Good Communication – the Foundation to Quality Relationships

Communication takes on a variety of forms in every aspect of life. Through our words, actions, hand signals, eyes, body language, written forms (letters, cards, emails, texts, etc.) and a variety of other methods, we communicate with people every day.

Whether with family members, co-workers, neighbors, friends and foes, strangers, or lifelong friends, communication is what drives our relationships and interactions throughout life. Improving our communication can transform our lives and increase the value we bring to others and the blessings we receive in return.

In the recruiting world, we see a variety of challenges that pop up that can complicate communicating a message from one person to another. Every person has unique attributes that can help or hurt their ability to communicate. Over the next few months, we will address some key areas in communication that will help you become a better communicator, whether with your co-workers, in an interview, or with the family members you love.

Start out this journey by reading Bob Pike’s enlightening article, "Communication vs Dialogue" elsewhere in this newsletter.

5783 River Grain Facility Manager - Kentucky

Outstanding grain company is seeking a River Facility Manager focusing on operations for their Kentucky river terminal.

5784 Grain Origination & Merchandising Manager - Indiana

Indiana grain processing company with an extensive record of success is looking for an Origination & Merchandising Manager who is passionate about talking to farmers and buying grain, and desires to manage the origination and merchandising programs for this key facility.

5785 Ingredient Sales - Kansas City

A successful and growing western US feed company is seeking an Ingredient Sales professional. This position is responsible for marketing straight ingredients to beef producers in the Oklahoma/Arkansas region.

6243 Poultry Complex Assistant Manager - Eastern US

A leading worldwide protein provider is seeking an individual that has the career goal of running their own operation. The ideal candidate will have a strong desire to take on the full responsibility of a vertically integrated livestock operation.

3911 Lead Agronomy Precision Manager - Northern Illinois

Full-service agronomy company is seeking a Lead Agronomy Precision Manager. This is a key multi-faceted role. You will be working directly with farmers and salespeople selling additional precision services. This role is the lead resource for technology in the business, and your goal is to build a profitable precision sector. You must have a minimum of a BS in agronomy or agribusiness and have a successful record in developing or implementing agronomy technology.

5769 Grain Origination / Merchandising / Ops Role - Northern Illinois

Thriving northern Illinois grain company is seeking a valued team member who wants to learn all aspects of the grain business and be a part of a very family-oriented atmosphere. Ideal for an Operations professional who wants to learn all aspects of the grain business.

5778 Senior Commodity Buyer - West Texas

A diversified agriculture company in western Texas is seeking a high-level Senior Commodity / Grain Buyer for their operations.

5779 Senior Controller / Accounting Leader - Missouri

Highly successful, financially sound and growth-oriented Southeastern Missouri agricultural company is seeking an experienced Senior Accounting Leader / CFO. Strong accounting and leadership experience are key for this position; an understanding of grain accounting is also required.

3908 Agronomist - Upper Midwest

A fast-growing crop inputs company is seeking an Agronomist for its upper Midwest territory (northern Iowa, North and South Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin). In this role, you will work closely with and provide support to the sales team to enable them to educate their dealer and grower networks on agronomic products and principles. You will be the lead consultant for the sales team, dealers, and growers.

8024 Maintenance Manager Food Processing Plant - Eastern US

A leading worldwide protein provider is seeking an experienced Maintenance Manager. The successful candidate must have exceptional knowledge and skills to ensure maximum performance of one of the world's most elite food processing systems.

1061 Service Manager - AG / Turf Equipment - Southwest Illinois

Equipment managerial role available in southwestern Illinois for an ag equipment and turf dealership. This Service Manager role is responsible for the day-to-day operations and oversees 15 direct reports. The job has many responsibilities, and priorities may change depending upon the day or season. The preferred candidate will have a minimum of five years experience working in a service technician type role. John Deere experience is desired.

5780 Ag Cooperative General Manager - Ohio

Well established and financially strong Ohio agricultural cooperative is seeking a new General Manager to lead their company.

Throughout my career, I have always asked my team members to over-communicate. My intentions have been to ensure that the whole team would always be on the same page. It is always better to have more information than not enough to address problems or opportunities within our company. Over the years, this has worked well. But lately, it seems like over-communicating is done by adding more names to emails, creating larger text groups, and basically becoming conversations that are one-way in nature.

These types of communication efforts will become a burden by filling “In” boxes and alerting us to non-critical texts. Subsequently, recipients will tend to delete the emails and texts before reading them and not listen to voice mails. One-way communication has merit but sometimes it becomes overwhelming and counterproductive.

The best form of communication is having an in-person dialogue. Webster defines dialogue as “a conversation between two or more persons, an exchange of ideas and opinions, a discussion between representatives of parties that is aimed at some type of resolution”. Whatever happened to having dialogue in our society, workplace, and even our families? Look around the next time you are in a restaurant and watch couples who once would look each other in the eye and talk to each other about the day’s events, life challenges, and their plans for the future. Now, they have their heads down looking at their cell phone as "Rosary Beads".

Do you have the grit to not give up and stay true to the course, no matter how difficult it may be? Are you competitive and possess a strong sales mentality where every “no” is just one step closer to a “yes”?

If so, and you have a passion for connecting with and helping people, plus a strong agricultural industry background in agronomy, grain, or other areas, please contact Dave Allen. We would enjoy having a discussion with you about how a recruiting career may be a great fit for you.

Founded in 1995, AGRI-SEARCH is a professional recruiting firm providing clients with customized recruiting solutions in various niches within the agricultural industry. Our success results from our industry focus, our specialized approach to recruiting, and our staff's lifelong roots in, dedication to, and vast understanding and knowledge of the agricultural industry.

At AGRI-SEARCH, our mission states that we “are committed to serving the agricultural industry with integrity, passion and excellence by assisting our candidates to reach their career goals and helping our client companies build successful teams.”