The folly of Magical Thinking.

In 2012 I caused a stir by claiming the Year of the Farmer was the right message at the wrong time.

In just one year millions of dollars were spent on a self-indulgent pat-on-the-back aimed at encouraging people to appreciate food producers.

Since then there has been a mountain of stuff written and numerous initiatives launched hoping to bridge a perceived gap between food and consumers.

Markets are harder to engage and people are spoilt for choice.  It’s true that constant pressure to do better and the unrelenting competition of globalisation can cause an industry to suffer somewhat of an identity crisis.

In reaction to this we are now living in an era of wanting to be liked.  That is, if only people understood us and appreciated us more, they would buy our products and pay more for them.

Despite popular opinion and the purveyance of social media, being liked is not a business strategy.

The agribusiness and food industry has been suffering a bad case of magical thinking.

Magical thinking is a concept developed by famous neurologist and founder of modern psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud.

It leads people to believe their thoughts about themselves can change how others act towards them.

For businesses seeking to grow within agribusiness and food industry, the folly of magical thinking is a lesson in how not to be self-centric about what you provide.

Magical thinking should never be used as an excuse to not develop the skills your business needs to think differently and to increase the innovative capability your people.

So if you want to be noticed, put amazingly creative products or services in front of people, loaded with user experience and convenience.

Does your business have a Class of 2014?

Most products never made it because they were technically brilliant, but no one got it.  This is especially true of the food industry.

We are now in an era marked by consumer demand for food experience, convenience and value-for-money.

This means that whilst doing things right is important (product centric), true opportunity is captured by people having the skills to ask if we are in fact doing the right things (market centric).

As we start to hear that Australia may miss most of the food boom to our competitors, it highlights how continuing to have blind-faith that someone will want what we produce and happily pay us enough for it, is problematic under a new globalised food system.

To be profitable, organisations must now have the capability to not only reduce costs, but at the same time increase value (innovate).  The fact this is not happening proves the knowledge gap that exists between product and market in many businesses.

Food innovation requires new forms of thinking.  I’m concerned many owners and operators thought the food boom was just going to happen, without addressing the need to upgrade the innovative capability of key employees through education and development.

For example, someone from China would simply jump on the phone and order everything they've got.

Most businesses didn't get that phone call.

Abundant opportunities are available for agribusiness and food companies that have the capability to rethink not only what they are doing and how they are doing it, but who they are doing it for and why - and which business model will make it happen profitably.

Investing in education and development to raise the core competencies of people was once a source of competitive advantage for an innovative few.

Under globalisation, it’s now the minimum requirement just to survive – for everyone.

So if you want your business to be a winner I ask you: what does your education and development budget look like?  Do you even have one?

In many overseas agribusiness and food companies, it is compulsory that people attend management development training and education - every year.  It's in their contract.

Who will be in your Class of 2014?

Your competitors have one.

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