Don’t Burn Out This Spring
March 30, 2015 
Richard Jones
How is your stress level right now?
Stress has been on my mind lately as we just wrapped up our Biocontrols 2015 Conference and now plunge into the busy spring season. I’m sure things are even more hectic for you.
It was also something we talked about at VegetableGrowerConnect last fall. As you might know, VegetableGrowerConnect is an event we host each year that brings some of the nation’s largest and most progressive growers together for a couple of days. They take part in a series of one-on-one meetings with suppliers about their business needs. But they also have an opportunity to network with their peers.
One of the additions to the program in 2014 was a growers-only roundtable discussion. Just growers talking with other growers about common issues. We covered a lot of challenges in two hours, from labor to profitability.
One of the topics we discussed impacts all of us, but particularly you as growers: How can leaders of large organizations avoid “burn out” from the increasing demands on their time and attention and stay inspired in order to inspire others?
Stress is a part of all of our jobs. In farming, with the responsibilities you shoulder and the nearly year-round, 24-7 schedule most of you work, it’s an inevitability. A common comment from the growers at the roundtable was that it was really tough to not be back home making sure things were getting done. It was noticeable how often some of them were on the phone back to the farm, asking questions, trying to solve problems, or just checking in. Not hard to see where burn out can creep in.
I’d like to say everyone walked away from the grower roundtable permanently stress free. Didn’t happen. But the group did come up with a long list of ways they could deal with the stresses of the job and make their work and home lives a little better.
The number-one goal the growers came up with was a good one: Build a team you can trust when you’re not there. Empower employees and display confidence in their decision making. Hold them accountable.
- There were several other good suggestions as well, including:
- Take time away from the ranch and make some time to recharge.
- Work out/exercise to stay focused.
- Keep up with technology like GPS or inventory management software to make your job easier.
- Try something new. Break out of the status quo.
- Convince members of your team not to fear change.
- Put down the iPad and iPhone in off hours. (Good advice!)
As we talked with growers following the roundtable, one of the most common things we heard was, “It was just nice to talk with other growers and realize I’m not alone, and that other people have the same problems.”
Give some thought to how you can use these ideas to make your life a little easier. I know I’m going to.
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