How deep is your farm’s bench?

Developing leaders in your operation can be an exciting, as well as, challenging process, says Rena Striegel, president of Transition Point Business Advisors.

Five steps to grow your team’s skills and leadership capacity.

1. Prepare the Team. To start this process, develop a shared vision for your farm that’s understood by all. Then schedule regular meetings, develop an accountability structure and have a procedure for dealing with lack of performance by team members.
2. Evaluate Leadership Potential. With today’s technological advancements, you need a specific type of leader to ensure you don’t fall behind. Your leaders should be able to think of new solutions, be comfortable with chaos, understand technology, have high emotional intelligence and be able to work with both people and technology.
3. Define Your Competitive Advantage. Core competencies are what your team does well, makes you unique and differentiates your business from competitors. Basically, they are the collective learning of your team.
4. Identify the Gaps. Determine the differences between your team’s current skills and the skills you need to achieve your vision in the future. The gaps can be filled by mentoring, honest feedback, training, experiential learning or hiring talent outside your organization.
5. Expand Your Team. If you need to hire outside of your organization, clearly identify what skills you need. Make sure to tie everything to your vision and values, and be clear about your expectations. Develop SOPs for this process. Include several people in the interview process and have a clear onboarding procedure. After they’re hired, monitor their work closely and provide timely feedback.

Article found in March 2018 Issue of Top Producer by Sara Schafer.

Read the full article here.

Insert article entitled “Develop Leaders for Your Operation” by Alexa Nordwald.

Learn more about Rena Striegel, or for more information on Rena contact Tom Ambroson at 515-225-4486 or