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. 

With the rising prices of eggs and shortage of chickens, I have enjoyed special treatment from my neighbors and friends. Just last week, I received a meme of me looking like royalty.

But all this notoriety has also come with some challenges. Due to the risk of chicken theft, I have had to put my chickens under 24-hour security to ensure their safety.

I have always enjoyed being a chicken mama, but these changes have added a layer of complexity to my work. To make matters worse, ever since my chickens started trending on InstaLayer, their social media channel, they have been demanding more expensive food, additional scratch (“chicken crack”), and cleaner living quarters. Why they need their coop cleaned more frequently when all they do is poop in it, I don’t know, but that is what they want.

So here I am, working harder than ever and spending additional money to keep my chickens safe and happy, and yet I’m still not meeting my egg-laying needs. I’m frustrated and feel stuck, but I know quitting my egg-laying adventure isn’t the right choice.

My saving grace is that I’m not alone; there are other chicken-laying mamas (and daddies) in the same boat. We support each other. When I shared my frustration with Burkhart, a German chicken daddy I know, he wrote me a song to cheer me up. As I listened, I laughed and realized this challenging chapter would pass, and I should celebrate having chickens and eggs. (Feel free to listen if you want to laugh and enjoy some chicken humor.)

I wonder how many leaders have felt like I have in the past few years—working to keep their employees happy and engaged while dealing with the rising costs of nearly everything, from raw materials to transportation to labor. Running a business and solving all the company’s issues is complicated. It can wear down even the most optimistic person. I believe the benefit of having a leadership team is that the burden of running a business and making those difficult decisions doesn’t fall solely on the owner, CEO, or president. As a team, you can work together to identify potential solutions to a problem and ultimately find a solution you might not have seen on your own.

When I start an EOS session, as part of the check-in, I have each team member share one personal and one professional highlight since we last met. This helps them transition from working “in” the business to working “on” the business. But some of my team members will read their wins with their heads down or with no inflection and then continue with the rest of their check-in. Occasionally, someone will say they have no wins to share at all. Both of these scenarios fill me with sadness.

Most leadership teams are feeling the stress of running a business, whether it be a lack of profitability, losing a large contract, or the departure of a key employee. If a team is going to endure that stress, it is important to stop and celebrate the wins when they happen.

I am a very achievement-oriented person. I love striving to achieve my goals, and once I do, I just keep striving for more. It is really hard for me to slow down and savor my wins. So I understand the mindset that many leaders have. However, I have also learned that slowing down and appreciating the wins allows me to be present and grateful for where I am today.

If you find yourself mired in all the challenges of running your business, I’d encourage you to stop and look at what is going well, and celebrate it with your team. If you are the type of person who struggles with that, think about the people around you. Could they benefit from celebrating their wins? And if that doesn’t help, perhaps listening to a little chicken song could serve as a reminder that there’s plenty to celebrate in your life.

If the challenges still feel overwhelming, reach out to me. I can introduce some tools to help you get a grip on your business.

The dark days of winter. This time of year is hard, especially with all the Christmas lights down. I know we are gaining on the sunlight, but we still have more than five months until the summer solstice. This season also means my hens aren’t laying many eggs. It has been two weeks since my last egg. As frequent readers know, it takes a lot of work to clean the coop, feed the hens, refill their water container, give them treats, put hats on them, and not get any eggs. The lack of egg production has forced me to buy eggs at the grocery store. I paid $10.49 for a dozen free-range eggs. When did the price of eggs get so high?

Here I am, working really hard to care for my hens, and they aren’t doing their jobs. So I turned to my chicken coach for advice. My first question was, “Are your chickens laying right now?” Her response was, “Yes, we’re getting 18-20 eggs per day.” How she ended up with so many chickens, I have no idea, but I’ve learned not to ask someone how many chickens they have. It’s one of those seemingly easy questions that can be surprisingly difficult to answer.

But her answer to the question of egg-laying made me realize I could definitely do something to get my ladies to start laying. My chicken coach provided lots of resources and ideas on what she has been doing to ensure egg production throughout the winter. I immediately put her ideas into action, and slowly egg production has begun to increase. 

Here’s the thing. Had I not sought outside advice, I would have made up my own story about what was going on with my hens. I’d rely on what I thought I remembered from the last time this happened or search the web for the best remedy. But talking to someone who knows me, my hens, and all things chickens was the fastest way to identify the root cause and start addressing the problem. 

As I teach my clients, you can’t coach yourself from inside a bottle. You receive much more valuable help when you bring in an outside perspective from someone who understands you. However, you must invest in that relationship if you want that person to understand your situation and the people involved. That’s the only way to ensure that the advice they offer you remains relevant.

A few months ago, I received an email from a CEO about an issue with a leadership team member. This team member had a complete breakdown during a meeting. He was yelling, swearing, and carrying on. The CEO was quite concerned about the team member and the impact his behavior would have on the team and possibly the organization. Having spent time with the team during several EOS sessions, I had my own perspective on this person and some of the behaviors I had observed. We talked through the issue and ultimately agreed that there must have been something outside of the business that caused his severe reaction. 

Rather than discipline the team member for his behavior, the CEO decided to meet one-on-one to find out what was going on. It turned out that some stressors at home were spilling into his work. Together, they talked through some techniques the team member could use when he started to feel that his emotions were getting the best of him. 

This is exactly what I believe is so powerful about the work I have the privilege of doing. Spending time with leadership teams allows me to get to know the team and individual team members along with the business and the challenges they face. All of this gives me the context and background to truly coach them to become their best. As one of my clients said, “You are hard on us when we need it. But you’re also there to share in our celebrations.” 

As you start this new year and consider everything you want to accomplish, do you have the right structure to support achieving those things? Do you have the right coach to guide you through the obstacles you may face? If you answered no to either of these questions, please reach out to me. I can help you and your leadership team get more out of your business than you could ever imagine.