The Power of Just 15 Minutes of Focus
The poet Ovid said, “Dripping water hollows out stone, not through force but through persistence.”
This quote perfectly encompasses a key in business success: small habits done repeatedly truly do add up.
What is a small task you could start that would pay dividends? In just 15 minutes you could dramatically improve the camaraderie and efficiency of your farm’s team, says Eric Termuende, author and co-founder of NoW of Work.
“The fastest way to speed up human connection is to slow down,” he says. “In times like now, it is not just all about business — it’s all about people.”
Every two weeks, he says, set aside 15 minutes for your entire team to gather and answer these three questions:
- What should we start doing?
- What should we stop doing?
- What should we continue doing?
“People may not have ideas, and that’s OK,” Termuende says. “The point of the meeting is to promote the idea you have a purposeful and safe space for ideas to be heard.”
FOCUS ON CULTURE
Why does this work? It builds an exciting culture for your farm, says Mark Faust, president of Echelon Management.
“A healthy, vibrant culture is the new competitive advantage,” he says. “Your biggest opportunity to fuel business growth likely has to do with creating a great culture.”
Set cultural objectives you can measure for your farm, and don’t be afraid to have fun with your culture.
“You want some rules and rituals that are so memorable, meaningful or maniacal they make permanent impressions, ideally both inside and outside of your company,” Faust says.
This could come in the form of a unique farm slogan, amazing perks or simply an open-door policy with the boss.
“You are in a battle for the best people,” Faust says. “To get them you need to be the best workplace. To be a great place to work you need a compelling culture.”
