2022 Corn Silage: That’s a Wrap!
I hope that your harvest was a major success and bountiful for your dairy. So, now that it is done and fresh on your mind, what did you learn about this year’s crop? Having this proactive approach sets you up nicely for the year ahead and maximize IOFC. Another important piece of information to have is multiple mycotoxin analyses to verify how clean (or not) the silage crop is.
Benefits of Effective Communication
As a leader, we don’t want to just say words, we want to communicate; to get someone to understand the what, the why and the how. With so much email, have you had the experience of being misunderstood; taken out of context? Now with multiple virtual meetings, there are even more skills needed to communicate and possible ways to be misunderstood. With virtual communication, how do we check for understanding? I find it pretty difficult to check facial expressions or get feedback on a virtual call.
Listen & Learn
“Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you’d have preferred to talk.” – Doug Larson
There is nothing more important for leaders than communication. Technical skills are great, understanding markets and customers is important, but without communication none of that really matters. Leaders have to be able to communicate with people on any level, whether they’re customers, employees, vendors, members of the community, governmental agencies – the list goes on and on.
Unfortunately for a lot of leaders, “communication” is just another word for “talking”. Leaders get asked a lot of questions and get asked for their input on a regular basis, and soon they’re talking constantly. Whether it’s a conscious choice or just a habit, it just becomes the norm that whenever they’re in the room, they drive the conversation.
The problem, of course, is that no matter how much fun talking may be, communication is a two-way street. You cannot claim to be doing your job as a leader without communication, and you don’t have communication if you don’t listen.
Do you really think you have a monopoly on good ideas or information? Of course not. But how do the ideas of others or the knowledge you need make it to you if you don’t listen? And your listening as a leader can’t be limited to just a few people. You can learn from anyone, and great ideas can come from anywhere, and if you’re talking all the time you’ll miss them.
The next time you’re in a meeting, or on a call, or just having a conversation, pay attention to how much talking you’re doing. It isn’t that you can never speak; but the idea that you should dominate every conversation you’re ever in is ridiculous. Sorry to break it to you, but you’re not that great.
Practice being a productive listener. Make a point to ask questions and then actually focus on the answers. If someone comes to you with an idea, don’t immediately start talking about how great or terrible it is. Listen to what they have to say without trying to direct the conversation.
Listening is the most important piece of the most important part of your job. Don’t ignore it, and don’t pretend it doesn’t matter. Make the effort to become a great listener, and watch the change happen.
Personal Development: Being a Self-ish Leader
If you’re someone who views “personal development” as a check-the-box requirement on an annual performance plan I’m going to stop you right there. That attitude is at its best self-limiting. At its worst, it’s a sure road to nowhere. Here’s why: Personal development consists of activities that develop a person’s capabilities and potential, builds human capital, facilitates employability, and enhances quality of life and the realization of dreams and aspirations. Far from being a bothersome or meaningless task – or a luxury you just can’t afford to have, it’s actually the biggest tool you have in your leadership toolkit.
You Can’t Be Aware by Yourself
Being aware of ourselves is one of the biggest challenges leaders face. Everyone is watching you all the time and you need to recognize what they’re seeing. You need to be intentional about the messages you’re sending, and you can’t do that if you don’t know what some of those messages are.