Negotiations, alternative dispute resolution, change management, communication and leadership are not typical topics when talking about farm business management.
Nor are they something you would use in the field on a day-to-day basis.
However, farmers regularly ask me about topics that could be included in their managerial development plans. I generally recommend the five topic areas listed above. There are others, but these topics are subjects I think have good application to managing today’s farms.
A seminar about management topics might not have as much direct application as one on fertilizer application, but that doesn’t make it less valuable. The skill sets that are required to successfully manage today’s farms are different than what they were in the past.
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Farmers don’t need to develop competence in each of the identified topic areas, but each should be considered in terms of the potential benefit it could deliver to the business.
There are several forms of negotiation. Some are formal, like the NHL owners and players, while others can be subtle, such as deciding who from the farm will attend an invitation-only event that only one person can attend. Discussions may not be identified as negotiations, but discussing rental terms with a landlord or interest rates with a lender can be negotiation. Better negotiators can win better outcomes, so formal negotiation training can pay dividends.
You will rarely use skills acquired by completing an alternative dispute resolution course, but it could be one of the most beneficial courses you will ever finish because it teaches an understanding of the valuable techniques that underpin ADR.
Positioning when settling a dispute is critically important and is a skill that has direct application to negotiations, change management and leadership.
Change is all around us and hugely evident in farming. Some changes have more impact than others, with people perceiving the change to be either an opportunity or a threat.
In either instance, those who are better equipped to manage the change will have a greater likelihood of a positive outcome.
Communication is a broad topic that is getting broader with the evolution of social media. There are internal and external applications, with internal being within the farm and family and external being the greater agriculture community.
Enhancing communication skills can improve employee retention and productivity.
Externally, better communication may result in higher sales or interesting investment opportunities.
Leadership skill set development also has internal and external applications, both of which can yield an excellent return on the investment made to acquire the skills. An industry without leadership will not thrive. Similarly, a farm’s longer-term sustainability will be challenged without leadership.
It is challenging to find leadership development and training programs specifically geared for farmers.
Communication courses, especially as they relate to social media, are gaining popularity, but there are fewer farmer-specific opportunities for the other topics.
An option is to find courses offered to general business. There will likely be little specific ag content, but the context of the discussion can be advantageous. Business is business
You will have the opportunity to listen and learn about issues confronting owners and managers and how they intend to apply newly acquired skills to their business. There is real value in taking a course that is not ag-centric.
If you’re interested in pursuing one of these topics, spend time on the internet researching options.
Once you find a course that piques your interest, check with the hosting organization to see if they have had any ag participants and/or how they would accommodate your interests.
