In my last article, I wrote about overdue debtors and the impact on businesses left waiting for payment. One of the things that struck me while writing it was how much of the problem comes back to communication, particularly the conversations people avoid because they're uncomfortable, difficult or they don't have all the answers.
It's something I see well beyond unpaid invoices.
It's the farming business owner who knows they can't pay a bill on time but doesn't pick up the phone. The employer who's unhappy with a staff member's performance but continues to let things slide. The family that knows succession needs to be discussed but keeps putting it off because nobody wants to upset anyone.
In each case, the conversation might be uncomfortable, but avoiding it rarely makes the situation better.
Leadership means having the conversations that matter
When I think about the farming business owners demonstrating leadership across our industry, one characteristic stands out. They're prepared to have the conversations that others avoid.
They ask the questions and take responsibility for the outcomes. They don't have all the answers, and they certainly don't get everything right, but they deal with issues rather than leaving them sitting in the background.
They're the people who won't die wondering.
I saw this recently with a client who had found a new lender more prepared to support their vision for the business than their existing one. That meant telling their current bank they were moving. The easy option would have been an email to a general inbox, or simply letting the refinance paperwork do the talking.
They didn't do that. They picked up the phone and told their bank directly.
It wasn't a comfortable call to make. But it showed respect for the relationship and for the person on the other end, and in an industry as connected as ours, that counts for a great deal. You never know when you'll be sitting across the table from that bank again.
Brené Brown puts it simply: "Clear is kind. Unclear is unkind." In this situation, picking up the phone was a way of showing both clarity and respect.
How you deliver difficult news says as much about your business as the decision itself.
The cost of avoiding a conversation
Take a business under financial pressure. Raise it with the bank early, while there's still room to move, and there may be options to discuss, whether that's restructuring repayments, reviewing facilities or developing a plan to manage the pressure. Leave it until repayments are being missed and the conversation can look very different. By then, the bank is far more likely to be the one setting the terms.
The same pattern plays out elsewhere. A performance issue left unaddressed quietly becomes the standard the rest of the team works to. A succession conversation postponed for years doesn't disappear. It tends to resurface at a far worse time, often when someone's health or a family relationship forces the issue.
Avoiding a conversation doesn't make it easier. It just leaves you with fewer options.
And often, it's other people who are left carrying the consequences.
You don't need to have all the answers
One of the reasons people avoid difficult conversations is that they feel they need a solution before they can raise the issue.
But some of the most productive conversations I've been part of started with someone acknowledging they didn't know what the answer was. Starting the conversation is what makes it possible to work out what the options actually are.
That doesn't mean every discussion will be easy, or that everyone will agree. It does mean you're taking responsibility for moving things forward.
And communication isn't just about talking. It's about listening. Then it's about following through on what you've committed to.
Leading from the front
Leadership isn't limited to the big decisions about land, machinery, debt or expansion. It shows up in everyday situations: how you communicate with staff and contractors, how you manage financial commitments and how you involve family members in discussions about the future.
For me, this comes down to values. The clients I work best with share two in particular: integrity and respect. Integrity is doing what you said you'd do, including having the conversations you'd rather avoid. Respect is how you have them. Neither appears in a business plan, but both show up in every phone call, every invoice and every decision about how you treat the people you deal with.
You can't expect accountability from the people around you if you're not prepared to demonstrate it yourself.
That said, sometimes it helps to have someone holding you to it.
Accountability is one of the most valuable parts of my work with clients through AgCelerate. Often that means talking a difficult conversation through beforehand, working out what needs to be said, who needs to be involved and how to approach it. Sometimes we practise the conversation, so it feels authentic and they're comfortable with what they want to communicate. Other times, it's simply following up on something we've agreed needs to happen.
Most people don't lack the intention to have the conversation. What they often need is someone to help them prepare and then ask whether it's happened yet.
What conversation have you been putting off?
Perhaps it's a discussion with your bank, a conversation with an employee or finally sitting down with family to talk about succession. It might be challenging a long-held assumption about how the business operates or admitting that something you've done for years is no longer working.
Whatever it is, not having the conversation is still a decision. Consider what it's costing you.
Not every issue can be resolved straight away, and some conversations will need to happen more than once. But progress usually starts with someone being prepared to go first.
The farming business owners leading our industry aren't waiting for perfect circumstances before they act. They're having the conversations, and they're taking responsibility for what happens next.
They're leading from the front, and they won't die wondering.