b"Knowing the Difference Between JIM SCHWEIGERT Consensus and Engagement PRESIDENT, GRO ALLIANCE Makes ALL the Differencejim.schweigert@groalliance.comgroalliance.com@jim_schweigert AS I FACILITATE DISCUSSIONSaround the world, Ive come to learn what makes for a truly successful discussion that results in substantive change versus an outcome that simply keeps status quo or gets people to begrudgingly agree with some-The Never-Ending Questthing. The former generates engagement, while the latter simply generates consensus.for the Holy Grail:What's the difference between generating consensus and engagement? Generating consensus is getting everyone to Low Risk and High Margin agree to go in a certain directionSure, that sounds OK to me, they sayand then everyone moves that way. Engagement is understanding, buying into, and passionately I WANTED TO BEIndiana Jones when I was a kid. Hunting fordriving forward the why.lost relics and unlocking historys secrets looked like the best jobConsensus isnt bad. We need some consensus in our lives. in the world! That ability to get everyone to say yes is a great skill to have I especially liked the scene in Indiana Jones and the LastBUT (used for dramatic effect, because I should never use this Crusade where he has to determine which cup is the Holy Grail.word!) when we need real buy-inwhen we need people to To save his fathers life, he must drink from the true Holy Grail.fully commit and push towards a goalwe need engagement. A sip from any of the other hundreds of cups and goblets andAnd engagement comes from genuine conversation and under-Indiana Jones dies. For him, this risk was worth the reward. standing, not just from agreement.Searching for the metaphorical Holy Grail is a commonGetting there isnt easy. Engaging people often requires an practice that doesnt usually involve risking ones life. I am struck,outsider to highlight commonalities.however, by the shear amount of risk some companies are will- People usually have more similarities in their goals than differ-ing to take on for what seems to be small margin opportunities.ences, but they often see it as a complete adversarial situation This imbalance of taking high risks for small rewards is a growing theres NO way were giving into THEM, I often hear. In these theme. Margin is hard to find and some are risking a lot in thecases, no one is committed to engaging because they see it as quest to discover it. taking a weaker position.Risk taking doesnt always mean doing something either.So how do you arrive at getting people engaged? Grant In fact, some of the riskiest behavior Ive seen involve compa- them some ownership over the outcome. The idea, campaign, or nies operating just like they did last year. No lineup or territorystrategy that comes out of it isn't the most important piece; the changes, no operating structure reviews, no new partnerships orownership is. When its their idea, theyll be fully committed and ventures. They stay with the status quo. adjust as needed. People work hard for the bosss idea but will The comments I hear back when Ive asked about why theygo to great lengths for their own. havent made a move despite the risks sound similar. Its typicallyThe tricky part is when people slide into thinking theyre something along the lines of If X or Y changes in our favor, eve- being manipulated into agreeing with a certain idea. Nothing rything will be good. The X or Y is usually labor costs, product/ about this is manipulation; it's about clarity. The distinction input costs, crop acreage or sales volume.between manipulation and clarity is massive, and it often comes In summary, I see an increasing number of companies takingdown to intent. If your intent is to show that your idea is the right risks without reaping sufficient rewards. You do not want toone, that's manipulation. If your intent is to have everyone believe choose poorly, as the movie quote goes. in the path forward, thats clarityand Gro Alliance isnt immune to the changing industry. In somehaving someone who knows how to ways, we are even more impacted as our clients are seed com- help you generate it is invaluable. panies. And we all know there are a finite number of those. The more we can help companies regain margin opportunity and build a more resilient business, the better off our long-term pros-pects are. A partnership with Gro Alliance will help you uncover hiddenSHAWN BROOKmargin in logistics, seed services, genetics and business plan-ning. Our list of services, crops and locations continues to growPRESIDENT, SEED WORLD GROUPas we find creative solutions for seed companies and breeders.sbrook@seedworldgroup.comseedworldgroup.comReach out to us and lets find the Holy Grail together!@SeedWorldGroup20/ SEEDWORLD.COMSEPTEMBER 2024"