Never Decouple People from Strategy, Operationalizing "Producer-First" Values, Optimization Isn't Everything, and Strategy is Not Enough

Welcome to the 12th 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.

Connecting People and Strategy with Erin Mies, SHRM-SCP,MHRIR and Kristen Ireland of People Spark Consulting | Ep74

Decoupling your people from your business strategy is an expressway to dismal performance.

When food and agribusiness companies run parallel people and business strategies they inevitably diverge, squandering opportunity and delivering lackluster results.

Just ask yourself:

• Are we incentivizing actions and behaviors that conflict with our strategic objectives?
• Is the way we make decisions optimized to generate the speed and creativity we need to win?
• Does our structure expand or constrain our odds of success?
• Do our people know what they are accountable for and how success is measured?

If you are on the wrong side of any of these common issues, you have a big problem that will be revealed through your results.

Erin Mies, SHRM-SCP,MHRIR and Kristen Ireland of People Spark Consulting joined me on episode 74 of The Pacesetter Pod to talk about how agribusinesses can dramatically improve outcomes with better people processes, effective organization design, and integrating talent with overall business strategy.

Erin and Kristen work exclusively with small to mid-sized agribusinesses and cooperatives to achieve their goals through aligning HR and business strategy – they know what they are talking about and gave generously of their time and perspectives. Check it out!

Episode highlights include:

• How to leverage a people-and-strategy roadmap [04:21]
• The art of org design with Jay Galbraith’s Star Model [13:02]
• Dive into role–strategy alignment in tasks and goals [15:54]
• Navigating uncertainty in strategy execution [00:24:29]
• Tips to iron out decision-making process complexity [28:10]
• The “one butt, one seat” rule for accountability [33:11]

To listen, access the episode here or wherever you get your podcasts.

Executing Agribusiness Strategy with Mosher Consulting Group | Ep75

Strategy is about defining where you are going but doesn’t get you to your destination.

The future you envision for your agribusiness is articulated through your strategy but manifest through your ability to prioritize, focus, and get things done.

You need execution. Execution makes strategy real.

In episode 75 of The Pacesetter Pod, we talked about the execution challenge – the demands of securing and aligning the focus, resources, and horsepower to get the organization moving forward – and how we help food and agribusiness leaders execute strategy, de-risk M&A, and exceed their growth objectives.

It is a problem that is easy to point out but hard to overcome.

But conquering the barriers to execution may be the greatest value unlock available to your business.?

Episode highlights include:

• Key components of strategy execution explained [02:16]
• How execution powers success [06:04]
• Explore common barriers to executing strategy [07:49]
• The core issue of unrealized value at risk [10:43]
• How to avert the cost of post-deal execution failure [13:53]
• How Mosher Consulting Group de-risks strategy and M&A for ag businesses [18:42]

To listen, access the episode here or wherever you get your podcasts.

Operationalizing Producer-First Values with Jason Weirich of MFA Incorporated | Ep76

When farmers prosper, so too do the ag supply and value chain companies that serve them.

This proves out time and again in the aggregate, but typically doesn't pencil on a transaction level.?

You cannot expect your agribusiness to be a producer-first organization only in those critical moments where decisions are made, deals are cut, and sales are booked.

It must be core to your culture, operating model, and business strategy. It must be a core ingredient baked into the fiber of the company – not a topping haphazardly sprinkled when a sale requires it.

Jason Weirich of MFA, Incorporated sat down with me for 76 of The Pacesetter Pod for a deep dive into delivering growth via an authentic producer focus, aligning capital allocation with farmer interests, learning from the past, and the power of multi-directional feedback loops.

Episode highlights include:

• A closer look at how MFA defines being a producer-focused company [05:13]
• Can profitability always be aligned with core values? [09:42]
• The art of capital allocation to meet farmer interests [13:51]
• The underappreciated upside of multi-directional feedback loops [19:55]
• Better capital allocation and growth with past-investment studies [27:51]

To listen, access the episode here or wherever you get your podcasts.

Agribusiness Optimization Isn't Everything | Ep77

"What are we optimizing for?" is a powerful question that cuts through the noise of competing opportunities in your agribusiness.

But do you know why it is important?

Because it cultivates the most important ingredients to success:

1. Increasing Clarity
2. Creating Alignment
3. And taken together, producing Focus

But a sole focus on optimization falls short.

Why? Not because the question is wrong. Rather, the question is incomplete.

In episode 77 of The Pacesetter Pod, we unpacked the underappreciated downsides of a preoccupation with optimization. We explore how doing more of you already do at a bigger, better, faster scale might create good short-term results but also put you in a position to be outflanked by competitors, outrun by emerging customer needs, and overrun by risks to the business.

Episode highlights include:

• Three vital benefits of optimization-based inquiry and investigation [02:45]
• How to balance offense and defense in optimization [05:13]
• Pro tips to validate a market need [09:14]

• Why should you favor new ventures over the myopia of optimization? [12:21]
• Strategic evaluations you should regularly revisit [15:21]

To listen, access the episode here or wherever you get your podcasts.