a task and pursuing a goal. This difference impacts the attitude and psyche of an individual or a group. Farming is a lot more fun, productive and creative, when everyone involved knows and relates with the purpose. The whole sentiment persuades people to think of easier solutions and bring their native expertise to work.
Agriculture, in most countries, comes under unorganised sector, but farming doesn’t have to be unorganised. It can be streamlined by establishing a vision, creating leaders and sharing expertise.
Leadership in farming is often underestimated. But if the rules are in the right place, it can lead to discovering many more opportunities for growth and innovation than there have ever been.