I recently read about an interview on leadership lessons that Head Basketball Coach Mike Krzyzewski completed with the Dean of Duke University’s business school, Bill Boulding. I believe it offers some great lessons for each of us, so I am passing its highlights along to you in this blog. After winning five national championships in his 40 years at Duke, Coach K probably can provide us with some excellent guidelines.

Recently, I’ve had an opportunity to do some thinking about what tactics have really helped me to be more successful, and perhaps more resourceful, in my own business. One of the techniques that I have found to be very beneficial is what I call “These Three Things.”

Recently, I’ve had numerous conversations with producers who, to varying degrees, have expressed their disappointment with the smaller than expected payout from the Federal Dairy Price Relief Program. I can completely empathize with them. However, my suggestion to all of them is that, although it would have been a genuine “shot in the arm” for all producers, it’s time to move forward. We can all spend time complaining about it, but will we gain anything? I doubt it. In fact, our time will be better spent developing future courses of action for your business.

I always find it interesting to visit with various business people and discuss the challenges they are currently having with regard to running their operations. One of the most common discussion points I have had with many producers revolves around how their cash flow results compare with others.

Some of you probably remember the old song recorded by Bob Dylan many years ago. In it, he appealed to many, including Senators and Congressmen, that the times were changing, and that we needed to take some positive action to move forward successfully.