I started my Chicken Mama journey over five years ago. It all started with a desire to have farm-fresh eggs, especially after seeing my friends navigate being chicken mamas with such ease. I had help from a number of people, including my chicken coach and the chicken whisperer. My chicken coach gave me my first couple of flocks of chickens, taught me how to catch a chicken, and helped me learn how to deal with an unruly rooster. I’m so grateful for her support and encouragement as I grew from a city girl into a confident chicken mama. The chicken whisperer, also my neighbor, knows all things chickens. I remember calling her when I discovered one of my cockerels was walking like a penguin. She promptly came over, diagnosed the situation, and provided some recommendations on how to nurse this cockerel to health.

Mastery of a worthwhile pursuit is a lifelong journey, yet there comes a moment when you realize you’ve reached your goal. While we never truly “arrive,” we do hit a point of confidence—a level of proficiency where we can say, “I’ve got this. I can take it from here.”

I believe I have reached that point in my pursuit to become a chicken mama. Of course, I can always call my chicken coach or the chicken whisperer, but at this point, I think I can take it from here. One thing I have learned is that people sometimes come into our lives for a certain purpose, and when we achieve that purpose, they may move on.

One of my family business clients was struggling with the structure of the company while working through the right timing for the father to step out of the visionary seat and his son to step into the owner’s box. The problem: one member of the leadership team wasn’t the right person in the right seat. He didn’t consistently demonstrate their core values and lacked the necessary skills to fully own the position. The father and son really struggled with how best to resolve this people issue: he was a long-term employee and a family friend.

As they worked through the issue, they both started to realize that this issue wasn’t just impacting the company; it was also impacting this leadership team member. He didn’t love the work he was doing, and he felt increasingly uncomfortable with the culture the leadership team was creating.
So, they had the hard conversation with this team member. They talked through the issues they were seeing and gave the team member the option to move on from the company. At the end of the conversation, all felt relief and freedom.

This one change at the leadership team level changed the entire dynamic of the company. The leadership team was able to be more open and honest as other members of the team now felt comfortable sharing their perspectives. This allowed them to solve issues at the root for the long-term greater good of the company.

The end result? A healthier, more profitable company, which ultimately gave the father confidence to step away from the business and the son to step into the visionary seat. The bad news? They realized they had achieved a level of EOS mastery, and they felt they could take it from here. Was I sad? Of course, because I so enjoyed spending time with them. But I celebrated this breakthrough. EOS is designed to help you get what you want from your business. And once you get it, I want you to have the freedom to go live the life you want to live.

When you look at your business, do you feel stuck? Are you unsure how to get that breakthrough that you know your business needs? If so, please reach out to me. Together, we can decide the best path forward that allows you to get what you truly want from your business. Regardless of whether it is a phone call, a few coaching sessions, or a full EOS implementation, once you are “solved,” I will celebrate your success as you move forward, and I will appreciate the time we shared together.  

Hiking in the mountains is one of my favorite things to do in the summer. There is something about spending time in nature, with all the sounds, smells and sights, that just frees my mind, allowing me to get a new perspective on my business, my clients or even my life.

Invariably, my hikes take me through some challenging sections. Whether it is a climb up to a summit, a scramble down a treacherous decline, or even some rather monotonous prairie crossings, at some point I’m going to have to dig deep and find motivation to keep going. Sometimes the motivation comes from the promise of a breathtaking view of a mountain, other times it comes from the desire to improve mental toughness, and sometimes it is the promise of a cold beer back at the truck. And honestly, sometimes it is the simple fact that the path forward is shorter or easier than turning around.

During these hikes, it is not uncommon for me to reflect on my clients and their journeys, whether it be a challenging people issue, declining revenue or profits, or market uncertainty. I can see where they are and how they are struggling, and I think about how I can support them through this.

