The week before Christmas I filled my chicken coop with hens and one rooster.  I felt pretty good about myself as I was finally on my way to achieving my goal of having free-range eggs on a daily basis.

The following afternoon, I went up to visit the chickens and noticed that one hen was outside the run.  Seeing the rest of the chickens in the run, I made the assumption that our long lost “Caramel Corn” (from the previous batch of hens) had been called in by our rooster.

Both my husband and I were very excited.  And so was our bird dog, JacX.

JacX began chasing the chicken as we discussed how to get her into the coop.  Our attention wasn’t on the dog or the chicken, as we knew Caramel Corn could fly.  Well, apparently, she couldn’t fly as well as we thought. JacX cornered her and killed her.

I was so distraught.  How could this chicken live on her own for the past five months and then get caught by JacX in just a few minutes?  I even think JacX felt bad as well.  It was a sad ending to the “A Chicken’s Way Home” movie.

The next morning, I got the call from my husband: Caramel Corn was up in the front field with our neighbor’s horses and goats.  Yes, Caramel Corn lives again!

So, where had this other chicken come from?  I couldn’t say for sure, but I assumed it was a neighbor’s chicken.  Mostly, I was happy that Caramel Corn was going to live another day.

All was fine until I went up a few days later to clean the coop.  To my dismay, I realized that I was missing a hen.  I searched high and low, but she was gone.

And now I knew where that free-range hen came from.  I still don’t know how she got out, but she did.  So, yes, I am down one chicken.  And, again, I’m feeling really bad about my chicken mama skills.

Not keeping score really hurt me. If I had been keeping count, I would have known that I had lost a chicken and could have taken steps to address the problem before the instincts of our hunting dog took over.

Not keeping track of the leading indicators in your business can also have drastic consequences.  How many times could you have avoided a problem in your business if you had taken steps earlier? That includes things such as declines in revenue, safety issues or losing key personnel who are not feeling appreciated or fulfilled.

The reality is that no matter what plan you set for your business, issues will come up.  Small issues left unattended can grow into large issues.  If you aren’t tracking your business’s key metrics, or leading indicators, you could find yourself reacting too late, after an issue has impacted business performance.

However, by reviewing your leading indicators on a weekly basis, you will be able to see data and trends that let you know you need to take action.

Don’t have a scorecard?  No problem: follow these three steps to develop one.

1. Identify key metrics for each of your departments.

2. Monitor those metrics every week during your leadership team meetings.

3. Take steps once you see a metric trending off track.

To make this even easier, you can request a copy of the scorecard I created that will automatically create graphs for your key metrics.

Now is the time to get yourself and your team aligned on the key metrics that will ensure you launch 2021 on the right foot because I don’t want you to experience anything like the sad ending of “A Chicken’s Way Home.”

P.S. Starting your year with a clear vision and plan to achieve that vision will improve your chances of achieving your goals by 300%.  A scorecard makes sure you are staying on track.

Over Thanksgiving weekend, I received one hen and four 5-week-old chicks.  We put them in the run (which has been secured to keep the chickens from flying out), and the chicks immediately escaped the run through the chain link fence.  As we ran around the field trying to get the chicks back, I really considered giving up on this whole chicken mama thing.  But with some patience, we were able to get all the chicks and the hen back in the coop.  Then I added chicken wire to the chain link fencing.  

It has been fun to actually see chickens living in my coop.

As my husband pointed out, this (1 day) is the longest any chicken has resided in my coop or run.  Once they get settled in, we will add some more laying chickens and a rooster for safekeeping.  According to my chicken coach, the one remaining chicken who hangs out with my neighbor’s horses and goats may return once she hears the cackle of the rooster. 
 
I’ve really tried not to repeat any of the mistakes I made last time, so that I can finally enjoy having chickens and fresh eggs.  And it has been helpful to review the advice from readers of my earlier posts, read more chicken books and seek out additional knowledge.  While success with the chickens isn’t life or death for me, it is something that I would really like to accomplish.
 
Similarly, I know that many business owners would like to be successful in the ever-changing world of COVID —except in this case, it is life or death.  Businesses are struggling to keep their employees safe and protect the customers while continuing to operate and be profitable.  Many companies, especially manufacturers, have had to start and stop production when they have had COVID cases within the workforce.  One local company has had to stop shipping product for at least one day every two weeks for the past two months.  That is a lot of lost revenue and increased labor costs.  
 
In order to stay on top of all the changes, businesses need to anticipate issues and take proactive steps in order to avoid shutdowns, production delays and customer shortages.  But it is hard to be proactive when you feel you can’t do anything but react.  If the leadership team is clear on the direction of the organization and the path to get there, though, they can prioritize the issues and take steps to resolve them. 
 
If you feel that your organization has become more reactive and less proactive, you can take steps now to regain control. It may feel like you don’t have time, but if you don’t do something different, the reactive cycle will continue to repeat.    
 
The great news is that I can introduce you to some tools that can help you put yourself back in the driver’s seat.  Let’s talk today and I’ll help you regain control over your business.

I saw my former chicken yesterday. She was hanging out with my neighbor’s goats and horses. Seeing her made me reminisce about the times when she would come lay eggs in my beautiful chicken coop. Oh, those were the good ol’ days. 
 
So, those of you who are wondering – it’s true, I have no chickens left. Of the five I started out with, only one is still alive and she has left me for greener pastures. I haven’t found a single egg in any of my nesting boxes since late July. I have no idea what happened, but I went from getting 11 eggs in one week to getting none.

Where did I go wrong?

A question I’ve asked myself frequently over the past five months. I think what happened is that I was so caught up in building my coop that I failed to consider some important details that would have made things much easier and more fruitful. 
 
One of those important details is that chickens can fly, and if you don’t want them to leave, you have to either clip their wings or make it so they can’t fly the coop.
 
I guess you could say that my first try at being a chicken mama was a failure. 
 
I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this and have decided I need a chicken coach. Think about it: athletes have coaches, business owners have coaches, why shouldn’t an aspiring chicken mama have a coach?
 
Most people are afraid to admit that they need an outside perspective in order to achieve their goals. While many will eventually reach their goals, working with a coach helps achieve those goals faster.
 
That is one of the things I enjoy about working with my clients. I help them reach their goals faster. Whether your goal is to grow your business, work less, make more money, or have more fun at work – I can help you. 
 
You can’t coach yourself from within. Or, in my case, you can’t coach yourself from inside the chicken coop. 
 
If you are trying to reach your business or personal goals, I’d love to help you reach them faster and maybe have a little fun along the way. 
 
I’m ready to achieve my chicken goals. Are you ready to achieve your goals? 
 
If so, let’s find some time to connect.