MOSES AND FARM MANAGEMENT

 

Much has been written about Moses’s leadership and management ability as he led the Israeli people from captivity in Egypt to the promised land.  His accomplishments have been cited to demonstrate the value of good management and how they apply to modern day operations.  However, a lot of those writings overlook the fact that Moses wandered around in the wilderness for forty years until he finally got it right.  Even then, he had to rely on his father-in-law, Jethro, the world’s first management consultant, to straighten  him out.

Much of Jethro’s advice to Moses does apply to modern day operations.  The first thing that Jethro told Moses was that he needed to listen to some good advice.  That holds true today.  Too many managers have big egos and small ears.  They need to listen to advisors, employees and customers to see how they can improve their own performance.

At the same time, though, you can’t manage by committee. A good manager needs to keep focused on the big picture.  Once he has sufficient information to make an informed decision, he needs to move forward in a confident and decisive manner.  Don’t delude yourself into believing you can do it all alone.  Lead with a team.  Jethro told Moses to “select capable men from all the people and make them leaders of the People”.  Once the team has been formed, outline their duties clearly and delegate the authority to get the job done.   Remember, though, you can delegate authority but not responsibility.  It is up to a good manager to follow up and see that the job is done right.

It seems that there are always the whiners and complainers in every organization, people who, as Teddy Rooseveldt said, “point out how the strong man stumbled or the doer of deeds could have done it better”.  Ignore them or get rid of them.  You need to find Jethro’s “willing minority who believed In the mission and helped him achieve his goal”.

One final thought.  It is a always a good idea to work with deliberate speed.  Moses struggled for forty years to find the promised land and when he finally did, he dropped dead.  As a result, he never got a chance to enjoy the fruits of his labor.  It fell to his long time apprentice, Joshua,  to reap those benefits.  That appears to be another lessen a good manager should keep in mind.

At 1^st Western Group, our Farm Managers have learned the same lessons that Moses learned long ago. For  more information, contact us at (559)-225-5915 or e-mail us at fredbusch@1stwesterngroup.com.