Wyatt Smith, location manager for Brandt in Franklin, Ill., says he favorite part of his job is getting in the field and getting work done. While that requires patience at times, he leans on his own experience working in ag retail operations to understand the in-season pinch points and other challenges.
He shares more on The Scoop Podcast:
Smith has worked at Brandt in Franklin for 13 years, and three years ago he became the location manager for the ag retail business that services more than 70,000 acres with seed, fertilizer and/or chemicals.
“The one thing that’s probably helped me more than anything is I was able to do a lot of jobs before getting into this role,” Smith says. “So a lot of the employees that I oversee¬¬—I did what they’re doing now at one point or another.”
He says it’s the empathy he can use that has teamed the team of 10 get their work done as quickly, safely and effectively as possible.
“I’ve learned patience—I’ve learned patience with employees, patience with customers. And they have learned patience with me,” Smith says.
It’s those soft skills: patience, empathy and communication that will help navigate the challenges of 2022.
“This year, it’s all about supply issues and cost issues,” Smith says. “We have a good team who has worked hard to fill needs where we have them. This is probably the first year that I’ve ever sold chemical without being tell a guy exactly what it’s going to cost after it’s applied. We’ve never seen a situation like this where we don’t know what we’re paying for something until it finally gets here.”
