The dark days of winter. This time of year is hard, especially with all the Christmas lights down. I know we are gaining on the sunlight, but we still have more than five months until the summer solstice. This season also means my hens aren’t laying many eggs. It has been two weeks since my last egg. As frequent readers know, it takes a lot of work to clean the coop, feed the hens, refill their water container, give them treats, put hats on them, and not get any eggs. The lack of egg production has forced me to buy eggs at the grocery store. I paid $10.49 for a dozen free-range eggs. When did the price of eggs get so high?

Here I am, working really hard to care for my hens, and they aren’t doing their jobs. So I turned to my chicken coach for advice. My first question was, “Are your chickens laying right now?” Her response was, “Yes, we’re getting 18-20 eggs per day.” How she ended up with so many chickens, I have no idea, but I’ve learned not to ask someone how many chickens they have. It’s one of those seemingly easy questions that can be surprisingly difficult to answer.

But her answer to the question of egg-laying made me realize I could definitely do something to get my ladies to start laying. My chicken coach provided lots of resources and ideas on what she has been doing to ensure egg production throughout the winter. I immediately put her ideas into action, and slowly egg production has begun to increase. 

Here’s the thing. Had I not sought outside advice, I would have made up my own story about what was going on with my hens. I’d rely on what I thought I remembered from the last time this happened or search the web for the best remedy. But talking to someone who knows me, my hens, and all things chickens was the fastest way to identify the root cause and start addressing the problem. 

As I teach my clients, you can’t coach yourself from inside a bottle. You receive much more valuable help when you bring in an outside perspective from someone who understands you. However, you must invest in that relationship if you want that person to understand your situation and the people involved. That’s the only way to ensure that the advice they offer you remains relevant.

A few months ago, I received an email from a CEO about an issue with a leadership team member. This team member had a complete breakdown during a meeting. He was yelling, swearing, and carrying on. The CEO was quite concerned about the team member and the impact his behavior would have on the team and possibly the organization. Having spent time with the team during several EOS sessions, I had my own perspective on this person and some of the behaviors I had observed. We talked through the issue and ultimately agreed that there must have been something outside of the business that caused his severe reaction. 

Rather than discipline the team member for his behavior, the CEO decided to meet one-on-one to find out what was going on. It turned out that some stressors at home were spilling into his work. Together, they talked through some techniques the team member could use when he started to feel that his emotions were getting the best of him. 

This is exactly what I believe is so powerful about the work I have the privilege of doing. Spending time with leadership teams allows me to get to know the team and individual team members along with the business and the challenges they face. All of this gives me the context and background to truly coach them to become their best. As one of my clients said, “You are hard on us when we need it. But you’re also there to share in our celebrations.” 

As you start this new year and consider everything you want to accomplish, do you have the right structure to support achieving those things? Do you have the right coach to guide you through the obstacles you may face? If you answered no to either of these questions, please reach out to me. I can help you and your leadership team get more out of your business than you could ever imagine. 

Our “Little Gray” hen hatched out five peeps in late June.  Unfortunately, one of them had a bad leg, and while she could hop around, she couldn’t roost. After about eight weeks, we had to move her on to greener pastures.  Of the remaining youngsters, it appears we have at least three roosters.  About four weeks ago, I headed up to the coop for the weekly cleaning, and I found one of those cockerels (young roosters) hanging out in the coop.  I kicked him out so I could clean, and as he ran down the ramp, all the other chickens started chasing him and pecking at him.  When I intervened, he was crammed up in the corner of the run.  I picked him up and found that he was pecked raw and nearly lifeless.

At this point, I decided he needed to be moved to the smaller coop just 20 feet from where I stood.  All I needed to do was open the coop gate, walk the 20 feet to the other coop, open that gate, and put him inside.  But this simple journey became a bit of an obstacle course, because I had two very interested retrievers who wanted to help.  Now, if I had expected to be handling chickens and moving them from one coop to another, I wouldn’t have brought the dogs, but this was the situation I found myself in.

