Hibernate, Recreate, Generate

For many creatures, winter in the northern latitudes is a time to retreat, conserve, and be dormant. This adaptation enables life forms unequipped to exist in extreme cold to prevail where the growing season may be only 3-4 months in length. 

As early man acquired the knowledge to expand his habitable range, he took cues from the natural surroundings. Prepare shelter, store food, and reduce output.

Even though technology has overcome most seasonal limitations for producing food, staying comfortable and productive, a handful of industries whose activities are severely impacted or impossible when the ground freezes still mimic nature's original survival strategy, Pinicon Farm included.

Our equipment operators put in long hours during the growing season. We decided a few years back to reduce mandatory hours during the winter months. You will still find men working at the shop six days a week but only the ones who want to be there. Moral and actual work done per labor hour improved. Call it "Quasi Hibernation."

Because the work we have to do this time of year is less time sensitive, it is easier to plan time away from work without creating conflicts. When I was younger, I believed time away from work was a missed opportunity to improve the business. Vacations were wasteful escapism.

Thanks to my friends at workaholics anonymous, I have come to understand that interests outside of work improve perspective, resilience, creativity, and focus. Winter is the ideal time of year to invest in activities, relationships and places that reinvigorate your spirit.

The absence of urgency that comes with the winter season also gives us the space to be creative. New projects this year include mezzanine reorganization, development of a company server file system, Anderson Farm research plot and easy clean wash bay grates.

Highly visible and disruptive innovations are easy to replicate, negating their sustainable advantage. Hundreds of incremental upgrades on the other hand, are harder to notice or be copied. Competitive advantage sustained.

Although there is no escaping the consequences of earth's axial tilt, we no longer consider winter to be an inconvenient interruption.

The forced redirection of our routine has led to transformative practices that are integral to our forward progress.

Jim