It’s been a wet and slow start to the season here in Oregon. I’m sure by the time you read this article the memories of our record slow start will be forgotten. So with the objective of saving time I constructed a brief “multi-media” journal for this issue. (Less typing – more pictures and even a video)
Step one before reading this article: open your computer or phone internet connection and do a Google search for “start with why video.” The video in question is a TEDX talk by author Simon Sinek.
At the beginning of 2016 I was working for an ag tech start-up company and collaborating with an international team on a project to clearly define the company’s marketing message and value proposition. We sifted through multiple exercises to define the who, what, when, where, how and how much. Ultimately the project produced the desired outcome. During my research and gleaning ideas from the all-knowing internet I came across the video “Start with Why”.
It was apparent to me that the team had answered all the key questions except WHY. Although not a necessity to market your company, the gentleman in the video demonstrates how WHY creates focused meaning within an organization and connections with its customers.
Inspiring urban Oregonians to have an enlightened perspective of Oregon agriculture is a monumental challenge. Outreach programs like Adopt a Famer have created action through open-minded early-adopters, but we can accomplish even more. Oregon agriculture and the Aglink membership are made up of diverse businesses and individuals. Some know their WHY and other may struggle to define it. Finding ways to distil Oregon Aglink’s collective WHY can be the catalyst to bridging the gap with the HOW of our Cultivating Common Ground initiative.
Some producers may farm and ranch for pride, others for the lifestyle and maybe some just simply because their parents and grandparents did. Think how strong our collective messages would be if we could connect to consumers with inspiring statements of WHY we farm!
