Jim Casler
Jim Casler
North Coast Ag Advisors
Family Business Planning

231-218-7525

Know Your Numbers. 
Know Your Business.
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Resolving Conflict

9/13/2014

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conflict_resolution_policy_farm_management_succession_planning_jim_casler
A Conflict Resolution policy is certainly helpful to…, well, ummm…resolve conflicts!  This is an agreed upon process or procedure by which disagreements and conflict will be remedied.  The end result will certainly not make everyone happy in every situation, but the fact that key stakeholders discussed the process ahead of time should help make anyone that might feel jilted be able to accept the outcome because the policy was created before the conflict arose.  After all, they agreed to the process, didn’t they?

Our experience strongly, strongly reveals that when policies are created before the actual need arises, that partners and teammates feel more fairness in outcomes.  Otherwise, policies developed “on-the-fly”, when things are tense and a conflict is at-hand, may seem arbitrary and personal as opposed to what might be best for the business.  

Creating a Conflict Resolution Policy and process ahead of time can work well for the longer-term harmony within your family farm business.  This is a part of your management system and communications platform that can be accomplished in a relatively short time period and won’t take all day to figure out.  Go ahead, make an investment in your business.  If you need a little help getting started, send me an email and I can share some resources with you and your team. 



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Personal Accountability

9/6/2014

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Personal-Accountability-Business-Management-Systems-Farm-Management-Jim-Casler

While a lot of this “communication” stuff might sound like some touchy feely, sing koombaya, hug each other until it hurts baloney that you might find better suited for a therapist’s couch, it is indeed important.  MOST problems in family owned businesses can be traced back to a direct result of either poor management practices and/or unprofessional communication practices.  At least that has been our experience.  
Maybe your family business has been able to beat the odds and there are no hidden agendas, alligators in the closet, jealousies or misunderstandings.  Heh.  Your investment in improving these areas of your business is MORE IMPORTANT than saving ¼ percent on your line of credit, or which combine gets overhauled this winter.  Without a professional communications platform for your family farm, business stagnation, paralysis and breakup are often the ultimate outcome.

A few areas you might consider addressing in your family farm business are guidelines for meetings and personal accountability standards for you and your teammates.  Discussing and developing the reasons and types of meetings you will hold can help end the sometimes useless meetings that can creep into your business.

The practice of Personal Accountability has several components as its foundation.  One key component is the notion that each individual person on your team’s personal behavior adheres to the “It is My Mess.  I Own It.  It is Up to Me to Change It.” mindset.  When interacting with others this involves asking questions in a different way.  For example, asking “How” and “What” questions as compared to asking “Who”, “Why” and “When” questions.


“Why” questions invoke the notion that people have no control over their circumstances or environment.  While sometimes this is true, you can always change your environment by changing your location…or mindset.  “Why” questions invoke victimhood and “oh poor me” thinking.  Like it’s one big pity party.  This is not good.
Personal-Accountability-Management-Systems-Family-Farm-Business-Jim-Casler
“When” questions suggest someone else might be responsible and that all you can do it wait for something better…a form of procrastination.  “When is management going to do this?” or “When will Billy do what he promised?”, etc.  This is not good.

“Who” questions suggest that someone else is to blame.  It’s the Blame Game.  “Who made that decision?”.  “Who is going to fix this?”, etc.   This is not good.

“How” questions are a search for a solution.  “How can we make better decisions?”.  “How can I help you?”.  “How are we going to fix this?”.  This is good.

“What” questions seek answers.  “What can be done?”.  “What is the lesson to learn from this mistake?”  “What is the solution?”.  This is good.

Personal Accountability is all about being ready to answer the questions:

“How can you improve or change this situation?”  and “What are you willing or able to do?”  

By focusing on the situation, issue, opportunity or problem…and NOT other people…
creativity, productivity and more harmonious relationships can develop.


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Meetings.  Really!

8/29/2014

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An article about meetings?   SHOOT. ME. NOW.

Picture
I know.  I know.  You have all been there.  Some meetings just drain your energy!  Meetings are perceived as one of the biggest wastes of time.  For way too many companies…they are!  However, if done properly, they can be a very effective tool used to simplify communication, coordination and decision-making on areas that involve more than one person
Of the many reasons why meetings are so energy-sucking is because the meetings have limited structure, there are not clearly defined areas of responsibility or standard practices for performing routine activities.  Not every decision to be made requires a committee, nor attended by everyone in the business.  To become more effective with your family business’s meeting structure, answering the who, what, when, why and where can be very simple to execute:

• How many and what types of meetings are applicable to your family farm?
• Who should attend and participate in the various meetings?
• What items are appropriate for any given meeting?
• When and where will meetings take place?
• Why are we having this meeting and what are the expected outcomes?

