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Each person has unique skills, and they each appreciate what the other brings to the business.

Davon Cook, Family business consultant

October 11, 2021

2 Min Read
two farmers in a field talking
Getty/iStockphoto

There’s a pesky English language concept of homophones—two words that are pronounced the same but mean two different things and are spelled differently (and often misspelled)! I encounter a pair of homophones that often work in tandem in successful farm businesses.

We each have behavioral strengths and weaknesses. We each have content areas that we are knowledgeable in and those that we are not. Wise leaders intentionally backfill their weak areas with contributions from others; in other words, they build teams with skill sets that complement each other.

I know of many farm partnerships where family members contribute quite different things. One person can repair and operate equipment with ease, while another is skilled at accounting or hedging. And even better, they enjoy and like those respective duties. One is a people person and great at nurturing landowner, buyer, and employee relationships, while another is keen to quietly hold down the fort and fight daily fires.

But here’s the key to the successful operations with complementary skillsets working together long term – one compliments the other. They consistently remind each other, and themselves, what a blessing it is to specialize in their own strength and have a partner to offset the rest.

There are times one person may not fully understand how hard the other’s role is, and frustrations mount. But it is powerful to take a step back and say, “I know you’re so much better at that, and I don’t want to do your job. Thank you.”

Appreciation goes a long way.

Davon Cook is a family business consultant at K Coe Isom. Reach Davon at [email protected].

The opinions of the author are not necessarily those of Farm Futures or Farm Progress. 

About the Author(s)

Davon Cook

Family business consultant, Pinion

Davon Cook is a family business consultant at Pinion (formerly K Coe Isom). She helps families work well together in the business and navigate transitions in leadership and ownership. She works with farmers and ranchers all day every day and is passionate about production ag. Davon has been specializing in this area since 2012, partnering with Lance Woodbury at Ag Progress and K Coe Isom. She facilitates peer groups covering a range of strategic and technical topics, so she understands the issues producers are managing every day. Her perspective is shaped by spending ten years working in her own family’s cotton business near Lubbock, Texas, and a career spanning the ag value chain from McKinsey to ConAgra to consulting with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation throughout Africa. She welcomes comments, questions, and conversation!

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