Business Lessons Learned from Lambing

We all have our passions – what is yours? What is it that brings a smile, creates energy, momentum and a drive to overcome obstacles?  For me it is Ferguson Farm and my alter ego Farmer Ferguson; I expect that we all share the same challenge – finding the time, space and opportunity to indulge in our passion.

Fortunately there are parts of my passion that mean that time HAS to be found, and if you have seen Adam’s Farm or Lambing Live, or indeed driven anywhere in the countryside recently, there are small fluffy bundles of white cuteness gambolling in a field near you!  For me, like so many other Farmers (I love saying that J) it is lambing time.  Ferguson Farm has ideas above its station and in reality is just a small 2 acre field, an old stable block/lambing shed, 5 hives of bees and a chicken coop in the sky (that is another story!)  But you have to start somewhere, all dreams have humble beginnings and mine doesn’t get much more humble.

I have had my sheep just over 18 months now and this is my second season lambing – this year, 3 ewes were ‘theoretically’ pregnant by my Ram Billy and due on Maundy Thursday, Wednesday 30^th and May Day (the 1^st).  A little spread out, but better than the 2 weeks of sleep deprivation that ensued last year.  This brings me to insight number 1 – following your passion costs!!!  In my experience this is not just a financial cost (I think I would need to charge about £500 a leg of lamb if I wanted to recoup my investmentL) but more importantly an emotional and physical cost of following through.  I am a big believer that nothing comes for free in this world and I am reminded of the story of Mr Honda.  His mantra was – work out what your vision / dream is, work out what it will cost (in every facet), decide whether you are prepared to pay that cost, and if you are, make it happen!  Simple, but highly impactful and it has stuck with me.

So I am now smiling the other side of lambing with a healthy tally of :- a single ram lamb, a single gimmer (technical sheep talk for female) and a set of ram twins; a return of 1.33 which will not set the farming world alight!

So what else have I learned that I think is pertinent to the world of business and the work I do with my clients for Kili Consulting?

• Preparation and planning are everything – how often do we hear this but how often are we left wanting when we have failed to prep properly for whatever reason.  Whether this is for a transformation, a project, a meeting or a phone call, being clear on the outcomes and ensuring that you have everything you think you need is crucial to success.  For Farmer Ferguson we had mixed results – I was ready for the first arrival with pen cleaned out and all accoutrements ready and to hand.  I was caught short with the next two L – fortunately no harm done.
• Dealing with uncertainty – why was I caught short with my planning and preparation? Because nature, like the world of business, has a habit of changing the rules or springing surprises.  You can plan and you can prepare, but you have to have the comfort and confidence to decisively deal with uncertainty, as a leader create clarity in the face ambiguity.  So when I turned up to find the twins on the floor wet and yellow a day earlier than anticipated, I had to take action!
• Stretching, growing and learning as you go – I am passionate about developing new capabilities and this has been one of the most rewarding aspects of Ferguson Farm.  I have learnt so much and I embrace the fact that I will have to continue to do so.  I went on a lambing course the day before I started lambing last year – JIT indeed, but it was effective.  However, at 3am a few days later whilst trying to pull a lamb from its mother in the freezing cold with no help, guidance or assistance, I was as far from my comfort zone as I can remember ever being, genuinely stressed, anxious and desperate!  We all survived and I have gained confidence from the experience and learnings from the inevitable mistakes I have made.
• Seek help, embrace and learn from others – this is probably one of my biggest personal and professional weaknesses but Farmer Ferguson seems to be adept at recognising he knows “now’t about ow’t” and asks for help all the time.  It has been liberating and really powerful to seek guidance from all sorts of people, surrender having to know best and believe that people really do want to help. From Andy up the road helping me castrate the ram lambs, to my elder daughter Alice using her little hands to pull out a lamb that was struggling.
• Keep focussed on what you are trying to be / achieve – I have had my dream for a few years now and it has taken a while to create the humble beginnings I have managed to assemble thus far.  I try to amplify my successes and connect as often as I can with my higher purpose in order to sustain the energy required to continue to pursue my aspirations. I read Farmers Guardian, I watch the way professionals go about their business and I draw down strength of conviction.

I passionately believe that life is too short not to be the best that you want to be, this includes fulfilling your ability in your role and satisfying your aspirations whatever they may be!  If you haven’t already done so, allow yourself to clarify your passion and build your dream, try hard to align it with your job and your career where you can and pursue it relentlessly!  To quote Mae West – “you only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough!”