"Meetings get a bad rap, and deservedly so...
most are disorganized and distracted. 
But they can be a critical tool for 
getting your team on the same page."

- Justin Rosenstein
Agenda setting is a key to making sure that meetings remain focused on the appropriate topics for those attending.  Before moving along, it is prudent to talk about who sets the agenda.  If you have adopted the practice of defining roles and responsibilities inside your business, this is another to add to someone’s job description.  So, let’s assume that the agendas for the various types of meetings in your business will be the responsibility of a designated person…a meeting planner.  The meeting planner has the task of recognizing that inside almost every business there are employees, managers and owners.  Agenda items need to be relevant to those attending in their various capacities (staff, manager, owner).

Staff meetings are generally intended to discuss tactics and day-to-day business activities.  These will vary in frequency.  On the family farm, there is often a need for short, quick daily “stand-up” meetings to discuss immediate needs and planning.  Daily “Stand-Up” meetings are just that…standing.  Don’t sit down.  The goal is to make it quick, efficient and productive.  Weekly meetings may be more appropriate during slower times and can be used for outlining goals for the week and assigning activities.  Ad-hoc meetings can be called for training and internal announcement type information.

Management meetings are intended to explore bigger picture issues like planning, defining job responsibilities, coordination of resources, deciding on priorities, determining how to gather and analyze data and employee reviews and training programs.  These meetings can be weekly, monthly, quarterly and annually.  It depends on the agenda and the desired outcome of the meeting.

Ownership and board meetings should be conducted at least annually and involve key stakeholders, owners and spouses.  Many times, there is a need for these to take place quarterly and monthly, especially as your family business becomes more complex.  Whether they are involved in day-to-day activities or not, spouses are a big part of ownership meetings for family businesses.  They act as silent partner in the business by virtue of being married to an owner.  These meetings are appropriate for strategic planning issues, general policy setting for operations, dividend distribution and management compensation.

There are several reasons for having a meeting.  The expected outcomes from various agenda items fall into one of three categories:  1) Give information, 2) Get information, or 3) Develop options or make decisions.  These need to be clear when agendas are shared with attendees.  If attendees are not clear, some may be trying to make a decision while others are simply sharing information.  Does that make sense?

Some best practices for helping ensure productive meetings include trying to make sure that attendees have balanced participation.  Locate the meeting where business can be conducted without interruption, including cell phone usage during the meeting!  Whoops, I let that pet-peeve out of the box.  Toddlers should not be present and the TV should be turned off.  Holding meetings at the kitchen table is not the best practice and is conducive to interruptions and perceptions of low seriousness.  Location is important. Rotating locations can add some variety and helps level the “home turf” advantages that can subconsciously creep into the situation.  Schedule meetings when they are appropriate.  Don’t schedule a 4 hour long-term planning session during the middle of harvest.
 
Keeping meeting notes and using them as a basis for follow-up helps eliminate those decisions that are sometimes made where no one ever gets busy with the specific action items.  Meeting notes also help create an environment of personal accountability.  If everyone knows that there will be follow-up, odds increase that the work will actually get performed.  You may have experienced it – everyone is excited about an idea, but it never gets implemented because the “who”, “what” and “when” of the idea were never decided upon.  Several months later, the same discussion often takes place again…a complete waste of time.

General Rules for Business Meetings and Guidelines for Personal Accountability can provide serious productivity and accomplishment to various meetings in your business.  Coming to an agreement on these things before holding meetings is a best practice and something we can explore in the near future.
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Code of Conduct - Outside Activities

8/16/2014

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Code-of-conduct-behavior-communication-policy-family-business-jim-casler
A Communications Pledge helps everyone understand what behavior is expected and valued.
A Code of Expected Behavior (or Code or Conduct or Communication Pledge) is a starting point on how everyone wishes everyone would communicate with one another, what is expected and acceptable behavior and what is not.  

Your business has a standard of conduct, whether you know it or not.  One way or another your family business communicates its values, acceptable behavior and criteria for decision-making every day, whether it is in writing or not.  The way you and your teammates talk with each, how you share information and how decisions are made already exist.  Whether they are deliberately planned or just happen and whether they are desirable and productive are a matter of chance. 
When the family farm was owned by one family member, communication was generally “one-way” and therefore, fairly easy.  As more successors and/or partners join, or contemplate joining, the family farm business, communication and behaviors can get more complicated.  This Code of Conduct and the process of developing it helps increase the appreciation and recognition for everyone’s individuality.  It helps ensure that behaviors are something mutually agreed upon rather than imposed by senior leadership.  It provides a guideline for more constructive and productive interactions.

