Words by RCS Chief of Delivery David McLean (pictured)
15/07/24
Specifically, how do you set yourself up for win if planning isn’t something that comes naturally to you.
There are 3 key ingredients for successful planning in your business.
#1. Know WHY you need to be planning. If we don’t have clear 
ownership of why something should be done, we will always find something else to do that will give us more satisfaction.This satisfaction might be short term or completely disconnected to what you need to achieve as a business.
General Dwight Eisenhower summed it up beautifully: “If you are failing to plan, you are planning to fail”.
In agriculture we have so many factors we can’t control, why give up your ability to control those things you can? Good planning will help get your team on the same page, increase efficiency, improve team function, reduce wasted time, put you in control, reduce stress and most likely improve sleep. Just to name a few benefits. The opposite is chaos, dysfunction and frustration.
“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” – Abraham Lincoln
Spud, a manager I used to work with, taught me many things. One particularly great learning was whenever we felt under pressure with our workload we would allocate time for a operations meeting over smoko. It might seem strange to add another job when you’re already under the pump however without fail, every time we did this we created time and ticked off all the jobs. The process of planning and putting pen to paper took away the overwhelm and chaos and replaced it with the steps to set us up for a win.
#2. Set up good, simple SYSTEMS to support easy planning. Once you have ownership as to why planning is important, the next ingredient is to work out where and how you will do your planning. When you write something down you change your relationship with the content. I cannot emphasise enough the power of getting your thoughts and plans out of your head onto paper or the computer.
“Reduce your plan to writing. The moment you complete this, you will have given concrete form to the intangible desire.” – Napoleon Hill
What will work for you? Is it a wall planner, diary, whiteboard, spreadsheet, calendar, cloud based documents? This isn’t a one size fits all item. The systems for a sole operator are quite different to a larger business with people in multiple locations. Then you need to consider what systems are needed for planning as an individual compared to what is needed as a business (usually involving multiple people). I believe the best systems are a combination of a few different platforms such as whiteboards, calendars and cloud based
Another aspect of systems is how you structure your meetings (agenda) and week.If you’re looking for ideas, speak with your RCS Advisor/Coach for some templates and ideas to improve your system.
#3. Structure your day or week to create the DISCIPLINE of prioritising time for planning. Good planning shouldn’t take much time. If it is taking too much time my experience is the first two ingredients need some attention. The key here is to prioritise some focus time for planning on a regular basis.
“Unless commitment is made, there are only promises and hopes; but no plans.” – Peter F. Drucker
Ingredient #3 is about putting your shoulder to the wheel and having a weekly structure that makes time for planning. Planning applies to everyone, regardless of title or age. It just happens that if you are in a decision making position in your business that you will need to do more planning than someone with less responsibility. Everyone has the capacity to do some good planning – some people just need to work harder at this skill than others.
A question to ask is which discomfort do you want to choose? The discomfort of learning how to plan or the discomfort of chaos and frustration due to a lack of planning?
The secret sauce: the final ingredient is support and accountability. This is where the RCS network hits its straps. Whether it be your RCS advisor/coach, your ExecutiveLink board members or your peers – ask them for help and to help you create the habit of good planning.
Running an agribusiness can be a complex beast to plan – enjoy the challenge and enjoy the rewards from working it out!
David is RCS Chief of Delivery running Grazing for Profit Schools and advisory work with RCS Australia. www.rcsaustralia.com.au 1800 356 004
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Dennis Donohoe, farm manager with Aminya Pastoral, is a seasoned producer with decades of experience, and his story is a testament to how even minor changes in farming practices can lead to significant improvements in productivity and land health.
Once you have ownership as to why planning is important, the next ingredient is to work out where and how you will do your planning. When you write something down you change your relationship with the content. I cannot emphasise enough the power of getting your thoughts and plans out of your head onto paper or the computer.
The season in SA and Tassie is particularly tight right now with little or no useful rain since early January and a generally failed 2023 spring prior to that. Right now, across southern Australia and much of the eastern NSW, you won’t need to drive far out into the countryside to see cattle and sheep grazing (and lying on) hay and silage trails lined across paddocks.
Martha Lindstad and partner Robert James are farm managers on ‘Karalee’, Enngonia NSW. Both have travelled different paths to being where they are. Martha is originally from Norway, growing up on a three hectare farm before travelling to New Zealand and eventually the Pilbara in Western Australia. It was here that she saw the benefits of sustainable farming for the country and livestock.
The Prince’s RCS mentor, Raymond Stacey, sees a strong future ahead for Simon and Laura. “The Drought Resilient Soils and Landscapes project is about supporting graziers to manage their country and businesses better,” Raymond said. “I see an operation here where they’re working hard on their planning and putting their plans into action to leave their country, business and people in better shape.”
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