So, I stood there, contemplated the situation, and did what anyone would: I took a selfie.  No, I did.  But then I realized I was stuck.  There was no way I would be able to handle this situation alone.  I could either set the cockerel down and take the dogs up to the house, risking further attacks on the cockerel, or I could phone a friend.  So I called Mike and asked for his help.  He came up and was able to pull the dogs away so I could move the injured cockerel to the other coop.

I don’t know why all the chickens were picking on that particular cockerel.  Even his three “hatch-mates” chased him around.  That is one of the things I don’t like about chickens.  They can be mean.  They peck at each other. They don’t support each other.  They are the antithesis of how I encourage my leadership teams to behave.  And honestly, it makes me a little sad.  I know it’s just in their chicken DNA, but why must they do that?

When implementing EOS, I work with the leadership teams to get them healthy.  That means having uncomfortable conversations with one another, calling people out if they aren’t living by their core values, holding each other accountable, and caring so much about the company and its people that they will enter danger.

In his book Overcoming the Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Patrick Lencioni defines a team as a group of people who share common goals and the responsibilities and rewards of achieving them. However, according to Lencioni, not every group of people in an organization is really a team. They might have the same manager or work in the same department, but that doesn’t make them a team.

When implementing EOS, I work closely with an organization’s leaders, guiding them to become a true team. For them to succeed, they must embrace collaboration, accountability, and unity. My work is most rewarding when I witness this transformation—watching a group of individuals embark on their EOS journey and evolve into a cohesive, high-performing team.

I see leaders lean into the discomfort of holding each other accountable, emerging stronger and more united. They align around a shared vision, celebrate their wins together, and provide unwavering support during challenging times. It’s a privilege to witness teams navigate failures, rebuild together, and grow even stronger. I’ve also seen team members face personal struggles only to be lifted up by the care and strength of their team.

These moments of resilience, trust, and growth are what make my work so fulfilling. Watching leaders transform not just their businesses but also their relationships and personal lives is a constant reminder of the power of teamwork and shared vision.

Celebrating and supporting each other creates a team that is determined to succeed.  As Lencioni says in his book The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (the main book that preceded the book mentioned above), “A healthy team can dominate any industry, at any time, against any competition.”  If you sense your team isn’t as healthy as it could be, and you need help getting it where you want it to be, please get in touch with me.  Together, we can transform your flock of leaders pecking at each other into a team of leaders who are working together toward a common vision.

A few days ago I made my morning walk up to the chickens with the dogs.  As I approached the gate, I saw Sven, our rooster, standing with his back to the gate in what appeared to be a protective stance.  Sven is 2 years old and to date hasn’t been aggressive with me or the other hens.  My first thought was that perhaps that “switch” had flipped in his head and he was ready to fight.  I opened the gate and asked him if he was planning on moving.  As I did, I realized his spur was caught in the chicken netting and he was stuck.  He tried to free himself, but he couldn’t. He was so nervous with me so close that he kept trying to get away, making the situation worse.

I walked back to the house to get some snips and returned to the gate.  I was hoping I could cut the netting from under the gate, but that didn’t work. So, I slowly eased myself into the coop and crouched down next to him, within about 12 inches.  He stood completely still.

Slowly, I started to cut away the netting around his spur.  After four cuts, he was able to free himself and run away.  I watched him for a bit to make sure he wasn’t injured. He looked OK, but he wasn’t quite as “cocky” as he normally is.

I walked back to the house feeling pretty good about myself and saving my rooster.  But then I started to think about him.  He’d been stuck and had to succumb to my help in order to get free.  I’m sure that was hard for him at some deep chicken level.

I wonder, if I had been in his shoes, could I have stood there and waited to be cut free?  Knowing myself, I would have struggled for a long time before I actually asked for help.  I believe I am not alone –  a lot of people have that same challenge. It can be humbling and sometimes demoralizing to admit we can’t do it alone.

I have always been the person who is willing to step in and help others, but when I need someone to lean on, it is very difficult for me to admit it and even more difficult to actually ask for help.

However, what I have learned in the past year is that my relationships with my clients, my friends and my family are deeper when I share what is going on in my life, including areas where I’m struggling and need help.  It has taken me a long time to get to the point where I could do that, much less write about it.  A wise person in my life once told me, “You can’t truly be of service to others until you allow others to serve you.”