As with most things in life and business…things change.  Therefore, these things are not written in stone and can be edited as time marches on.  If you have been with us for a while, you know that this article is only about one component of your family farm’s communication platform, which in turn is an important part of creating a professional management system for your family business
"Circumstances are beyond human control, but our conduct is in our own power."

- Benjamin Disraeli


As with the foundational vision, mission and core values statements, a large benefit to creating this agreed upon Communication Platform is the time spent working with one another, learning more about your partners and future successors and helping keep each other accountable for what everyone states they want to accomplish (vision), how it will be accomplished (mission) and under what philosophical belief system (core values).  The key is that you work on this together and reach a consensus.  It builds trust.
expected-behavior-code-of-conduct-family-business-communications-platform-jim-casler
A Communications Pledge, or Code of Conduct, is also a reflection of your values in action.  Your behaviors reflect what you value.  By working with one another on this project, it offers team members a chance to develop a written collection of the rules, principles and expectations about behavior and relationships that they consider significant and fundamental to the successful operation of your family farm business.  Also known as a Code of Conduct, it can spell out these standards and help further systematize your professional management system.  How this is finally developed is up to you…it’s your family business.  To help get you started on this exercise,send me an email requesting a sample Code of Conduct, a Communication Pledge or both.


family-business-sharing-investment-opportunities-jim-casler
Outside Business Activities -- Another component to consider is your team’s policy in regard to individual owners’ (or potential owners) outside business activities, outside investments or their possibilities.  Ever thought about that?  How is that handled?  Ahhh…good question Grasshopper.

For example, is it acceptable that a successor in a senior management position takes on a major commitment in a voluntary role with an industry association?  Yes, no, maybe.  If it takes time away and significantly impacts job performance and the business, maybe not.  If the activity complements the business and leads to further education and networking opportunities and the business can handle the departure, then maybe it should be pursued.  

How about sharing in or simply disclosing outside investment opportunities?  Full and open disclosure among business partners seems prudent.  But, if you have never discussed it, how can everyone be on the same page?  You can’t be, necessarily.  

"The most successful multi-generation family businesses share outside business activity and investments with one another. "
The most successful multi-generation family businesses share outside business activity and investments with one another.  Oftentimes, they invest together.  Is that mandatory?  Of course not.   So, why is it important and generally a good practice?

How would you feel if your business partner invests in something, doesn’t share it with you, then makes a killing and now has millions and millions?  Of course you would be happy for him…but there might also be a little bitterness.  When big discrepancies in personal wealth develop between business partners, especially siblings and cousins, it can become more difficult to keep the team together.  There is also the trust-building factor that is accompanied with the sharing of outside investment opportunities.  Sharing helps create and foster the spirit of generosity, “team” and looking out for one another. 

These were some simple examples of outside business activities to be discussed and agreed upon.  If you put your mind to it, I am certain you could come up with a dozen other areas.  

So give it a whirl.  See what you and your family business team members come up in these two areas of your farm management system – A Code of Expected Behavior and an Outside Business Activity Guideline.  While doing so, try to pay attention to the benefits of the actual process, as much as the final prepared documents.  Because that is where the real value is derived…working together.  Good luck!

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A Deliberate Communications Platform

8/2/2014

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A Deliberate Communications Platform.  
What the ...?

Family-Business-Communication-Planning-Jim-Casler
What is a “Deliberate Communication Platform”… Jim!  Let’s look at a dictionary definition to begin this discussion.  Actually, let’s begin with a thesaurus instead.
  • Deliberate also means Thoughtful, Slow, Unhurried, Measured, Considered, Methodical, Purposeful, Conscious, Intentional, Calculated or Planned.  
  • Communication is the exchange of thoughts, opinions or information by speech, writing or signs.
  • Platform also means Policy, Proposal or Program
Your Deliberate Communication Platform could then be described as “the policy or procedures by which your family business partners and team members share information and talk to one another”.  What the…?  “Just say it man!  What is all this mumbo-jumbo?”  I know, I know.  Seems rather academic doesn’t it? 

READ MORE...


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Your Big WHY

6/14/2014

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While it may sometimes seem a total waste of time, inconvenient, non-productive, fluff, or any other words you might use to characterize activities that don’t produce immediate results, developing statements of vision, mission, core values, philosophies, key beliefs, etc. is like planting an acorn seed.  