Paradoxically, my hikes and the challenges I face aren’t that different from the challenges that my clients face. Running a business is full of obstacles and frustrations, and sometimes my clients lose the perspective that these challenges won’t last forever. It may even seem to them as if they aren’t making any progress until, all of a sudden, they will hit a peak and the view will change, making, hopefully, the challenge worth the effort.

That is one of the privileges of doing the work that I do. As an EOS implementer, I have the gift of perspective. I’m not in the day-to-day, so I can see progress when, oftentimes, the client can’t see it. I can see leaders growing, leaning into the hard conversations, challenging each other. I can see my leadership teams tackling the meaty issues and slowly making change for the good. I can see the shift from fixating on the fires right in front of them to more broadly considering what’s possible.

As I reflect on the past quarter’s sessions, the main theme I see is teams who resolved some major people issues and started to look at the business with renewed energy. They made it to the summit, enjoyed the view and then shifted their focus to the next climb with excitement and anticipation.

Where are you on your business journey? Are you worn out from the climb, considering if it would be easier to turn around and head back to the truck? Or are you starting to see the view change, giving you energy to keep climbing? Maybe you’re somewhere in the middle, wanting to take a rest until you regain your energy for the climb ahead? Regardless of where you are, I’d love to join you on your journey. I can give you the perspective that you might lack, the motivation to keep going and the celebration you deserve when you reach your destination. Climbing is always more fun together! Are you ready to go hiking together? If so, send me an email.

P.S. The chickens are fine. They took a little time off and will be back next month.

It is broody hen time in our coop. That’s when something flips in a hen’s brain that lets her know now is the time to become a mama. The switch doesn’t flip in all hens, but when it does, I know it can be contagious. I’ve had as many as three broody hens at one time.

Once she becomes broody, a hen’s first step is to gather her clutch of eggs. During my first experience with a broody hen, I wasn’t armed with all the knowledge I have now, and I ended up with one hen sitting on more than 18 eggs. It was clear (to us, if not to her) that she couldn’t spread her wings wide enough to incubate all those eggs.

Armed with more knowledge and experience, I now limit each hen’s clutch of eggs to a dozen. Considering not all the eggs will hatch and that I’ll statistically end up with 50% roosters, I believe a dozen eggs will yield a reasonable number of pullets (hens under one year) to supplement my egg needs through the winter.

Once the hen has assembled her clutch, I will mark those eggs. Then, once a day, I’ll lift her up and remove any unmarked eggs. Depending on the hen, she will either protest with a little peck or attack me every time I pick her up.

During the three weeks it takes to incubate an egg, the hen does little more than sit on her nest. She leaves the nest occasionally to relieve herself, eat, and drink before returning to her eggs. When she is off her eggs, she keeps herself puffed up and emits an “urgent” clucking signifying that she wants to be left alone and is on a mission. Every morning, when I approach the coop with treats for the other hens and the rooster, she remains sitting on her nest. Sometimes, I throw her a few mealworms just so she doesn’t feel completely left out.

It must be a lonely existence, those three weeks sitting in near darkness to incubate the eggs. Yet she remains in place. This summer, we had two broody hens, and somewhere along the way, my first broody, “The Grey Mare,” switched clutches with “Priscilla,” who ended up hatching the first peeps and getting moved out of the coop with the initial clutch of eggs. Still, The Grey Mare waits, adding an extra two weeks.

I just wonder why the other hens, or Sven the rooster, don’t help her share the load. There are some other birds, including bald eagles, that share that responsibility between both parents. Perhaps since the other hens don’t have the desire to be mamas, they don’t think they need to help. Or maybe they have a scarcity mindset that says if we have more hens, we won’t get as many treats. Who knows, but from my point of view, it looks like a bunch of chickens trying to survive by fending for themselves.

I can’t help but think that our society is structured in a similar way. Someone gets an idea to do something, and the rest of us just stand by and say, “Well, good luck with that.” Or we begin to feel envious. Most of us have nearly limitless opportunities in this country to pursue what we want, become who we wish to be, and experience things that countless people around the world do not have the chance to experience. Yet, when we see someone trying to break away from the flock, our first reaction is often not supportive.

