Category: Everything else

Organic and farm-to-table – 7 learnings about the food and agriculture industry

I have been increasingly interested in food and agriculture industry having worked with a large agribusiness client. After many debates and discussions, here is my current thesis on understanding the industry as it is today and it’s implications on our lives –

1. Crops produced in large tracts of land cannot be produced without pesticides. Thanks to the nature of infections and pests, it is impossible to crops in large tracts of land without chemicals. The only way this can be avoided is by producing crops in small greenhouses.

2. Organic crops also use chemicals – the only difference is they are more dangerous and toxic. A crop is certified as organic if it uses pesticides that are naturally available. This results in farmers buying large amounts of Copper Sulphate and Arsenic and this, in turn, results in organic crop land having large amounts of (toxic) copper and Arsenic.

3. Manure is no better than synthetic fertilizer. Is having Nitrogen Phosphate via manure better than injecting a Nitrogen Phosphate molecule? Absolutely not. A chemical is a chemical. In fact, the cost of producing manure (i.e. the cost of raising a cow) is much higher in terms of carbon footprint and environmental effects.

4. Chemicals and genetically modified (GM) food are the future. Most of the available Papayas in the world are already genetically modified. This is going to be an increasing trend. We need technological advances in seeds and food to ensure we’re able to feed 10 billion people on this planet.

5. Organic will (unfortunately) remain a premium/luxury product. Organic farming will unfortunately be a tax on limited land. However, it will remain a luxury product. One can only hope that farmers and the FDA will understand the problem of shoving large amounts of Copper Sulphate into the soil. Heroin is naturally available and that does not mean it is good.

6. Farm-to-table is the way to go. The trouble with mass produced crops is that these are often plucked/picked before they are ripe and are ripened en-route to their destination by artificial means. We are better off eating ripe food and, as a result, the farm-to-table movement is very positive. Farmers markets are going to be the key to healthy eating.

7. The rules are different when it comes to mass producing meat and poultry. My understanding of this side of the industry is limited. My understanding so far points to organic being the way to go here. This is because the industry increasingly uses heavy injection of antibiotics and hormones into cattle and poultry in their bid to maximize output. Organic and “free-range” meat and poultry seem to be the way to go.

The big learning? Treat “organic” with healthy suspicion. Understanding how the food you eat is produced. And, remember, things are increasingly not the way they seem.

That sounds tough and sobering.. it is intentionally so.

Willing to meet someone half-way

If something goes wrong because of a mistake made by 2 people, the quickest remedies occur when both folks are willing to admit they made a mistake. “Sorry, I screwed up. What do we need to do to fix it?”

However, most large corporations make a game of this. Instead of using mistakes as an opportunity to reflect and get better, they start playing the blame game. That’s how we build an environment with decreasing trust levels since people are afraid to apologize on an email because they believe it’ll be taken out of context. It is a legitimate fear.

However, it also serves as a great test for a team’s culture – how willing is someone on the team to meet someone else at the half way mark? How willing are 2 people on the team to look others in the eye and say – “Sorry, we screwed up. And we’re going to work hard to fix it.”

Perhaps that ought to be the trust marker as we build our own teams. Great relationships are made of people willing to meet the other half-way. Great teams are no different.

No

Every time you say a yes, you are saying no. Opportunity cost – a simple concept in theory.

One of the best practitioners of opportunity cost that I know of is Seth Godin. There are 2 examples that I think about from time to time.

The first was when I emailed Seth asking him if he would be willing to do an interview. His response, as is the norm, was quick and straight to the point. He said “Sorry, I wouldn’t be able to do it justice.” I loved the words – “I wouldn’t be able to do it justice.” Exquisitely chosen. Clearly, he’s had a lot of practice at this.

The second example was when I thought about Seth’s approach to blogging. He just shows up, posts, and leaves. I think he’s got an automated script that shares his posts on Twitter and Facebook. He doesn’t engage on either platform and has turned off comments on his blog. And, yet, his blog is as successful as it gets. It’s not that Seth doesn’t engage – he’s as approachable as anybody. It’s just that he takes a clear stand on where he will and won’t engage.

Both of these examples are representative of Seth’s approach to time and work. This may not work for you and me because his priorities and approach is likely to be different from ours. But, his approach is telling. I learnt 3 things from the exchanges I had with Seth –

1. When you are saying yes, you are always saying no. Always. You can’t do everything. You will piss a few people off. And you just need to accept that.

2. Understand your priorities. If you want to make a positive difference in the world, then cultivate the discipline to say no to projects that don’t contribute to that. It begins with your priorities. Always.

3. Before you say yes, ask yourself if you will truly be able to do it justice. If the answer is no, don’t say it. It might seem like you’re making the other person happy. But, that’s just the short term. It’s not going to end well.

And, one last thing – if it helps at all, find people who do this well and take inspiration from them. Whenever I think of priorities and saying no, I think of Seth.

Thanks Seth.

Making your own agenda

When Viktor Frankl and hundreds of others were taken to a concentration camp, the Nazis had a clear plan for them – inhuman pain and perhaps painful death. Viktor Frankl, however, had different plans. He had his own agenda – understand human behavior by observing the behavior of his fellow prisoners.

