Take a pause. When you as the farm leader first become aware of a problem – whether it’s an employee bringing it to your attention for the first time or you encountering it on your own – most leaders typically want to lean into it immediately. Most will generally jump right into problem-solving mode. After all, we want to get the issue solved as quickly as possible, right? Well, it depends. Certainly an issue creating field downtime needs to be addressed ASAP. But there are other problems that leaders are able to solve better if they first step back from the problem rather than toward it. Consider taking a pause – whether that means an hour, a couple days, or even a week, depending on what the issue is – to help remove some emotion from problem-solving.

Create a process. Some farmers have found it to be very helpful to design a basic process for problem-solving. This can look like a step-by-step procedure – like other procedures you may have documented in your operation – that you and others can use to walk through solving a problem. Using a process can work even more effectively for problems that have multiple parts, multiple causes or require a multi-step solution. A process can help you and others break down the problem in a complete way first before working through creative solutions. Having a process in place can also help when emotions are running high due to the level of challenge or importance of solving the particular problem to the overall success of the operation.

Get some perspective. For more complex, overarching business or strategy challenges, it can be very helpful to find different perspectives. There are several different ways to do this. One might be to literally “get away” from your farm operation for several days or even a week or so. It could be a vacation or spending some time recreationally in your local area. This allows you to step out of what you’re typically doing and look at things in a different way – you’re literally changing your perspective, what you’re seeing, and how you’re seeing it. Another way to do this is to get some insights from other people who may have unique views on the problem you’re facing. That could be from your lender, your farm’s advisors, your business mentors, peer group members or others. Talking through the problem with someone else outside of your operation can bring fresh insight and perspective that can prove valuable.