It takes a lot to follow your own path rather than the crowd. Starting a business is hard, and it’s challenging to say no when everyone else is saying yes. I hear stories of people doing it all the time. But those stories often include other people they assumed were there to support them on their journey but who instead tried to hold them back.

I just finished reading the book The Power of the Other, by Henry Cloud. He discusses the importance of what he calls Corner Four relationships—those that allow you to be vulnerable, ask for help, and support each other. What I found interesting is that many successful leaders have relied on Corner Four relationships that challenged, pushed, and encouraged them along the way.

When implementing EOS, I work with my clients to cultivate a strong and healthy leadership team. What does “healthy” look like? It means caring deeply for one another and for the company, and being willing to communicate what needs to be said when it should be said. It involves showing up as your authentic self and knowing that you won’t be judged for it. Essentially, I’m helping them develop Corner Four relationships within their leadership teams.

During the initial session with a team that recently began their EOS journey, we conducted a feedback exercise for each team member while building out the accountability chart. This was the first time the team had been required to provide honest feedback to one another, and they struggled with it. At the end of that first day, they told me they believed feedback should be given solely by the manager to each team member in private, rather than by the team collectively. I noted that my hope was for them to reach a point where they felt comfortable giving and receiving feedback as a team. Although it didn’t happen overnight, I observed a shift in the team over the course of a year. They began to engage in difficult conversations, focusing on the issues rather than the individuals involved. The result was a healthier team built on trust, working together to advance the company. Consequently, the company experienced growth for the first time in more than a decade.

As you consider your leadership team or the relationships in your life, are you allowing people to challenge you and call you out? Or are you trying to handle everything on your own? If you find yourself sitting on your eggs in the dark, you might want to look around and find someone to join you. I’m sure it will be more fun when you have someone sharing the workload.

If your team needs help getting healthy, reach out to me. I can introduce you to a process that is centered on getting your team members on the same page, rowing in the same direction, and working together.   

I used to say that my dogs were five for five in catching a rogue chicken, while my chickens were zero for five in surviving. It made sense. I had two bird hunting dogs trained to retrieve birds. Yes, I hated losing a chicken, but who can blame me or the dogs for those odds?

During a recent trip, my dog sitter texted me to say that there was a hole in my chicken netting and one of my chickens had escaped. Of course, my first thought was that I’m down another chicken (which really isn’t good because of the cost of eggs). Her subsequent text said she was able to retrieve the hen and get her back in the coop. Then I thought, oh good, JacX wasn’t up near the coop. Her next text stated that she managed to get JacX back to the house before she went to retrieve the hen.

What? How did she do that? Every time I’ve been near the chickens with the dogs, and a hen escaped, there was no way I could catch either of my dogs. I’ve lost my voice yelling at them to leave the chickens alone while my poor chicken tried to fly to save her life. And not once was I able to get either of my dogs to give up the retrieve and come back to me.

Yet, my dog sitter could do that.

I’ll be honest, I don’t even want to ask her how she did it because I fear it will reveal that my dog handling skills are not as good as I believe they are. So, I’m hiding from the truth, trying to accept my new reality.

How many of you reading this have had that same experience—the realization that there are others who can do something you pride yourself on being an expert at much better than you? Or if I delegate this task to someone else, what will I do with my time? Now, I realize that I can’t delegate my dog-wrangling activities to my dog sitter, but if I’m not as good at that as I think I am, what else am I pretending to be great at when, in reality, I’m not?

Being an effective leader means looking inward, acknowledging shortcomings, and delegating those items to others who are better suited. But, it is hard to let go, either due to a sense of obligation or a desire to do those things.

