An Industry Full Of Mentors
by Laura Patterson
supervisor, or coach who has been a mentor to us and made a positive difference in our lives. Mine was my English 101 professor in college. She would sit with me and discuss writing, but she also got involved with me on a personal level by getting to know me and guiding me. After moving from Georgia to Texas, I lost contact with her…back then snail mail was really the only form of communication because who wanted to pay for long distance phone calls? But then the evil that is Facebook was created, and I was able to send her a message. I expressed how grateful I was for her guidance and friendship. I know that without her, I would not have graduated college or even taken the Journalism path for a career. Not many people get to have that opportunity to thank their mentors, or even let them know that they were a mentor, so when given the opportunity, many Longhorn breeders spoke out. It is fair to say that there are a lot of mentors within the Longhorn industry, but the remarkable thing is, everyone seems to pay it forward – sharing knowledge and help to whomever needs it.
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In a Forbes article, “How To Be A Great Mentor,” by Jacquelyn Smith, David Parnell, a legal consultant and communication coach and author, said of mentoring that, “one should give back at least what they’ve received.” Paying it forward is so important in the Longhorn industry. Encouragement and feedback goes a long way – not only for their program, but also your own.
Bear Davidson, Eastwind StockCo Consulting, believes that the whole process in mentoring should be based around the opportunity for those who you are mentoring to become just as good, if not better, than you. “That’s
ost of us have had a teacher,
the only way, we as an industry succeed and grow,” he says.
When speaking with other Longhorn breeders or introducing new people to the industry, there are several things that can be done in order to help them succeed (as mentioned in a previous issue of the Texas Longhorn Journal):
• Invite people to your ranch, so they can see your operation as well as learn how you run the ranch. Explain certain elements of the operation. For instance, if you use a particular chute, explain why. Explain certain necessary minerals for your particular area.
• Discuss choices and decisions regarding your program. Tell them the options of herd sires being considered and why. Tell them the benefits of marketing, and what options are being used. Discuss choices of selecting a young heifer to introduce a new line of breeding.
• Let them be hands on during the tour, so they can learn by being interactive. From this, they can also tweak their processes in order to accommodate to their own needs.
• Be honest about any challenges your ranch has ever experienced. Although the majority of the time is spent enjoying cattle, problems can arise – broken horns, travel trailer problems, hay shortage, etc.
• Actively look for ways you can help them move toward their goals for their own program. Give honest and direct feedback, which is an important trait in the industry.
Bear advises that for helping others his whole goal is getting them to think on their
40 TEXAS LONGHORN JOURNAL i OCTOBER 2017
own. “It’s the whole teach a man to fish versus giving a man a fish,” he says. “The Gravetts always encouraged me to help other breeders in everything from branding to marketing. We’ve hosted field days and fun days at our expense just to share our experiences. Our idea is to help everyone find success knowing it’s only going to grow the Longhorn world and make it a better place.”
Missy Hicks, Hicks Longhorns, works with their new customers and form a working relationship with them that continues for years. “We always welcome their questions and try to make ourselves available to help them in any way we can. We help them find bulls, or new breeding stock, and help introduce them to associations as well as other breeders in their area. Plus, we invite our kids’ school out for field trips every year and share our love of Longhorns and farming with the school kids and their families. It’s a great time, and I love it,” Missy says. Helping others in the industry achieve a plan for their program and being excited for their success are crucial aspects of being a mentor. Besides being a mentor, a relationship will be established that can last a long time.
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