Constraints as a Competitive Advantage, Diversification and the Decision to Grow, Wide Path strategy execution, and there are no Unsolvable Problems
Welcome to the 16th edition of The Pacesetter Blog from Mosher Consulting Group . A newsletter for agribusiness leaders looking to deliver great results through better M&A and strategy execution.
There are no unsolvable problems, only unaffordable solutions | Ep90
Your agribusiness is a work in progress – it might be mature, it may feel stable, but it will never be complete.
Whether you call this evolutionary process a series of challenges or opportunities, your agribusiness is ripe with problems to be solved.
But here’s the rub: the costs of solving problems are not reliably correlated to the value the solutions deliver.
In fact, you need to discount the value of the solution against the cost of delivering it in the first place.
In episode 90 of The Pacesetter Pod, we took a fresh look at an old topic: the cost-benefit analysis. From thinking differently about solving problems to accepting the reality that a partial solution might be best available ideal option, the discussion highlighted how the issue isn’t finding problems to put your attention to, but moving with the confidence of knowing the expected benefit exceeds the effort required to make it happen.
Episode highlights include:
To listen, access the episode here or wherever you get your podcasts.
The Wide Path approach to strategy execution with Tucker Perkins of the Propane Education & Research Council | Ep91
A great strategy is predictive, not prescriptive.
It defines the future you seek to create but provides latitude – a wide path – in how you may ultimately arrive at that distant, boldly envisioned state.
What I love about working in agribusiness and doing the work I do is how often I am confronted with the inescapable complexity of our industry, the meaningful intersections we have with other core components to a functioning global economy, and how many lessons we can take from across the industrial spectrum and re-purpose in ag.
In episode 91 of Last week I was honored to be joined on The Pacesetter Pod by Tucker Perkins, a seasoned executive, provocative thinker, and published author of Path to Zero: 12 Climate Conversations That Changed The World.
We know that we cannot de-couple ag from energy. The secular growth in demand for energy perfectly mimics the inelastic demand for calories of a growing global population.
But there is so much more to the story!
?Be sure to listen in to hear Tucker's powerful perspective on adaptive strategy, navigating ambiguous environments, and never losing focus on how to deliver value to your customers.
Additional episode highlights include:
To listen, access the episode here or wherever you get your podcasts.
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Constraints and resource-scarcity are a competitive advantage | Ep92
The old adage “survival of the fittest” as a metaphor for natural selection in the wild is incomplete.
Yes, the fittest may prevail, but how did the survivors establish themselves as the strongest, most clever, and most adaptable to change? I.e., the fittest from an evolutionary change?
They developed and demonstrated these traits because of competitive threats.
Species evolve faster in response to pressure and stress, and this phenomenon plays out in agribusiness as well. Smaller companies innovate and adapt because of the threats and constraints they operate under, not despite them.
In episode 92 of The Pacesetter Pod, we tossed aside assumptions around the resource discrepancy between small and large agribusinesses, and talk about how smaller organizations, operating under the suffocating burden of resource scarcity, outperform their larger counterparts in adopting technology, delivering novel innovation, and adapting quickly.
Constraints are not evenly distributed and the absence of authentic extinction level events for large agribusinesses can put them at a long-term disadvantage. The incentive to act, predicated upon survival risk, is a powerful competitive advantage.
Episode highlights include:
To listen, access the episode here or wherever you get your podcasts.
Diversification and the decision to grow with Jeramie Weller of Minnesota Soybean Processors | Ep93
Diversification can mean a lot of things. Here is what diversification is NOT.
In episode 93 of The Pacesetter Pod, I was joined by Jeramie Weller , General Manager and CEO, to talk about how Minnesota Soybean Processors ensures diversification and investment decisions reflect strategy, risk appetite, and a confidence in their ability to execute.
With more than $6 billion in total new investment in oil seed crush capacity expected to come online by the end of the decade, it seems that the market is awash with opportunity and the beneficiary of generous tailwinds. But despite the opportunity this investment signals, you need to navigate the noise to capture it and Jeramie helped us better unpack the challenge.
Episode highlights include:
To listen, access the episode here or wherever you get your podcasts.