Thank a Farmer

Well, you could have knocked me over with a feather when my boss told me she grew up on farm. (She’s seems like an urban gal to me, except for some farm humor, but that’s another story.)

So, I asked her, “How the heck did you go from farming to relocation consulting?”

Here’s what she told me:

Farming, just like relocation consulting, is about project management. The farmer was the first project manager. He understood that to have a good yield for his crops, he had to

• define his goals
• develop the plan
• set milestones
• implement the plan, and
• harvest the results.

Then he did a “lessons learned” and started the process all over again for the next year’s project.

Sounds simple, but there are thousands of details embedded in each process. We are blessed that the clients and vendors we are privileged to work with understand that to be successful in our respective businesses, we must learn and develop the project management skills that yield the best results. And, for that, you can thank a farmer for implementing the original project management model.

And, with Thanksgiving fast approaching, when you enjoy a wonderful meal, remember to thank all those project management experts out in the field who make it possible – not the ones in the suits, the ones in the overalls.