Grow Farm's Toolbox

Well our time with Grayson is coming to an end. We have loved having him with us this summer and wish him well on all his future endeavors. We thought that it would be a great idea to sit down with him to get his thoughts on his summer with us before he leaves us forever.

We all have weaknesses that we have to work to overcome. Some people really don't like group work and group brainstorming is much the same type of thing. Steven talks about a strategy to use when group brainstorming and how this strategy became a podcast episode that he is sharing with all our listeners.

We are in a busy part of our year. The sun is shining and the plants are growing. It's easy to get overwhelmed with all the things that we need to accomplish during the busy seasons in Ag. So we sit down and plan out our tasks by 30, 60, and 90 day goals. We wanted to take this opportunity to share this type of planning with you in the hopes that you can put it to good use in your own life and bus...

Grayson went to Illinois with Brooks Reid this week to attend a Total Acre meeting. We thought that this was a good opportunity to get his first impressions of the group and see what he thought of the fire hydrant of information that is the Total Acre group!

This week was the first week that we had our intern Grayson Miller around the farm. We thought it would be an awesome idea to introduce him to our listeners and have him tell everyone a little bit about himself and how he came to be with us for the summer.   Shout out to Mutiny Crop Performance and their intern program that introduced us to Grayson!  

Hailey took a crack at the podcast this week and decided to share her favorite quote and what it means to her. "It Is What It Is" is something we hear a lot but it's often taken negatively and thought to be used by those who don't take responsibility for how things turn out. Well Hailey has a different take and we can't help but agree with her here at Grow Farms Toolbox.

Running social media accounts can be a tough job. From coming up with ideas, to collecting content, editing, releasing, and watching the data for what's working the best. So we have Hailey who runs our social media and keeps us moving in the right direction. Today we will be hearing from her and the struggles that she has faced along the way to get us to where we are today.

Have you ever considered the dreams and goals that you gave up and why that was? Maybe you gave up because you worried that you would be made fun of for trying. Or perhaps you didn't try because you thought you weren't good enough. Regardless of what your reasons were, that fear held you back. Are those dreams still ones you think about? Maybe you should set aside that fear and try anyway. Steven...

With the planting season upon us, Steven talks about the importance of sleep, food, and cutting out some quality time. Many of these things are touchpoints from past episodes but when we are in season it's easy to forget to take care of ourselves because of how busy we get. So let this episode be a reminder to us all that we must always make ourselves a priority even when it's go time.

Have you ever watched as an opportunity slipped by you and wondered why it didn't come your way? That's because you didn't claim it when you had the chance. The old saying that good things come to those who wait isn't a call for inaction but a call for planned action. Steven goes through his process of planning out steps to make sure that a great opportunity doesn't slip by him.

The idea of what the future can bring can be overwhelming. Steven talks through a process of how he handles the idea of the future. Using a three step process to make sure he is always prepared for what the future brings even if he can't know for sure what is coming.

Keeping yourself busy at work and being available as a helping hand is how you build yourself into an irreplaceable asset in the workforce. However, this can lead to some stressful issues when you feel underappreciated. How do we overcome these? How do we keep ourselves from being seen as an underperformer? There are some of the questions that Steven tackles in this episode in Grow Farms Toolbox.

We live in a world full of information. With all this information can you tell what's the truth and what's a lie? Do you have sources that you believe always tell you the truth? Have you considered that they might be wrong? Steven talks about the truth and the value of questioning everything. How the way we were raised, what we are taught, and what we believe is the truth might not be the truth at...

Have you ever found yourself thinking about tomorrow and not knowing what you will do? Not knowing where you are going? Has that thought ever driven you crazy and made you feel like your life is spiraling out of control? Well if you have you are not alone. Steven talks about how this feeling can cause a chain reaction that keeps you stuck for years. However, he also goes through the processes that...

Have you ever been upset with your company or employer because you felt that you were not being paid what you're actually worth? You're not the only one who has felt this way. Come listen to Steven talk about the cost of employees for employers. How the value we bring to the company does not match our productivity because we want to keep our jobs. How a company who takes care of its employees is w...

With the end of the year fast approaching Steven talks about how time flies. How we lose track of our passions and plans in the day to day grind. He gives some advice on how to plan for the future and to not lose track of your goals by setting the bench too high to reach.

The power of remaining a student in your craft is a scary one to consider. Come listen to Steven and how he came to understand the value of alway wanting to improve and get better. How regardless of age and experience your ideas can be valuable in the right hands.

In a world where everyone is shouting about how right they are, how do you hear anything? Well you can't can you? So come give a listen to Steven as he talks about the value of shutting up and taking the time to listen and watch those around you.

Sometimes it's hard to focus on what is really making us money and we get lost in the process and the details that don't matter. Steven recalls a lesson he learned his first season and how that has shaped his mindset and his communication with the team. This lesson has helped him stay focused on what really matters in the business and his personal life.

Correcting behaviors, whether it's at home or at work is never fun. However, choosing to allow bad behavior or not reaching the standards can cause you far more stress in the long run. Sometimes you have to choose to be the bad guy and follow through with punishments when someone fails to perform as they should or as they were told too. Setting the standard and then reinforcing that standard is ho...

Have you ever noticed that when you rehire someone that they don't seem to stay as long the second time around? Or that their efforts seem less when they do return? Steven talks about the idea of employee halflife. Giving examples of how employees who return to a former job often don't fit like they used to and why that is.

How often do you find yourself saying yes to something that you wanted to say no to? Do you feel like you can't say no? Do you wish you had more time to do the things you want? Come listen to Steven talk about the power of no. Become comfortable saying no so you can free yourself from the stresses of being overwhelmed and allow you to give greater focus to what you actually want to do!

What are your priorities? Do you consider yourself a priority? If you don't then you're not giving your priorities your best self. In this episode, Steven talks about the importance of putting yourself first on your priority list. How putting yourself first will allow you to show up as a better version of yourself for your faith, family, community and everything else.

An employee who didn't show up for work at a secondary location put Steven in a tight spot. The lessons learned about communication, honesty, and the hiring of friends are ones that Steven would take with him into his future leadership positions. It is our hope that by sharing this story that you might be better prepared for situations you might find yourself in and that you might be able to avoid...

Steven talks from the perspective of employees and their view on PTO (Personal Time Off). How it feels like a battleground between employees and employers to use earned PTO. How you need to stand firm and not allow yourself to be bullied into not using PTO. How if you followed the company's standards for putting in for PTO you should always be approved. Your life exists outside of work and you des...