Planning for Adjustments to the Plan

This is a photo of our first "official" Fall calf.  It's a long story but, we have a small group of cattle that are set up for Fall calving instead of Spring.  Rather than go into why we now have two different calving seasons, suffice it to say that sometimes the best way forward is to adjust your game plan and keep moving!

I was pleased to see this calf.  His mother had a Brangus Sire and Angus Dam.  This little heifer's daddy is Angus.  There are genetics for both low birth-weight and growth throughout the pedigree.  I am excited to see how this little heifer will perform.  If things work out, she will become part of the cow herd in the future.

Plans need to have room to accommodate change.  I have yet to see a plan that didn't require adjustment -- sometimes radical adjustment -- to deal with completely unexpected circumstances.  Do you plan to have to change your plan?

If you have read much in the way of science fiction, or perhaps watched a few science fiction movies, you have run across the concept of "multiple futures" or, "split" time lines.  Basically, depending on what happens at critical points determines which "branch" of the future will become reality for you.  Choices determine the path you will continue to move upon.  When planning, we need to recognize those points where we are likely to be forced to make choices depending on what occurs.

When we develop plans, I think it is wise to include something like a decision tree.  Essentially, it recognizes to the extent possible, those nexus points where events are likely to occur which could dramatically affect our plan.  In a breeding program it might be that you suddenly find yourself with a large number of open cows.  It forces a choice.  You can liquidate that part of the cow herd, or you can move them to a different calving window.  You also must diagnose what caused the large number of open cows.  If it was a disease event, you take steps to prevent it in the future.  If it was an infertile bull, you replace the bull.  The point is, if you prepare ahead of time by, at minimum, thinking through the potential issues and responses, it is much easier to make a timely adjustment and continue moving forward.  You have time to look at the numbers and the potential long-term impact of each possible path rather than making a snap decision.

We can never plan for all of the things that might occur, but we can prepare for many things that might, or might not happen.  It is much different than worrying.  We tend to worry about things we can't control, we plan for things that we can.

I have always preferred to focus on offense rather than defense.  Planning is offense in nature -- even if you are planning how to defend against possible difficulties.  It is taking initiative rather than passively waiting for things to happen.  I have worked with people in the past that continually worried about what the competition was doing.  My response was that we can't build our program around someone else's game plan and expect to be successful.  We need to focus on our game and performing to the best of our ability.  If we are constantly reacting to the "other guy" we will never accomplish our own goals.

Life will always throw challenges your way.  Plan ahead, prepare for the likelihood that it won't work the way you hope, but always, always focus on your game and not everyone else's.  Just keep on executing to the best of your ability and good things will happen -- like that beautiful black calf in the picture.