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My First Encounter with a Rooster

My First Encounter with a Rooster

by | Jan 27, 2021 | EOS

I’d like to preface this story with a reminder that I grew up in the city. I’ve never been around many farm animals, including chickens. So, with this in mind, I’ll tell you about my first encounter with a rooster.

When I went over to my chicken coach’s home to get my rooster and some hens, the men were busy with man things so the ladies went down to the barn to catch the chickens. We entered the coop and there were chickens up in the rafters and on the roost, and a few roosters crowing.

Oden, Our Rooster

We put our eyes on a hen and began the process of trying to catch her. Do you have any idea how to catch a chicken? Well, I certainly don’t. But apparently, you can grab their feet or, in some cases, their tail feathers.

We had the hen cornered and slowly moved in towards her. OK, “we” is a bit strong. It was my chicken coach; I was not sure what to do. Well, as she approached the hen, the hen flew right toward me and we ended up eye to eye.

We both squealed, and the chicken got away. Eventually we caught her, and my chicken coach held the hen and let me pet her and then  hold her. We put her in the transport kennel and then caught the other hen and our rooster, Oden.

We headed home and put them in the run. I should note that it had started raining pretty hard, as we were in the midst of a Pineapple Express. It was approaching dusk but there was still light. So we left them alone and went to the house. After dark, I headed up to the coop to close the door. To my dismay, Oden and the two new hens were roosting in the lean-to and barely out of the driving rain.

Knowing it would be safer and drier for them in the coop and feeling confident that I could handle a hen after my experience earlier that day, I put my hands around the body of the hen closest to me.

Without a hesitation, Oden leaned over and pecked me hard on the hand. His point was clear: leave her alone, she is mine!

I retreated, went back to the house and shared the story with my husband. Later that evening, I went back to the chicken run. They were still roosting in the lean-to and it was still raining. I was very concerned about their safety, but with the temperature about 50 degrees, I figured they would be OK for one night.

The next morning, with the light of day, Oden was able to clearly see his surroundings and immediately took charge of the coop, placing himself at the top of the nine-chicken pecking order.

What I appreciated about my exchange with Oden was that he assumed responsibility for his hens and let me know it.

How many times have you seen leaders say they are in charge but when difficult decisions need to be made, they don’t make or own them? If you want your team members to achieve their full potential, they need a leader they know is looking out for them.

Helping a team reach its full potential requires more than making difficult decisions. It requires the ability to be clear on where the organization is going and how to get there. Creating a vision with a path toward achieving that vision is key to getting employees aligned behind that vision.

What is the best way to create that vision? Some leaders feel that responsibility lands squarely on their shoulders, but I’d challenge that approach.

Involving the team will provide different perspectives, challenging viewpoints and ultimately greater unity. It has been my experience that the more you can get your leadership team and the rest of your organization to see the vision and the path to achieving that vision, the sooner your organization will  get traction toward achieving that vision.

If you aren’t getting the traction or the results you desire, it may be that the organization isn’t clear on the direction or the path. 

If you would like a copy of the tool my clients use to establish their vision, I’m happy to share it with you.

I’d Like Your Vision Tool

And if you want loyalty from your team, you may be able to learn something from Oden (just ignore his views on crowing all day long)…

P.S.When your team becomes aligned behind your vision and your path towards achieving that vision that where the magic happens.  “Magic” means accelerated growth, higher profits, and more control.  And that is something everyone can get behind. 

My Costly Mistake Of Not Keeping Score

My Costly Mistake Of Not Keeping Score

by | Jan 7, 2021 | EOS, Leadership

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.Identify key metrics for each of your departmentsMonitor those metrics every week during your leadership team meetingsTake steps once you see a metric trending off trackTo make this even easier, you can request a copy of the scorecard I created that will automatically create graphs for your key metrics. 

Send Me Your Scorecard

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 achieve your goals by 300%.  A scorecard makes sure you are staying on track.

And to All, A Good Night!

And to All, A Good Night!

by | Dec 20, 2020 | EOS, Innovation

Reflecting Back

As I stood outside my chicken coop this morning, I reflected back on all that has happened in 2020.  When the pandemic hit, I had two goals in mind. First, to build a chicken coop and second, to give the gift of humanity to as many people as possible.

Focusing outside of myself has allowed me to impact many people and at the same time, I’ve been impacted by countless individuals.  I appreciate all of you taking the time to read my blogs and provide tips on how to be a better chicken mama.

To end this year with some humor, I’m including some links to the most popular posts from 2020:

And, here’s the good news! I have 9 chickens in my coop including one rooster (who has already pecked me). 2021 promises to have more chicken business posts and maybe a few laughs.

Until then, enjoy the holidays and cheers to the end of 2020!

With respect and gratitude!

Julie

Are you ready to accelerate into 2021?

by | Dec 18, 2020 | Leadership

This is the time of the year when people start thinking about next year.  And many of us are really looking forward to putting 2020 in the rearview mirror.  I’d venture to say that those of you who did set goals had to either really scramble to achieve those goals, or shoved them aside due to the complete upheaval of our business and personal lives.
 
That being said, 2021 is a new year.  We have already lived with the pandemic and really, how much worse can 2021 be (I know, I should never ask that question)? But we should at least be in a better position to set and achieve our 2021 goals. 

Here are the benefits I’ve experienced when I’ve set intentional goals:

  1. Increased clarity
  2. Healthier relationships
  3. More contentment
  4. More focus

Last year, I wrote a blog that outlined the goal-setting process I follow when setting my annual goals.  What I like the most about this process is that it is focused on what I want more of in life.  I remember the first time I followed this process I was coming off a very intense year, and I realized I wanted more balance and more fun.  So, I set my goals with those two things in the forefront of my mind.  This whole process allowed me to take a wholistic look at my life, and as a result, I was able to achieve my goals while maintaining balance and having fun. 
 
If you need some help setting goals centered around what you want more of in life, I’d like to invite you to a free webinar on Friday, December 18th at 10 AM Pacific where I’ll walk through the process I use to set my goals.  If you can’t make it, don’t worry – I’ll have a recording of the webinar for you to review when you are ready to set your goals.  
 
As you consider 2021, I think through what you want more of.  For me, it would be more time with family, more travel and of course, a steady stream of eggs from my free-range chickens! 

P.S. A copy of this webinar can be found here.

Another Attempt at Raising Chickens

Another Attempt at Raising Chickens

by | Dec 4, 2020 | EOS, Leadership

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.