“Getting in to the All Blacks is the easy part, staying there is the biggest challenge!”
While our top rugby players must deliver consistently at the highest level, we all have just as much challenge in making sure our farm businesses keep on generating the results we really want. How can we do this? Here are the main three areas we will examine under this topic:
1. Staying on track - Focus (April 2010) Read more.....
2. Using solid systems that deliver results (May 2010) Read more.....
3. Basing it all on solid principles (June 2010)
Principles are “natural laws” or concepts that are irrefutable. They are universal (work anywhere), timeless (work at any time) and are self evident (clear and obvious). Whatever changes occur on the surface, these deeper rooted principles will hold true, just like true north on a compass. You can always reference back to them. Common principles such as respect, integrity and gravity are easily understood – what about successful Farm Business Principles? Here are a few major ones:
The Main Thing is to keep the Main Thing, the Main Thing! Define what is most important to you and aim all action towards achieving it. Cull any irrelevant actions to keep your effort effective and focussed. Effort without focus means busyness without results.
The Profit Equation must be understood. If not, the chances are low of you receiving consistent profits. How can you be consistently profitable if you are not sure what profit actually is or how you go about generating it? This is a big issue in NZ Farming with many farm business owners believing Profit = Income. Not so! Decide to get good at banking profit by learning and doing what it takes. Read more.....
The 6 Profit Principles are great examples of solid principles. If you consistently implement these you will receive profit. If you don’t, you won’t. Do what you can to learn them but most importantly, APPLY THEM. Use the GrowFARM Season Plan to aid in implementing them on-farm through the year. Read more.....
Prepare the mind to deliver results. Nourish it with healthful thoughts, successful and true techniques, and synergistic interactions with others who are at or who are going where you want to go. The mind is a goal seeking mechanism and requires nourishment and feedback to perform incredibly well while focussing you towards the achievement of your goals. Find out more about how you can use this power you have available. There are a lot of resources out there for you to upskill in this area. What you see depends on what you are looking for. As above, keep the main thing the main thing.
You get what you focus on. Because we all hold particular thoughts in our minds already, you can use that existing ability to choose the thoughts you hold there. If you are not happy with the results you have now, honestly examine the thoughts you repeat to yourself, either consciously or unconsciously. Hold only helpful and successful thoughts in your mind as opposed to unhelpful or unsuccessful thoughts e.g. Flush thoughts on how there is limited opportunity and no way forward in farming. Think often about searching for the thing you haven’t thought of yet to get you and your business to the next level.
Enduring success is an Inside-out sequential process, not an Outside-in quick fix. Few of us choose the inside-out process because it requires taking responsibility, initiative and step by step action over time. However, you have the choice as with anything and if you want the best effect, choose the best cause!
This article appears in the GrowFARM Connector (June 2010) - our monthly e-Newsletter. Click here to subscribe to the e-Newsletter