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Decoding the DNA of a champion

Iowa Swine Day speaker shares 7 tips for success

By DARCY DOUGHERTY MAULSBY - Farm News writer | Oct 25, 2024

-Farm News photo by Darcy Dougherty Maulsby
While pork producers can’t control the weather or the markets, they can set goals and track their progress. “Disciplined risk management is one of the things that separates the top 25% of producers from the rest of the pack,” said Ross Bernstein, the keynote speaker at the Swine Day Conference 2024 in Ames. "This is mental toughness."

While it’s easy to focus on the day-to-day work in pork production, it’s essential to look at the big picture to chart a course for success in farming and life.

“In the pork industry, you’re in the relationship business,” said Ross Bernstein, the keynote speaker at the Swine Day Conference 2024 in Ames at Iowa State University.

In some ways, pork production has a lot in common with sports, added Bernstein, who has spent 25-plus years studying the DNA of championship teams. Successful pork production and sports require integrity and accountability. These qualities build stronger relationships.

“There’s so much we can learn from sports,” said Bernstein during his program, “The Champion’s Code: Building Relationships Through Life Lessons from the Sports World to the Business World.”

1. It all starts with passion. You can’t fake passion, Bernstein said. Consider Kirby Puckett, who led the Minnesota Twins to two World Series victories in 1987 and 1991. Puckett grew up poor on the south side of Chicago in the Robert Taylor Homes public housing project.

-Farm News photo by Darcy Dougherty Maulsby
Anyone in the pork industry is in the relationship business, says Ross Bernstein, who was the keynote speaker at the Swine Day Conference 2024 in Ames at Iowa State University.

“He had to work twice as hard as everyone else and spent six years grinding it out in the minors before he became an ‘overnight success,'” said Bernstein, who has authored nearly 50 sports books. “He treated every day in the big leagues as a gift.”

What are you truly passionate about? In life, success lies at the intersection of passion and purpose.

2. Be generous. When Bernstein was growing up in southern Minnesota, he was a huge hockey fan. His favorite player, Wayne Gretzky, racked up 894 regular-season goals and 1,963 assists during his storied career. “When you make a goal, you make one person happen. But an assist makes two people happy,” Bernstein said. “Wayne understood the power of the assist. What will your next great assist look like?”

3. Build trust. Pat Summitt mastered the art of building trust during her legendary career as head women’s basketball coach at the University of Tennessee. Summitt led the Lady Vols to 22 Final Fours and two national titles. “Pat grew up on a dairy farm and was old-school,” Bernstein said. When she was recruiting talent, she’d go incognito to watch potential recruits and see which athletes naturally exhibited a strong work ethic.

Summitt constantly challenged her players to reach their full potential as students and athletes. “The players on Pat’s teams loved her and worked extra hard for her,” Bernstein said.

Building trust also leads to success on the farm and in the workplace. When trust abounds and people feel valued, that’s the difference between a job and a career. “The first is transactional, while the second is transformational,” Bernstein said. “What could you do to become an even more trusted advisor?”

4. Stay humble. Former Iowa Hawkeye and current Indiana Fever standout Caitlin Clark recently broke the WNBA’s single-season assists mark. “Along with her talent, one of the reasons she’s the G.O.A.T. — greatest of all time — is because she’s humble,” Bernstein said. This traditional, Midwestern value reveals itself in good times and bad times, he added. How do you react when things go your way? What do you do when things don’t go your way? It’s important to win with dignity and lose with grace. “No one wants to be around a jerk,” said Bernstein, whose favorite hockey player understood what it meant to be humble. “When Wayne Gretzky was asked how he wanted to be remembered, he said he wanted to be known as the guy who worked the hardest in practice and helped his teammates the most.”

5. Focus on mental toughness. Have you ever worked with somebody who always seemed to make excuses instead of making an effort? Success demands mental toughness. Bud Grant, former head coach of the Minnesota Vikings, often told his players how the Trans-Alaskan Oil Pipeline was built in the 1970s. Thousands of workers came from Texas and other states for these good jobs. They soon found themselves working in brutally cold conditions. Many quit.

The native Alaskans were different, though. “Productivity doubled overnight when they worked on the pipeline,” Bernstein said. Studies were conducted to see what made them so much hardier. Was it their genetics? Their gear?

A psychological study revealed the answer. The native Alaskans all said they knew it was going to be cold, but there was a job that had to be done. They chose to focus on the work instead of the weather. “Mental toughness is focusing on what you can control,” Bernstein said.

What are the things you can and can’t control right now? While you can’t control the weather or the markets, you can set goals and track your progress. “Disciplined risk management is one of the things that separates the top 25% of producers from the rest of the pack,” Bernstein said. This is mental toughness, and it’s reflected in business consultant Peter Drucker’s famous advice, Bernstein added. “You can’t manage what you don’t measure.”

6. Think hard about your legacy. How do you want to be remembered? It matters to your family. Two mentors in Bernstein’s life brought this into clear focus. The first was his grandfather, who ran a small business in a small town. “When I’m faced with a decision, I think, ‘What would Grandpa do?'” Bernstein said. “In a small town, we take care of people. It’s the right thing to do.” Herb Brooks also echoed these sentiments, added Bernstein, who had the chance to work with this legendary ice-hockey coach and Minnesota native before Brooks passed away in 2003. “Herb’s philosophy was work hard, enjoy life and remember the people who help make it possible,” Bernstein said. “He called them the ‘behind the scenes’ people, like the janitors. It wasn’t unusual for him to bring them a pizza and send them a note saying, ‘Thanks guys. I couldn’t do it without you.'”

7. Keep grinding. Success isn’t all about having the “best” team members or the most money. “All-star teams don’t always win, because there are too many egos and divas,” Bernstein noted. He shared the example of former ISU football player Brock Purdy. During the 2022 NFL draft, the San Francisco 49ers selected Purdy as the final pick, making him that year’s “Mr. Irrelevant.” Purdy made the most of this opportunity, though. “The great ones truly rise when the odds are against them,” Bernstein said. “Turn setbacks into comebacks.”

Purdy helped lead the 49ers to Super Bowl LVIII in February 2024. While the 49ers lost that overtime game, sports analysts have predicted more growth and success ahead for Purdy and the 49ers. “Remember, winning just for the sake of winning is hollow and fleeting,” Bernstein said. “Being a champion is a choice, and it’s your choice.”