Tree nut harvest has began. Now waiting for nuts. Will arrive any day now...
**PANIC!**
We are not ready!! Funny how a month ago I actually wrote those notes.
I was stressed and working around the clock trying to finish up as many preseason projects as I could before the tree nut harvest started. At one point, I had to stop and take a look at WHY I was killing myself to drive all these projects to completion. I'm pretty sure it's just a character flaw of mine; once it's on my list I'm like a duck on a June bug (or a chicken, depending on where you're from).
Early in the year, we had reviewed what worked and didn't work in the last season and developed a plan for how we wanted to start this harvest season (here's our 2018 business operations year-end review)
That's WHY I wanted to finish all these projects, so we would start the season set up for success. The reality is that I wasn't going to get it all done before my deadline. I had to pivot to alternate strategies that were better than before, but not completely what I wanted. In the last month, we have been dealing with a lot of fear.
We are switching our daily routines from off to the tree nut harvest on-season as well as all making improvements to our tools, processes and equipment. All of the change is hard, but I knew if I could just get us into a rhythm, we would be okay. I created checklists for the team to follow and was there with them to give a little security. Knowing that things wouldn't go perfectly, I coached them through the rough patches.
Now, we are catching our stride and it feels good. Hey, I had time to write this blog! We have an audit Monday at one of our tree nut plants and I'm totally confident it will go off without a hitch. One of my tree nut storage clients reminded me recently that I'm always talking about continuous improvement and that we are definitely accomplishing that. Upon reflection, I realized that our setup is vastly better than it was a year ago. We have also had a major impact on the pest populations there. Sometimes it's good to get out of the weeds and look at your accomplishments. When I really step back and look at it, I am having the time of my life and we are having a huge impact. We are having a significant positive impact on our client tree nut facilities' operations. We are helping our team members' improve their life paths by teaching them a trade that will bring value to the marketplace. These skills are allowing our team members to earn livings they could only dream of before joining Protect Your Nuts. Their future is bright and therefore ours is too.
Who would ever think that protecting your nuts could be such a big deal?
Well, I did. And that's why we do it. Thank you all (you know who you are) for everything you do and being such a blessing in my life.