There were hundreds of Nazi soldiers bent on making sure their plans were executed but Viktor Frankl’s clarity of thought and strength of will saw his through. As we know, it not only “just” saw him through but it lead his immense contribution to the world of psychology and the science behind happiness.

We are often pulled into events that weren’t part of our plans. Sometimes, like Frankl, we don’t have full control of these things. But, like Frankl, we do have a have a choice to make sure we think about and stay true to our agenda. Most experiences are what we make of it. It is perhaps no coincidence that we talk about “making” a difference.

Of course, it starts by making your own agenda.

Integrity in action

Follow up is integrity in action.

In that instance when you and I promise to follow up, we begin a test of our integrity. We’ve made a commitment. The big question – will we keep it?

This follow up promise may be to ourselves or to others, may be light or serious – it doesn’t matter. The nature of the promise doesn’t matter either. It could be a first draft of a presentation to the CEO, a commitment to study, a promise to clean the house before your spouse gets in, or your word to join friends for a trip to the bowling alley.

As far as integrity goes, it’s all the same. We’ve made a commitment and the question hasn’t changed. Are we going to keep it?

Follow up is integrity in action. Take your own word seriously or you will stop doing so over time and everyone you know will follow your lead.

Is failure bad?

Nikki Durkin, founder of 99dresses,  had a great post up today on the failure of her start-up. She describes the crazy journey in great detail and talks about her emotions following the failure.

“Most startups fail, and yet this industry doesn’t talk about failure nearly enough. I’d encourage anyone who has failed to write about how it felt, as I can’t tell you how much that would have helped me in those final months & weeks. I just wanted someone to relate to. Instead, I was left feeling isolated and ashamed.”

I was thinking about failure this morning as a few people had commented to one of my teammates on the Real Leaders Project that our “yeah, we quit” post felt negative. That is the exact opposite emotion I felt as I posted that. Somehow, the feeling was one of relief. We tried something, we screwed up, and we felt it was time to move on. Ours was only a weekend project in the grand scheme of things and yet, there was negativity associated with our failure to make it work.

In some ways, I can empathize with how Nikki must feel after 4 years of investment of sweat and tears. I can’t say I understand completely as I haven’t gone through the same experience myself – certainly not nearly at the intensity and magnitude of her experience. I have failed a fair bit though and can feel a part of her pain.

So, is failure good or bad? I think it is neither. At the risk of sounding overly philosophical, it just is. It is an event. It happens to most of us and to some a lot more than to others. Many pay the idea of celebrating failure lip service. They only celebrate failure if/when it leads to eventual success. That’s when you are lauded and celebrated for having persisted.

Me? I take a different view. I think an event can only be termed as a failure if you didn’t grow through the experience. Yes, Nikki’s start-up may have failed but I would term her experience a success – she’s grown through it, learnt a heck of a lot more about herself than many would over a lifetime, and has set herself up for a lot of happiness in the years to come. Joy wouldn’t feel good if it wasn’t for pain after all and it takes a few hard experience to really understand how good a life we lead. It also takes one to know one and I’m sure she’ll be a source of great encouragement and support to entrepreneurs all over the world.

Nikki, thanks for your heartfelt post. It matters. It made me think. And, as you might tell from this slightly scattered collection of thoughts, I’m still thinking. This blog has been built on the belief that you don’t fail, you only learn. And, in that spirit, you’ve made a big difference sharing your story for us all to learn from. And that’s success in my book.

It matters!

The time and effort you put in to make the world a better place? The time you spend volunteering, being positive, giving back, creating something that others can benefit from, inspiring others, and just being of help? We know you had to fight hard to vanquish the resistance’s claims that it doesn’t matter and that it isn’t work worth doing. It is the best of you.

We need more of the best of you.

And, it matters.

Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

When the challenges are related to a goal you care about..

..stop and give thanks. Yes, stop what you are doing and take a moment to be grateful for those sorts of challenges.

The challenges will come anyway. If they’re related to your most important objectives, consider yourself very lucky. They’re inadvertently keeping you focused on the main thing – good for you. Overcome them. Win.

Uneasy feelings and the warrior state of mind

How do you think the warrior feels on the day of the battle?

I think the answer is that it doesn’t matter. He just better be at his best. He better be beyond feeling because it is a matter of life and death. The warrior has no time to deal with the resistance. He just banishes it. 

I felt a certain unease the other day as I was heading to lunch and found myself wondering why it was the case. I also wondered if the unease would lead to a less productive day.  So, as I began typing this thought out for a potential post on uneasy feelings, I thought of the warrior and realized that the feeling of unease didn’t matter in the big scheme of things. I wouldn’t remember my feelings on unease a month down the line but I’d remember not doing my job. I had a job to do for the rest of the day. I’d worry about the unease when I was back in my tent after the day’s battle if it still lingered.

It was an important small decision as it changed the way I looked at the day. I moved from feeling like a victim of the unease virus to feeling in full control about whether or not to let it affect me. As Eckhart Tolle would say, you are not your thoughts or feelings. You are the awareness within which you experience these thoughts and feelings. Be aware. Don’t react to everything. Respond instead. And, when you do decide to respond to feelings of unease when you need to get something done, summon the warrior state of mind.