When you look at yourself and the people around you, are you paying attention to what is going on in their lives?  Are you creating an environment where people are comfortable asking for help?  Are you slowing down and really connecting or are you double booked, often cancelling your one-on-ones for things that seem more urgent in the moment?

Looking inward, are you allowing others to help you, or are you trying to project the image of someone who has it all together? If this is hard for you, I understand.  But developing deep, meaningful relationships requires honesty and vulnerability.

Still not convinced?  Research shows that companies with a culture of belonging and caring have less turnover, higher productivity and are more profitable.  Sounds like a win-win proposition!  If you see the value but aren’t sure how to start, please reach out to me.  I’m here to listen and support you on this journey.

During a recent trip to Europe, I had a chance to meet up with our German friends and travel with them through Slovenia, Croatia, Czech Republic and Austria. They had visited us last summer and left inspired to get chickens. So, last October, Burkhart went to work building his chicken coop and eventually got his first chickens in May of this year. He had a lot of adventures as he began his journey to become Chicken Daddy, including outsmarting a clever chicken who learned how to escape the coop, dealing with broody hens and setting up the coop so the hens would lay eggs in the coop and not in random places on their property. During our recent travels, I shared some of the things I’ve learned in an effort to reduce his steep learning curve. After all the help I received from my chicken coach and the chicken whisperer, it felt good to help another aspiring chicken dad on his egg-laying journey.

The fact is there are always people who want to help others be successful in their endeavors, whether it be around raising chickens, traveling through Europe or running a business.

In the work I do, I have the privilege to walk alongside business owners, CEOs and entrepreneurs and support them as they navigate the challenges of running a business. Running a business is hard work. It requires dedication, grit and, often, sacrifice of time and personal resources. Many business owners feel they are alone in facing the challenges of running a business – they can’t share those issues with their employees, friends or even family.

About five years ago, I was coaching a few employees of a local business. During that time, I developed a great working relationship with the CEO. About two years ago during a meeting with this CEO, he started sharing all he was doing with his management team. When he finished, I asked, “Do you feel the weight of running this business squarely on your shoulders?” He took a deep breath and said, “Yes, and it is exhausting.” I suggested that a peer advisory group such as Vistage would allow him to interact with other business owners who could help him navigate some of the challenges he was facing. I introduced him to a Vistage chair, and he joined the group. A year later, he called me up and said, “I see the value of Vistage for me. Now, I need an operating system for the company. Let’s talk about EOS.”

A year into their EOS journey, the leadership team has really embraced EOS and the changes it has brought about. When I asked a leadership team member to name the greatest impact that EOS has had on the company, he said, “Honestly, it is the CEO. With clarity of vision and having the right accountability chart, he is letting go and allowing us to run our departments, which is freeing him up to do what he is really good at.”

So, let me ask you: Do you have a coach who is going to help you achieve your full potential? Are you part of a peer advisory group that can help you solve issues in your business while maintaining confidentiality? Do you have a business operating system that will allow you and your company to achieve your full potential? If not, please reach out to me. Together, we can find the best resources to support you on your journey.

Have you heard the phrase, “Well, you’re no spring chicken?” As you can imagine, the subtext is that chickens are typically born in spring.  For me, that means at least one of my chickens is going to be broody.  In case you are a chicken novice, a “broody” hen wants to gather a clutch of eggs, incubate them and ultimately hatch them. The first step in this “broodiness” is gathering eggs to sit on until she has an appropriate number in her clutch.

In my experience, that “appropriate” number in a clutch can exceed 12 eggs. So we intervene. Considering the size of my coop and the number of potential broody hens, we have settled on six eggs being an ideal clutch size.  Once a hen goes broody, we mark the designated eggs and then, on a daily basis, lift the broody hen up and remove all unmarked eggs from her clutch.  Depending on the hen, her acceptance of this daily handling can vary from a quiet “growl” to all-out pecking at the handler.  Other than occasionally leaving the coop to eat and poop, she will sit on her eggs for three weeks.

