b'In addition, its important to ensure defensiveness is left out ofEvery group has a culture, and if we arent intentional about the equation. building and nurturing that culture, well find ourselves in a frus-Its easy to get caught up in listening to the other party intrating situation and look around and wonder, how in the world order to provide a defense instead of listening to hear what isdid we get here? he says. being said, Gremel says.Strategy always needs to be supported by a companys cul-ture. Family BusinessTrying to implement strategic change without understand-Agriculture is largely built on family business, with farminging and working within an organizations culture is just a recipe operations passed down from one generation to the next, oftenfor frustration, Hulbert says. You can change culture, but thats with two or more generations working together. And while thissomething that has to be done very carefully over a period of can be helpful and rewarding, families often struggle when ityears, and to be honest, usually involves bringing in new people.comes to communicating and resolving conflicts effectively. Youd think families would be better at this, but they canFlexible, Not Fastbe the worst when it comes to giving and receiving feedback,Because the agricultural industry is so heavily dependent on Hammett says. But we see brothers that cant talk to brothers,Mother Nature and other external factors, flexibility and grit are husbands that wont talk to wives, fathers and sons that fight. Itsimportant qualities for any leader. important to remember that venting and complaining is not theA leaders ability to remain optimistic, persevere in the same thing as giving and receiving feedback.unknown or tough seasons, and transfer confidence to those in Hulbert says one way to fight this is to keep work-relatedwhich she or he leads is very important, Gremel says.discussions separate from family matters. Its about staying the course, even when times are tough. At The default can become taking family issues to work andthe same time, Hulbert encourages leaders to slow down when work issues home. We need to operate more professionally atfaced with a difficult decision. work, to be more intentional with each other, he says. Dont allow yourself to be rushed into a decision. Sometimes you have to make snap decisions, but generally you have time Growing Culture to think about it, and most importantly, run the numbers, he Hammett says every organization, whether a big corporation orsays. Gut feel can get you to a certain point, but its numbers, a family farm, needs to be intentional about defining and grow- especially the ones with dollar signs in front of them, that get you ing their desired culture.all the way home.SW38/ SEEDWORLD.COMSEPTEMBER 2021'