Coaching
Coaching conversations nurture our inner landscape so that the seeds of potential within us can germinate and grow. Removing internal barriers and accessing new perspectives so we can bring our vision to life in our lives, relationships and landscapes and BE the change we wish to see.
Kim Deans is a member of the International Coaching Federation and is dedicated to offering our clients the highest quality accredited & professional coaching.
Working with a coach when you become aware that things need to change in your life and business can empower you to explore road blocks, gain clarity and support you as you take action.
When you find yourself struggling to take new actions, sabotaging yourself from making changes in your life and business, struggling with what others will think of you, knowing better but not doing better, procrastinating, experiencing a general dissatisfaction with life but can’t put your finger on what you need to do to shift coaching can empower you to get unstuck and move through your resistance to change.
What is coaching?
Coaching is best described as a skill set rather than viewed as a service provided “for” others. An effective coach brings their skills in deep listening, questioning, non-judgement and reframing in combination with other expertise as you work together towards goals defined by you, the client. Coaching is focused on creating solutions from within your business/land/people rather than imposing external solutions. By empowering you to brainstorm ideas and find your own solutions, coaching promotes focus, confidence and self-motivation, leading to increased productivity and a stronger sense of achievement. The coaching process empowers you to own your results - you get out of coaching what you put into it.
What coaching can offer your business
Coaching is different from teaching, mentoring and consulting. If you’re considering hiring a coach, the first thing you need to clarify is what type of service you are looking for. If you are looking for an expert in a field where you have little or no experience to give you their solutions, you are looking for a consultant. If you are looking for someone who has extensive experience in the same field as you, who offers professional advice and guidance, you are looking for a mentor. If you are looking for someone who can support your learning and growth, work with you to develop a strategy for facilitating your progress towards your goals you are looking for a coach. We have the capacity to offer a combination of these services and can work with you to create a tailored program that fits your needs.
Our Reinventing Agriculture coaching approach
We focus on empowering you to be the expert in your business. We work alongside you to develop a strategy suitable for your individual context and goals. As a result you will be empowered to make informed decisions in line with your vision for your landscape and business.
Your success is our business. We do not sell inputs or receive commissions on product sales. We can educate you to make informed, unbiased choices around inputs when necessary, acting as a non-judgemental sounding board where there are no stupid questions. We frequently save our clients more than they spend on our services through cost savings gained from eliminating unnecessary inputs. We add value to your business through working with you to design strategies that do less harm and transition off inputs gradually, maintaining profitable production.
We do not impose a one size fits all approach. We work with you to design your unique strategy for your unique context, providing you with a clear direction and actionable steps. Through investigative conversations and processes, we empower you to deepen your observational skills and understanding of natural, human and financial resources and their contribution to the long-term viability of your enterprise. You will be empowered to find points of leverage that will give you the greatest return on investment in quality, production and performance.
Diverse life experiences underpin our approach. We bring with us over 30 years each of lived experience in agriculture in a range of enterprises and roles. We have been restoring our land using practices now known as “regenerative” since 2004. We have been using and developing coaching skills in our careers for over 20 years. Kim worked as a Rural Financial Counsellor for 12 years and completed training in mediation, facilitating farm family business meetings, negotiation, counselling and communication which were all skills that were put to use in this role. Angus has worked in management and also has completed a Diploma of Counselling Studies. Angus has been providing counselling services for over 10 years, recently adding powerful skills in The Richards Trauma Process to his coaching tool kit.
We walk our talk. We see challenges as opportunities for personal growth. We recognise the need to constantly work on our own blind spots as we can only take our clients where we can go ourselves. We love to question everything and to take new perspectives. We embrace life-long learning and are avid readers who are passionate about implementation, not just collecting qualifications and consuming information. When we are struggling or looking for access to new insights we engage outside help, choosing to work with coaches, kinesiologists, counsellors or healers who will empower us to access our own breakthroughs, not impose their solutions on us.
We are holistic. We have always had an innate ability to see the whole, as generalists and systems thinkers we are skilled at seeing connections and relationships in complex systems. This means we readily distinguish between skills that can be learned and skills that must be realised from the inside first as you journey from where you are now to where you want to be.