Unlike annual seeds that can seemingly pop out of the ground overnight, it can take quite a long time for that acorn seed to sprout…and it will certainly take many years before it becomes the mighty oak….something hard, something strong and something durable that can last many generations.
Taking time away from the endless chores and things to do is sometimes difficult, but it might help to understand that this isn’t an exercise in feel-goodliness, warm-fuzzy, feel better inside, mushiness, but rather has real-world, bottom-line, operational and human capital implications that are just plain good for the long-term success of your family business.  The development of these various statements are used to:
  • Provide a key communication tool and image to employees, customers and other stakeholders for the reason your business exists.  It serves as the BIG WHY.
  • Provide clarity, excitement, consistency, passion and direction to your operations
  • Serve as a means to bring everyone back on the same page when conflict, confusion or inconsistency creeps into your business from time to time to achieve something of significance.
  • Develop cohesiveness and a sense of accomplishment with the time spent working together, taking the time to talk about and commit these statements to writing.  It is a team building exercise.
  • Become the foundation for clarifying and determining specific business policies and decision-making criteria.
"To be the preferred value-added fruit company known for its quality products, great people and superior performance. "

- Shoreline Fruit, Traverse City, MI

“To be the number one athletic company in the world”    

- Nike
Let’s begin with your vision statement.  As the image above describes, “A vision is an imagined idea or goal toward which one aspires.”  In the context of your business setting, it is a description of the preferred future state of your business.  It is forward looking and describes the big reason WHY your business exists.  It describes the ultimate state what will exist when all goals and objectives are being accomplished on a consistent basis.  It’s not a slogan or catch phrase like, “Just Do It”.  It should highlight how you want others to describe your business.  

An important note; A vision statement is often confused with a mission statement, or sometimes they are used interchangeably and that is a mistake.  A mission statement answers the question, "Who you are, what you do, what you value and what makes you unique?" while a vision statement answers the question, "Where do I see my business going?"  A vision statement doesn’t need to be a lengthy narrative, but it must contain some key aspects, but first…
The downside of not having a vivid picture of the future for your team to visualize often results in team members that are not fully engaged in their work.  You’ve seen it.  Yeah, Joe is a good guy, doesn’t really do anything wrong, but doesn’t really do anything extra, above and beyond the minimum.  Joe may be doing good things on a daily basis, but he is not inspired because he has no passion for pursuing a larger vision that brings out the best in Joe.  How can he?  It’s not his fault.  You as the business leader may not have provided it Joe.

People naturally want to be part of a successful team; a team with a vision of the future for achieving something great.  All they simply need is for you to take the time to develop a vision and then share it with them and help point them in the right direction on how they can contribute to pursuing your vision.

So, how do you create a compelling vision that inspires passion in people?   The following characteristics can be used as a reference to help point you in the right direction:
  • Clarity – your vision statement must be clear to everyone and anyone that reads it and especially to your team.  Your vision should help readers visualize a clear picture that allows them to imagine what the ideal future looks like.

  • Exciting – your vision statement needs to connect with people in a way that inspires passion. Think about time when you have been passionate.  It leads to action.  When your team is passionate about something, they will take action.

  • Concise – your vision statement does not need to be some long, sophisticated statement. Many of the world’s best vision statements are the shortest ones.

  • Deliberate – your vision statement should serve a well-defined purpose and declare your core values and philosophies.  In other words, what is the “BIG WHY” for your pursuit of this imagined future?

  • Hopeful - people need to envision a future that gives them hope for something better. Many vision statements came about from difficult circumstances because a leader had the nerve to envision a better future.

  • Memorable – your vision statement needs to be noteworthy. If your people are going to connect to your vision and pursue it daily, then they must be able to remember your vision to be able to live it and share.
"A personal computer in every home running Microsoft software."   

-  Microsoft

"One company growing by nourishing lives and finding a better way today … one bite at a time."  

- ConAgra Foods

As your family business’s leader, when was the last time you reflected on your vision for the future? Do you have one?  Is it clear to you?  If not, there is no way it can be clear to anyone else.  Is it written down?  Do you have some work to do?  I hope this helps illustrate some compelling reasons you might want to take the time to develop a clear vision statement and some ideas on how to get started.  If you would like a worksheet or template to help you develop your own vision statement, please email me for a copy.


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What's Your Dysfunction?

5/5/2014

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The only thing you can ever really control is yourself;   How you behave and react to circumstances and make decisions based on the best information available and past experience to guide you is really the only thing you can control.   

This article, Preventing Family Warfare, is a quick read and provides an example of how to assess and react to what is described as a dysfunctional family business structure.



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