We talk a lot about teamwork and working well together. I recently realized that the adverb “together” is closely aligned with the action “to gather”. They share an intertwined etymology with the Old English word, “togædere”. Upon reflection, it makes sense they are related words, but it hadn’t occurred to me before.

That got me thinking: if effectively working together is the goal, would it be beneficial to gather more? Meaning, would intentionally and consistently gathering the right people with the purpose to brainstorm, improve processes, or simply be informed, result in better outcomes?

Why we meet

This brings to mind daily or weekly huddles to cover logistics. Or pre-harvest gatherings to remind all of logistics and safety information. Or a once-a-year brainstorming session of the whole team to identify ways to improve the farm. Or ownership meetings to make sure owners that don’t work there daily are kept in the loop.

We tend to push back against “too many meetings” but in reality, I find most farms don’t have enough intentional and organized communication. It doesn’t have to be perceived as a boring meeting. It can be a quick huddle, an interactive problem-solving session, or an autopsy after harvest to see what to start/stop/continue next time. Perhaps it’s simply a fun gathering to celebrate success and appreciate each other. Which brings to mind the hymn, “We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing…”

Related:Communication greases the wheel, part one

So, take time to gather your team so they will be able to work together better.

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.