Sustainability is a common word in agriculture. This word has a lot of depth in the industry, with many different levels of implementation to achieve this common goal. But I believe that there is one main issue in agriculture that must be addressed, or we are not going to have ranches to talk about in the future. And that issue is ranching relationships. I have visited with many ranchers and time and time again when you get to the bottom of how things are really going, there is an unhealthy relationship at the heart of it. Sometimes, it’s between the rancher and their employees. Sometimes, it’s between spouses. Sometimes, it’s between siblings, on farm or off farm. Often, it’s between generations. And nobody wants to talk about it. We often hide behind the guise of “we’re a close-knit family who does a lot of things together”, to avoid addressing the toxic relationships lurking under the surface. To me, this is like using air freshener spray to cover up the rotten smell in your pantry. It might cover it for a while, but the problem is going to get worse, and eventually you are just going to have to address that rotten potato.
And it all starts with communication. But what does that even mean? No, it doesn’t mean to talk often. I know a lot of people who talk a lot and communicate very little. Communication means that you talk about the hard stuff. The stuff no one wants to talk about. The crucial conversations. Here are some crucial conversations that you need to be having with your ranch team.
The audience: The older generation/s.
The question: What would happen to the ranch if you died today?
The reason: Boy oh boy is this a hard conversation to have. But it is so very necessary. It is my opinion that when planning to take over a business, it is incredibly important that what is in the will of the majority shareholders is very transparent. Their will should not be a secret. If you are in a working relationship with someone who will not communicate what is in their will or how they plan to transition the ranch, I strongly encourage you to get out of the working relationship. Actually, if I’m being honest, I’d much rather have people over 60 years old give with a warm hand than a cold one. But more on that in another post.
The audience: Anyone who is working on the ranch.
The question: What is my role?
The reason: If you work with your children, parents, siblings, or any other family, it is critical to identify each person’s roles. CRITICAL. This doesn’t just mean identifying who is in charge, it means giving each person purpose on the ranch. How can you ever meet the expectations of those you work with if you never even know what you are responsible for? We have an organizational chart that lists all the positions on our ranch. Under each position it lists everything that person is responsible for. These lists include every single thing that needs to be done on our ranch each year. There is never any question who is responsible for what. It also gives autonomy to each individual, which is incredibly important.
The audience: The older generation/s.
The question: How do you plan to transition this ranch, and what is the timeline for that?
The reason: I know this question is going to ruffle some feathers of those in the older generation. Good. I hope it does. If you are over 60 and have not started the process of transitioning your ranch to the next generation, you need to get on it. Now I know there are exceptions. But for the majority, holding on too long is one of the biggest problems in ranching succession. Your children will be in their management prime when they are ages 35-55. So let them take some control. Begin giving them the reins, so they can thrive. This doesn’t mean you have to retire. It just means that you start letting go. And to the younger generation, if you are 35-55 years old and your parent/s have not started this process, and are not willing to even talk about it, you need to get out. Go do your own thing. It’s your responsibility to put you and your immediate family first. This might hurt Mom and Dad’s feelings, but they are hurting you by not giving you any control. It will be a hard decision at first, but it will be completely worth it in the end.
The audience: The on-farm sibling.
The question: How can we make running this ranch together work? And if we can’t, how do we go our separate ways?
The reason: I do not believe a business should ever be managed 50/50. I do not think it is realistic that a ranch can operate successfully without creating resentment and animosity if two people are in charge. Someone has to be the CEO. (Again, an organizational chart is key.) Identify these roles. Just because one sibling is older or has been there longer does not mean that they are right for the CEO position. Identify everyone’s strengths and weaknesses and give them positions accordingly. If Jimmy Bob thinks he should be in charge because he’s been on the ranch longer, but he lacks skills in leadership, conflict resolution, decision making, and managing working relationships, he is probably not right for the job. If Jimmy Bob vehimately disagrees, maybe it’s time to discuss how to separate with either a buy out or splitting the assets. There is no cookie cutter approach to how to handle these situations, as each one is different, but please keep in mind that enjoying ranching and the people you do it with IS possible, it just might require walking away and changing paths.
Okay, I’ll stop there for now. I could go on and on. If your family is struggling and you can see relationships destructing, I think getting a facilitator on board to help you through some of these conversations is critical. If you would like me to come visit with your family and help you through some of this, I would be happy to. However, I am just beginning my journey of helping others develop healthy relationships on their ranches, so I am unexperienced and have very few credentials. So if you would like the contact information of a much more experienced and professional facilitator whom I would give my full recommendation, please message me. I’d be glad to get you in touch.
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