Farm Succession Planning

When it comes to planning for succession where does leadership come in? Is it in the senior generation or the successor generation? Or both?

Have you got what it takes, can you get it, and is it important?

The secret of leadership is often discussed by gurus who want to sell us their special formula for achieving leadership success.

Many of them, through their very profitable books and seminars – ones that association heads and meeting planners, along with corporate people and self-actualization junkies are so crazy about – should really be called motivation instead of leadership.

Rarely, if ever, do they talk about the role of leadership in planning for succession and how to mesh the leadership styles of two different generations, often strong people with fixed opinions that are linked together by marriage and/or blood.

For most of us leadership is defined by our experiences. We are emotionally charged by our individual perceptions when we are asked to define leadership; let’s face it, leaders are always looked upon with glamor and awe. Those of us who aspire to be leaders often just copy the actions and behavior of leaders we respect without ever knowing what it really means to be a good leader.

So what makes a great leader you ask?

A great leader listens to the insights of their employees before responding. This is critically important when one person is the father/mother or the son/daughter of the other – the situation you’re in when you are planning for the succession of the farm.

Everyone, whether they are hired help or family members, want to give you their ideas, share their concerns about the farm, and pass along information and general day to day chit chat. Please avoid distractions and interrupting – especially when you already know the answer. Always let them have their say, even when you are prepared to disagree with them – you might learn something that changes your mind.

And be sure to let them finish their point – you must show respect for their ideas if you expect to receive their respect for yours. We all have a natural desire to be heard and allowing them to finish their thoughts – often something they have put a great deal of effort into, goes a long way in building the respect you need in order to lead.

Are there any proven leadership development formulas that can be duplicated? Apparently not or we would have read the book by now and becoming a leader would be simple. Let’s face it, if being a leader was easy – everybody would already be one and we would not be so consumed with learning the secret – the key, the shortcut to leadership.

The fact is, of course, that there is no single formula for leadership success. And when we add the “family” factor into any formula we have added unique variables into the equation. People are unique, situations are unique, and the circumstances of every farm are unique. There seem to be as many leadership development formulas for farm leadership success as there are successful farmers.

So, what are the characteristics of an every day leader? If you ask anyone about leadership, what it is, how do you get it, and how do you recognize it, you will undoubtedly get many answers, most of which are probably be right – that you would be no better off than you were before you posed the question.

Many people naturally believe that leadership is a talent one is born with, some think it is a skill that can be acquired. Either way, leadership, particularly farm business leadership has a single straightforward and simple meaning.

In a nutshell, farm leadership is the ability, however acquired, to consistently influence others – especially those who look to us for guidance.

In other words, it is the ability to attract followers and influence their actions and attitudes at work.

When it comes to the role of leadership in farm succession and planning, either you have it or you’ve got to develop it.

One of the most effective way to develop leadership, both during and following succession and planning is to harness the power of your peers.

When we updated our DIY Farm Succession Planning System we included the most well tested vehicle for creating strategic conversations between business owners and farmers.

And we added it at the end of the building block succession and planning process so you’d recognize its power and see how it will help you grow your farm into the next generation and beyond.

Technorati Tags: farm leadership, Farm succession planning, Planning for Succession

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