I was working with a client who had hit the ceiling. Their product was becoming outdated, resulting in fewer new opportunities and a plateau. The entire team was frustrated. They knew they needed to try something new, but the owner was so tied up in running the business that she didn’t have time to start exploring new products or new ways to attract new opportunities.

As the team worked through what was getting in the owner’s way, it became clear that she was hanging onto the role she had when the company was a quarter of its current revenue. She was trying to do all the employee reviews, hiring, and even the primary contact to many of their large customers.

So, I challenged her by asking, “What is the highest and best use of your time?” And then we sat in silence watching her work through the internal struggle. After what felt like an eternity, she said, “I need to let all of you do your job. I need to let go of all the control.” The team exhaled and said they were ready to take that responsibility.

But, it didn’t stop at the owner. I continue to challenge each member of the team, “what is the highest and best use of your time?” And following the lead of the owner, they began to acknowledge what they needed to do. By the end of the session, the entire team was in a completely different mindset, ready to delegate some of their tasks so they could go execute on their new priorities.

So, what about you? Are you hanging on to responsibilities in your business that would be better completed by someone else? Is that control keeping your organization from breaking through the ceiling? Are you finding it hard to accept that you must let go so you can elevate yourself to “unique ability”? If so, reach out to me. While this process might be challenging, on the other side is a new reality with a company that is poised for growth.

Dogs are creatures of habit. They like routines. In our house, the highlight of my dogs’ morning, other than breakfast, is going to see the chickens. But before that happens, they have to wait on me. After getting up, I work out. The dogs will lie on their beds, patiently waiting for me to finish. If Marlee, my 11-year-old lab, feels the workout has gone on a little too long, he will come up and start licking me or lie down on my mat. After my workout, I shower, get dressed, and head down the stairs. JacX will run down the steps ahead, announcing her excitement to all within earshot. This daily trip includes throwing the ball for Marlee as JacX chases after him with a training bumper in her mouth. We work our way up the garden trail, through the woods, and into the front field for more ball throwing and lots of smells to check out. I do believe it is one of the best parts of their day, second only to food.

A few months ago, we very unexpectedly lost Marlee. One day, he was running on the beach, and the next day, we had to put him down. I was out of town and had to say goodbye to him on FaceTime. When I returned home the next day, I felt the loss of my buddy as soon as I walked into the house.

The following day, after finishing my workout, JacX and I went up to see the chickens. JacX ran out of the garage with her hair up and started hunting for Marlee. When we reached the end of the patio, she stood there, waiting for him. Tears flowed as I watched her, giving her time to process this loss. Then, we slowly walked down the garden trail. It felt so empty without Marlee.

In my grief, I decided I no longer needed to make those morning trips. I could visit the chickens later in the day. And without Marlee to chase around, I figured JacX wouldn’t want to go anyway.

So, I changed my morning routine and didn’t think much about it. A few days later, in the kitchen after my workout, I saw JacX staring at me. I told her to go lie down, but she was having none of it.

Finally, looking at things from her perspective, I asked her, “Do you want to go see the chickens?” She started jumping around me.

What I realized at that moment was that while I was grieving the loss of Marlee, JacX was grieving too, and she needed the comfort of that routine in her life. So, we restarted our morning routine, although it isn’t the same. It still feels empty without him, but we’ve changed it slightly to feel more like “our” routine.

Since that day, I have started taking her up to see the chickens multiple times a day, and she gets so excited every time.

Often, as I walk down that garden path, I think of my clients and friends who have experienced significant loss in their lives, some much greater than the loss of a dog. Continuing to move forward is hard. Sometimes, it feels like something we can’t do. But I find the strength when I think about Marlee and all the joy he brought to my life. During those moments, I realize that it isn’t just about me: I need to think beyond myself, think about the people who are depending on me, those who love me and support me.

To all of you who have comforted me these past few months, thank you from the bottom of my heart. And to those experiencing grief and needing someone to listen, I am here, willing to listen with an open heart.