The outcomes from working with a coach
Investing in a coach will provide you with a sounding board for your questions and concerns and access to valuable insights and awareness to overcome self-limitations. Coaching will improve your access to relevant information and networks. Our coaching clients report improved confidence as a key benefit of our coaching programs. Confidence is a critical piece in making changes yet it’s different to having certainty. Growing our confidence helps us navigate the inevitable uncertainty in agriculture better.
Coaching will facilitate learning, build awareness, empower choices and lead you through the process of reinventing your agricultural business to achieve your desired outcomes. You will go beyond finding nicer ways to do the same things and expecting different results. You will build your support network as you get out of your comfort zone and ask better questions to create a thriving, profitable and enjoyable business.
Intrigued and interested in learning more about working with us?
Kim is a member of the International Coaching Federation and is dedicated to offering our clients the highest quality professional coaching. Kim’s reinvention toolkit includes a strong foundation of practical farm business management skills honed through working for 12 years as a Rural Financial Counsellor in Inverell NSW. Working with hundreds of businesses over this period taught Kim that those farm businesses who were most resilient all proactively managed their financial, human and natural resources well. Neglecting to manage in one or all three of these key areas was the catalyst for declining viability and was linked to all the farm exits that Kim supported farming families through. How we manage our financial, human and natural resources is all within our control as land managers.
When we take a holistic view of agricultural systems it is obvious how the outcomes of regenerative practices including having a healthier soil, reducing costly toxic chemical inputs and building resilience to climate variability are essential components of a viable business. In addition to these financial benefits, improved ecosystem health and the quality of life & wellbeing of the people in the business are more valuable than money can buy.
What creates financial challenges for farmers in the quest to improving soil health and transitioning to a regenerative system is the lack of an appropriate strategy that fits their individual situation and failing to adequately manage their financial and human capital alongside the focus on restoring natural resources. It is essential to prioritise the management of our financial and human resources alongside restoring natural resources in the regenerative journey.
If you want to improve your understanding of the financial health of your business and would like your regenerative strategy to incorporate improved financial management, Kim can provide coaching programs which incorporate:
Farm Business Coaching to set you up for success: Individual coaching sessions designed to create professional, confident farm business managers through improving your business skills and knowledge. Working with a farm business coach can take you from surviving in your business to thriving in your business through clarifying what is most important to you and developing a strategy to create an enjoyable, profitable business. You will become more confident in making informed decisions, and more effective and focused. You will learn communication skills to improve relationships with business partners as well as third parties. Farm business coaching sessions are designed to fit your unique context and can cover areas including:
Farm financial literacy – understanding balance sheets, cash flow projections, profitability, cost of production and financial health indicators.
Time management – weekly, quarterly and yearly planning tools to keep you on track to achieve your goals.
Communication – establishing short and effective business meetings, understanding individual communication styles, overcoming communication challenges.
Business planning – clarity of direction through developing your vision, values, goals, action plans, monitoring.
People – mindset and working to your strengths.
Risk management – risk assessment, planning for climate variability.
Farm financial foundations: Kim Deans will guide you through the essential farm financial foundations in a series of educational online sessions. You will be empowered with simple, practical tools and receive spreadsheets, detailed notes and improve your financial literacy and confidence by using your own financial data. Includes 1 year of email and phone support. Topics include:
Tax vs management accounting
Net worth
Cash flow budgeting
Profit
Farm financial health indicators
Enterprise analysis
Money mindset.
The Farm Financial Foundations program can also be completed as a self guided online course.
Reinvention Blueprint: Map out your regenerative strategy. Developing your blueprint will provide you with clarity about your context, a process for evaluating your resource base and you will build solid foundations so you can take confident action and stay on track for a successful regenerative agriculture transition.
Farm Financial Assessment: Undertake a thorough assessment of your current financial position and recent business performance to identify strengths & weaknesses and focus areas for improvement. Identify key factors affecting long term financial viability. Benchmark essential farm financial health indicators in relation to cash flow, net worth & profit.
Cash flow budgeting: Create a 12 month cash flow projection for your regenerative transition. Make informed decisions, scenario test your regenerative transition and communicate more effectively with business partners and lenders.