A few days prior to the expected egg-hatching date, we relocate her and her eggs to a separate coop.  Every morning, I check on her.  Her typical response is to puff up her feathers and lowly growl at me.  But inevitably that changes once her peeps arrive.  At some point she’ll puff up even more, and her growling will become much more aggressive.  That is the clue to listen for the first of “the peeps.”  The hen hovers over her brood until all the peeps have hatched.

Once her brood is complete, she will start to parade them outside the coop.  She teaches them how to eat, pulling food out of the feeder and putting it on the ground for the peeps.  She will show them how to peck at the grass looking for bugs.  During that time, her protective nature moves into high gear.  If she feels threatened by me, she will charge at me with all her feathers fanned out, keeping herself between me and her peeps.  Over the next week as her peeps become more self-sufficient, her aggression will mellow out a bit.  She’ll still make her motherly clucking noises to alert her peeps of potential threat, but if I need to enter the coop to refresh the food or water, she won’t charge me.

As I reflect on a hen’s behavior through these stages, it is apparent that her behavior changes with the needs of her clutch.  For a whole host of reasons, I’m not going to compare the stages of raising peeps to the stages of raising humans.  However, I am going to compare them to the care and development of employees.

Every organization needs people to achieve its vision.  There is no way around this.  Yes, the type of work we need done may change over time, but we need people.  As humans, we are unique beings who are constantly growing and (we hope) evolving.  As such, every team member is at a different stage in their professional and personal development.  Some employees come into the organization with a lot of knowledge but not a lot of experience in the position they were hired to fill.  Some employees have amazing talent but are missing some of the soft skills needed to thrive in their position.  And some employees want to grow their skills in order to advance their careers.  Regardless of where each of your team members are, they all need a manager who cares for them and wants to help them develop.

Have you ever stopped to consider what stage your employees are in and what they need from you to be successful? When they come to you with an issue, are you solving the issue for them or taking the time to help them solve it for themselves?

I don’t know about you, but when someone comes to me with an issue, I struggle with the temptation to jump in and solve it for them. As I like to say, I’m really good at solving other people’s problems. Mine, not so much.

We love to solve other people’s problems for various reasons.  One reason is that it takes time to coach someone through finding the solution for themselves. Another reason, if we are honest with ourselves, is we like to be the hero. But when we solve the problem for another person, we prevent them from finding their own solution and ultimately owning that solution. This robs them of the opportunity to do the hard work, come up with the right solution and grow in confidence once they solve the issue.

Depending on the stage the employee is in, they may need more or less guidance to find the right solution.  But, regardless of the stage they are in, this guidance needs to come in the form of questions, not directives.  Instead of giving answers, perhaps ask, “How could you solve this issue?” Or “What are some solutions to this problem?” If they don’t know, ask them, “What are some options?” Or, “If someone came to you with this issue, what would you suggest?”

Then keep asking them, “and what else?” until you feel they have enough options to consider.  Then ask, “Which of these solutions would yield the best result?” and maybe, “What makes you say that?”  The magic is in letting them work through the issue while you prompt them with questions along the way.

A few years ago, I was on a call with one of my clients.  She was frustrated with the business and felt she needed a new business model.  I began asking her questions about what made her feel that way, what issues she saw, what changes she could make.  Over the course of an hour, by addressing these questions, she was able to identify changes she needed to make.  At the end of the conversation, she thanked me for helping her solve her problem. I told her all I did was ask questions and she identified the changes all on her own.  She was actually surprised when she realized I hadn’t made a single suggestion.  The conversation made her feel more confident in her decision-making skills.

After the call, I thought more about my part of the conversation.  I realized asking questions rather than telling her what to do was hard work.  I felt the internal struggle between telling her how I thought she should run her business and slowing down to listen to her and ask thoughtful questions to help her make the right decisions for her business. The truth is – it isn’t my business, and I couldn’t possibly know what the right business model should be for her. For me to think otherwise is just arrogance on my part.

How about you?  Are you playing the hero in your employee’s story? Or are you allowing them to grow in confidence by asking insightful questions?  If you need some coaching on how to ask insightful questions, please reach out to me. I won’t solve the issue for you, but I will ask thought-provoking questions and share some resources that have helped me.