“Be unrelenting and show up every day with the best effort you can give.” When Chad Greenway, former linebacker with the Minnesota Vikings, shared that message at the Iowa Pork Congress, it made me think about what that looks like in my own life.
What stops us from giving our best effort? It seems easy enough, but sometimes life gets in the way. We listen to the negative voices in our lives. We get distracted by too many things. We forget to take time to rest. We try to do it in our own strength.
Maybe that’s why so many of Greenway’s points really resonated with me – they centered on how your purpose helps set the course for the decisions you make in life. In short, he says when you know your purpose and understand your “why,” it allows you to focus on your priorities and makes decision-making easier.
As a former professional football player, Greenway spent his entire 11-year career with the Vikings. He grew up on a hog and cattle farm in South Dakota where he earned the value of hard work, determination and perseverance.
Over the years, he says he learned four things you can do every day that separate you from others.
1. Display Character
“Integrity, responsibility, self-discipline and teamwork make up our character that is on display in both our personal and professional lives,” he says.
2. Be Consistent
“Set goals. Prioritize. Practice how you play,” Greenway says. “Be meticulous and obsessive as you work toward your goals.”
3. Grit
“Talent alone is not enough,” Greenway says. “You’ve got to be willing to do what it takes. That requires persistency, determination and resiliency.”
4. Pursue Accountability
“Be your harshest critic – raise your hand when it’s your fault,” he explains. “Find people who will challenge you. Don’t just be around people who tell you what you want to hear.”
One of the things that strikes me about this list is that they aren’t quick fixes. They don’t just happen without intention. They require commitment – they are cultivated slowly over time.
During a recent conversation with Pat and Phil Hord on The PORK Podcast, we discussed how their family has passed their farming business from generation to generation. But the thing that struck me most was not the wise planning they followed, but the emphasis they place on values guiding their decisions in their business and in their family.
For example, Pat gave both of his children who wanted to join the family business a project to help them better understand the business from the ground level.
In addition to gaining knowledge, the projects allowed them to build trust and understanding with the rest of the team. The landscape was much different than when Pat transitioned into the family farm, he points out. Years ago when he came to work for the family farm, they had one employee. When Phil came back 10 years ago, the farm had grown in size and already had an established management team.
“Phil had to prove his competency, as well as develop communication and build trust,” Pat says. “It was earned. At times, he had to work harder than everybody else, because he didn’t start at zero. He started at less than zero because everybody knew he was my child.”
To me, that exemplifies how character, consistency, grit and accountability can separate you from the competition.
There’s no doubt the past several years have been incredibly challenging for the U.S. pork industry. It’s motivating to hear stories of pork producers display these things as they strived to remain profitable and reach their goals despite the obstacles thrown their way.
With a more positive outlook ahead for 2025, how can the pork industry take advantage of the opportunity to continue to separate itself from other sectors? How can you build on these things to strengthen not only your business, but also yourself personally?
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