Hungry. Humble. Smart.
In three words, how do you want to show up each day?
That’s one of the “Uplevel 5” – the set of questions I pose to guests at the end of each Uplevel Dairy Podcast episode to uncover the mindset of these incredible individuals who are leading the dairy farming community, whether they are boots-on-the-ground or managing from the C-suite.
Sometimes we may believe the greatest answers and wisdom come from years of experience and industry cred. But as you will learn in this conversation from Episode #1 of the Uplevel Dairy Podcast featuring 26-year-old Jared Dueppengiesser, herd manager at Milk Source’s Rosendale Dairy, maturity is not contingent upon age, but rather a growth mindset with an appetite for excellence.
This young talent, who oversees more than 50 employees on one of Wisconsin’s largest dairy farms, responded with three simple words that drive his direction each day:
“Hungry. Humble. Smart.”
He went on to define each term, which he had garnered from the book, The Ideal Team Player by Patrick Lencioni:
· Humble is admitting to mistakes.
· Hungry means eager to learn more and to challenge himself each day.
· Smart is not intellectually smart, but rather, people smart.
“Smart … It’s a core value of mine, not just with employees but with my wife, family and in relationships,” Jared added.
So the fun thing about the dairy business is that we are all so closely connected. In fact, shortly after recording this podcast, I ran into Jared’s parents, Pete and Roxie, at a gathering. I could not help but compliment them on the outstanding young man they had raised: strong in his faith, a devoted husband and a fervent pursuer of knowledge and excellence.
Pete told of how Jared had always been gifted with people, and how a strong Christian faith was bestowed on him through his German immigrant grandparents. It’s what got them through Pete’s cancer diagnosis when Jared and his brother Jake were mere toddlers. It’s what led their family through the successful building of a herd of world champion Holsteins at Ransom-Rail Farms in New York, and the difficult decision to disperse their 900-cow herd in a region with limited growth opportunity a few years back.
No doubt, humble, hungry and smart were traits that were instilled through Jared’s upbringing. But the reality is they are not a part of his DNA. Rather, this attitude is his intentional choice. And it’s exactly how Jared chooses to show up each and every day.
So how do you want to show up each day – for your family, at work, in your community?
I challenge you to do this: Pick three words. Share them. Declare them.
And see what happens when you put intention behind them.
- Peggy Coffeen
Listen to the full episode featuring Jared here:
