A Most Ernest Proposal (Guest Post)

The pigs are running the farm. So begins the story of Farmer Able. Everyone on his farm -- people and animals alike -- are downright downtrodden by him. He's overbearing and compulsively obsessed with profits and productivity. He's a typical top-down, power-based manager, forever tallying production numbers in his well-worn ledgers. But the more he pushes the hoofs and horns and humans, the more they dig in their heels. That is until one day when he hears a mysterious wind that whispers: "It's not all about me." Can he turn things around and begin attending to the needs of those on his farm, thus improving their attitudes and productivity?

The following is an excerpt from chapter 24 of Farmer Able.

A MOST ERNEST PROPOSAL

That evening, as Farmer Able walked back toward the house, the gentle wind kicked up again. He sensed a bouquet in the air as the wind swirled through the blossoming orchard and then encircled him. He had never noticed that sweet smell before. He had operated like old man Guthrie often quipped, “If you put your head down, get your back under it and keep your nose to the grindstone, that’s a pretty uncomfortable and unproductive way to work.” Now with his newfound freedom, those trees brought a fragrant new promise.

Things were not just looking up on the farm. No, they were growing broader, wider and deeper. Farmer Able wasn’t tallying life simply by pound, bushel and acre. The wind offered a new yardstick to measure things: The way to grow the harvest was more important than the harvest itself.

There it was, plain and simple. Every drop of milk produced, every field plowed, every egg laid—even every kernel of wheat or corn grown—meant nothing, if the way it was achieved was wrong. The greatest yield came from the nobility inspired in every hoof, horn, hand and feather.

As these thoughts whirled around him, brought on by the wind and the perfume of apple blossoms, the farmer smiled a knowing smile.

He heard another breathy utterance: Ours is yours. This he did not have to think about. Farmer Able knew immediately what it meant.

The next day he went straightaway to Ernie. “I was mistaken about the chickens,” he said.

“Ohhh-kaaaay,” Ernie said, knowing this was true but not feeling it was his right to fully endorse the point.

“And I had the wrong idea about how to get the horses stepping out as a team.”

“Well …”

“Go on. You can agree I had blinders on. But hopefully I’m seeing things more clearly now.”

“You do see a lightning bug best in the dark,” Ernie said.

Farmer Able had to smile at Ernie’s insight. “You were illuminated in a lot of this before I was. Now I need to fan that flame.”

“Ohh-keedoke,” Ernie said, not sure where the farmer was going.

“What I’m saying Ernie is this: I want to put you in charge.”

“In charge? Of what?”

“Of making things . . . the way things oughta be. Bringing out their best.”

Ernie was a bit intimidated by the idea of taking the lead.

“You certainly know your stuff,” the farmer urged. “And you also have heart.”

Ernie perked up. “Actually, I’ve always just followed my nose. That’s what a horse does. And a cow for that matter.”

Clarice and Harry, who were listening to this exchange, glanced over at each other. They’d never really agreed on anything. But when you have two eyes staring out over schnozzles as big and commanding as theirs, what Ernie said made perfect sense.

“I want to incentivize you, too.”

“I like that word,” Ernie said.

“You keep that egg output rollin’ in, I’ll give you a share. You figure the best way and make the changes necessary to get those fields planted and growing, and I’ll share some of the harvest.”

“I appreciate the generosity, but that’s sure going to cost you.”

“Not really. The way my new pencil figures it, I’m giving you part of an increase that wouldn’t be there if you hadn’t increased it. Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir. It’s like what grandma Flora Belle always told her pickers when she paid them based on output. She’d rather have 90% of somethin’ than 100% of nothin’.”

“Yep, but I don’t want to stop there. Let’s open up this cistern to the wider world.”

When this phrase “the wider world” came out of Farmer Able’s mouth, this Old Dirt shook. It wasn’t an earthquake. It was just rumbling applause. The cows, horses and chickens felt it, too. But it didn’t stop there. Farmer Able wanted it to ripple far and wide . . . out from his acreage . . . to the county . . . from farm to shining farm. Because when a human agrees with the larger workings of the universe, it just can’t help but resound with hearty agreement.

*****

Art Barter believes everyone can be great, because everyone can serve. To teach about the power of servant leadership, Art started in his own backyard by rebuilding the culture of the manufacturing company he bought, Datron World Communications.  Art took Datron’s traditional power-led model and turned it upside down and the result was the international radio manufacturer grew from a $10 million company to a $200 million company in six years. Fueled by his passion for servant leadership, Art created the Servant Leadership Institute (SLI).

To learn more about Art and his new Servant Leadership Journal, as well as his book on servant leadership, Farmer Able: A Fable About Servant Leadership Transforming Organizations And People From The Inside Out, endorsed by Stephen M.R. Covey, Ken Blanchard , and John C. Maxwell , visit www.servantleadershipinstitute.com .