I sense an air of defensiveness in the food animal sector. It seems that many in the sector feel they are under persistent attack as purveyors of all sorts of doom; animal welfare breaches, water pollution, anti-microbial resistance, climate change and so on.
The defensiveness is usually expressed as a frustration that the reality of food animal production is neither understood nor appreciated. As an extension, consumers are categorised as confused, too distant from the point of production and only concerned about price.
There can also be a sense of injustice that other sectors are not subjected to same level of critical scrutiny. In other words, those of us in the food animal sector can feel like an easy target for the lazy minded. This defensiveness is understandable.
But I’m also questioning it. In questioning it – I am drawn to the idea of purpose or what Simon Sinek refers to in the Infinite Game as ‘Just Cause’. Taking food animal production as a sector – what is its Just Cause? I would say it is something about maintaining a supply of safe protein to nourish humanity today, tomorrow and for the infinite long term.
However, to me the defensiveness from the sector can sometimes be heard as putting the interests of those invested in the sector ahead of the humanity they are supposed to be serving.
While this is an understandable gut reaction to a perceived threat – I sense that it is a way of thinking that will ultimately undermine those same farming interests. That is because while the defensiveness may result in remedial measures that boost the short-term bottom line; those decisions are usually designed to benefit of the people who made them and without the ‘Just Cause’ fully in mind.
This seems to stem from a desire to keep things stable. Stability has a very short term and narrow focus. When we play with a short term and narrow focus in the context of a Just Cause that extends to the infinite long term, we will inevitably find ourselves in a quagmire, undermining the goodwill and the access to resources we need to sustain an infinite game.
Rather than focusing on stability – I believe that building resilience is a superior goal. An organisation or a sector that is built for resilience is structured to last forever. The leaders of such sectors and organisations don’t just want to weather change; they want to build the capability to be transformed by change.
Based on what I see, I believe that the leaders in the food animal production sector can give greater consideration to their Just Cause. Take the railroad sector in the United States. Had the leadership in that sector defined their Just Cause in terms of moving people and things for the infinite long term – instead of advancing the railroad, a continuation of their leadership might be found in the major car companies or airlines today. But that is not the case – their short term and inward focus made them highly vulnerable to disruption.
All sectors and organisations need a type leadership that is less like leading a football team into yet another must-win game and that is more like leading a fitness movement.
If these ideas resonate or if you feel they are relevant for where you want to take your leadership – contact me. I’d be delighted to chat further.
Read more about how conflicted thinking can trap your organisation in a gridlock..
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