Starting anew

The past six months or so have been a season of great changes for me. I left a company where I had worked for 19 years and 11 months. I made a decision to reprioritize and make changes in my life that went far beyond employment.

After a career of living wherever my job was, I decided I would first choose where I wanted to live. After twenty years In Fayetteville, Arkansas, I was ready to move North again, for a variety of reasons. My wife and I began looking for property in Maine and Vermont. It hardly needs saying that we wound up in Western New York--a tale as old as time, as it were.

We purchased a small farm--a 75 year old farmhouse and some outbuildings. The previous owners had owned the place for decades and kept horses. We moved into the house in December and the first several weeks were consumed in unpacking and squeezing Christmas in.

My wife and I take a walk around the property every day that life doesn't interfere. The first walk was to get a feel for where the property lines are, and afterwards to observe what the farm needs and to enjoy some time reminding ourselves of why we bought the farm in the first place.

It occurs to me that I used to do something similar when I was a young retail manager. I'd walk outside the store to just watch how people moved and what the traffic patterns were. I wondered about what it would take to change traffic patterns in ways that would benefit my store. I would walk through the door over and over again, trying hard to see everything for the first time. I'd walk the store in the same way. It is only with effort that we can see our business the way others do. Usually, we choose not to put in that effort.

Our farm has many obvious needs--the barn and shop both need painting and the perimeter fence is in need of repair. A fence that was appropriate for horses is not as well suited for fiber animals, like sheep and alpaca, which is what we intend to raise. As we walked the farm day after day, it became clear that we needed to be intentional in water management. Our property slopes gently but persistently and the water flows where it will. We can choose to redirect the flow, or we can choose to manage the land according to where it does flow. What we can't do is ignore these water dynamics and just plant or pasture as we please.

How much similarly oriented time do we spend on our business like this? Forcing ourselves to experience our product or service from our customers' point of view? Not rushing ahead for a revelation, but regular, unhurried observation, learning, and reflection? As soon as we got to "unhurried," you knew we had stopped talking about business, right? We don't stop and observe in 21st century American business--we just drive ahead, faster and harder. So what happens? We don't know how the water--traffic, demand, etc--finds its way into our business. We're faced with the two options that I have on my farm: redirect the water (and consider all the ramifications) or build my business where the water wants to flow. But there's always option three: ignore the water and just pretend it will always be there when you want it. Businesses today really like option three.

There are so many projects that I have in mind for my farm. So many of them will be fun to do and will have an immediate, obvious improvement. But we're not doing any of those. Instead, we are going to learn from the water, and the truth is, while we can redirect it, we can never get past the reality of where it goes and where it flows. Until we understand that, it is foolishness to make other improvements.

What is it in your business that is like water? Maybe it's something below the surface, that's easy to ignore. Is it demographic change? Is it logistics? Is it evolving consumer behavior? I wonder what happens if every morning you connect with your business--just to observe and learn. To see what changes from day to day. The report that shows you how much water falls in any given period doesn't provide that information. You have to see it. You have to force yourself see it with fresh eyes. Regularly.

It takes about a half hour to walk our property. My wife and I do it together whenever we can. We see different things and have different knowledge and experiences. But we gain insight and alignment. I refuse to believe that the businesses we manage don't need us to spend time together--observing and discussing--gaining alignment and actively seeking insight. Instead, we are frenetic, driven, and much more interested in getting stuff done than in gaining deeper knowledge of our own business. A report will not tell you everything you need to know.

I've worked in corporations a long time, and I know this approach sounds like it can't be done. We're too busy. I agree. We are too busy. And it will always be that the people who take the time to regularly THINK about their business will pass by the people who refuse to learn from what lies under their own feet.