Farmers are a unique people. They live on the land. They have a connection to the earth.
When they talk about their farm, you can hear the pride in their voice. This is not just a business or a way of life (although it certainly is those things), but it’s also their family legacy.
In today’s world it can be easy to not SEE the farms. Many of us live in town. We drive by fields of corn and cows and barns, but do we see what is really there? It’s tradition. It’s generational.
I’m inspired by this vision of a legacy. What sort of legacy do I want to leave at work?
If I do my job well, not only will my co-workers be inspired, uplifted, encouraged, and happy to work with me, but they’ll be more effective, too. They’ll be confident knowing that I am also doing my best.
What is really there? It’s more than management, engineering, drafting, and filing forms.
If I remember that I’m leaving a legacy, I have to also look at the farmers that we serve. Because of what I do, their farms will grow for another generation of farmers after them. Because I work hard for accuracy, completeness, and quality, these farmers and their families can go to work and not worry. Not worry. Not lay awake at night thinking about forms and regulations and project coordination, contractors, earth movers, and hundreds of phone calls.
Thanks to all those farmers for the inspiration to leave something behind worth having.