Ben Simpson is a grazier and RCS coach based in Central Western Queensland. Together with his wife, Kim, Ben operates Thistlebank, a
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"No plan survives first contact with reality. That's why the successful managers don't just plan, they monitor and adjust."
July and August are crunch time for many operations. In recent RCS Advisory sessions, the same practical questions keep coming up:
The key theme here is the RCS Principle of Planning, Monitoring and Managing.
As the famous quote goes, “failing to plan is planning to fail”.
Some planning is individual, generally the short term planning e.g. “how will I approach my personal responsibilities this week?”
However, the best planning is a team sport. This is where you get the team discussing what is coming up, what are the priorities and working together to develop a plan that will most likely set you up for a win. Working together will generate more ideas, energy and help you identify blind spots or gaps in a plan.
This process is also vital for team function and culture. Not investing time in this process will lead to people not being on the same page, people not feeling included or part of the team, and the main risk is the right jobs not being done the right way at the right time. This directly reduces profitability.
Mike Tyson’s quote is possibly too graphic? “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth”
The important message with phase two of this principle is that no plan survives first contact with reality. The plan is purely a guide of how you think you’ll approach the future. We must monitor to see what our current reality is. When you first develop a plan we cannot predict the future market conditions, weather patterns, injuries, production levels or unknowns.
This is where we need to reassess our position. Many of my clients are redoing their feed budgets now. They are assessing moisture profiles and revising if they’ll get a crop to grain fill or have enough moisture for a spring break.
The best monitoring involves talking with the whole team again. Everyone will have seen different part of the property and have different perspectives. Tap into all your senses with monitoring: sight, sound, hearing, touch, feel, gut instinct.
The only way to ensure that a plan never fails is to monitor current reality. A plan that isn’t monitored becomes a recipe. Recipes and agribusiness management do not mix. This is why we place such an emphasis on principles.
Phase three of this principle is where you make the necessary adjustments to your future plans. This involves taking action to set yourself up for a win with the new circumstances you are operating in. Managing means taking action and developing a new plan. This looks like one of three main outcomes.
My observation is the best leaders and managers who are achieving the best profitability with the happiest team are very good at planning and communicating.
So, what changes might you need to make to your plan during this important period of the year?
Our team of RCS Advisors are here to help you revisit your plans and set yourself up for a win. Give us a call or email advisory@rcsaustralia.com.au to find out more.
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Ben Simpson is a grazier and RCS coach based in Central Western Queensland. Together with his wife, Kim, Ben operates Thistlebank, a
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