Farmer Able: A fable about servant leadership transforming organizations and people from the inside out

by Art Barter

The pigs are running the farm. So begins the story of Farmer Able. Everyone on his farm — people and animals alike — is downright downtrodden by him. He's overbearing and compulsively obsessed with profits and productivity. He's a typical top-down, power-based manager, forever tallying production numbers in his well-worn ledgers. But the more he pushes the hoofs and horns and humans, the more they dig in their heels. That is until one day when he hears a mysterious wind that whispers, "It's not all about me."

Can he turn things around and begin attending to the needs of those on his farm, thus improving their attitudes and productivity? Farmer Able is an engaging parable that entertains as it enlightens. It reveals a profound truth about the dysfunction in organizations and how dramatic improvements can be made when leaders liberate employees to operate at their fullest potential and discover the significance in their work. If you're looking to develop a new and profoundly satisfying leadership style, one that advocates serving others and creating ethical, engaging workplaces and innovative environments, this book will set you on your way. If you are tired of "business as usual," this lively story will get you thinking about how to inspire your employees and produce better results.

153 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 19, 2015

About the author

As the owner and cultural architect of Datron World Communications, Inc., Art Barter turned a 10 million company into a $200 million dollar company in just six years. The success was born out of his desire to transform a traditional system of leadership into a servant-led organization. He has presented the servant leadership message to a variety of corporate, government, and nonprofit audiences throughout the U.S. Prior to joining Datron in 1997, he spent eight years working with the Disney Corporation and more than 25 years at manufacturing companies. He is the Founder, CEO, and President of Servant Leadership Institute (SLI) in Carlsbad, California.

Reviews

[Lisa Kosak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Storytelling is an art and has been the engine behind knowledge being passed down for thousands of years. Stories exist to entertain, educate, impress, and engage. A gratifying story is like a great joke, but not everyone can tell a funny joke or graciously bring a story alive so that we find meaning or grasp new lessons. If you love an engaging story, then pick up a copy of Farmer Able by Art Barter. This book will engulf you and take you on a journey to discover the heart of servant leadership show why the world is not all about you.

Farmer Able is an entertaining and humorous story that takes place on Farmer Able’s farm. It’s a fun book to real with a series of short chapters each with its lesson. Some examples include;

A trust breakdown causes a rust buildup; everything moves slower and costs more.
Caring for others: weakness or strength?
Sometimes a self-made man can become self-absorbed.
The attitude and behaviors you lead with will follow.
Truly caring allows you to carry 50 times your weight.


Farmer Able’s animals come alive. We hear them chattering with each other, bickering about Farmer Able, and acting snarky with the animals that they loath. The story begins with lazy pigs and Farmer Able's grumbling that the pigs are running the farm. Starting with Clarice the cow thinking "it's all about Able” the other animals pick up on this and begin to get jealous and are resentful about working hard or producing milk, eggs, or caring out their purpose. Soon we see nothing but problems.

Farmer Able is obsessed about profits and production. When he doesn't see results, he starts trying to push for results. He rations food to save money, he locks up the chickens in the dark to increase egg production, and he angers the cows and horses. No one wants to work because they don't feel valued or appreciated. Farmer Able adopts an authoritative mindset and frets about everything. His relationships suffer all over the farm. The animals don't trust him; his assistants don’t understand him, and his relationship with his family goes south. The farm is upside down.

One night, Farmer Able begins receiving insights from the oddest place, the wind. We start to see Farmer Able hear valuable whispered phrases throughout chapters that reach down and bring change up from inside. The first words are "It's not about you." Our farmer's life and actions change as he hears "believe what you believe," "Trust is a must," and "ours is yours."

Farmer Able transforms before our eyes. He shocks the animals by showing more care by cleaning their area, giving them freedom, and interacting with them. They slowly trust him again. Able no longer frets over profits and begins to do the right thing for others. He makes wise management changes with his people and chooses a farm leader with empathy who puts others first. Most importantly, Farmer Able places his family first and heals his relationships.

Farmer Able teaches us critical lessons without us initially realizing it. I found myself on the farm engaging with the characters gripped with intent interest. As the chapters grew with new messages, I found myself rich with new ideas.

The pigs were never actually running the farm and causing chaos. Farmer Able's mindset and authoritative behaviors were the culprits. His thoughts justified his actions, and the farm suffered from every renewed push. Able's focus on production was dysfunctional and impacting progress. Sound familiar? Our farmer's mindset is like so many leaders today that runs organizations. Authoritative leaders think that pushing and demanding more brings results. Sadly, these actions have adverse effects.

By the end of the story, Farmer Able's enlightened servant leadership style is what brings change. The whispers of the wind teased him into looking deep inside him and bring internal change that changed those around him and ultimately saves the farm. Our journey ends with learning the same valuable lessons that our farmer does. Be a servant leader and put others first. Lead from the inside out for impact. Change inside of you will have a dramatic effect on those around you.

I loved Farmer Able by Art Barter, and it's one of my new favorites. This book is a key resource to use with your teams or those that welcome lessons to bring out the best in others. It’s a heartfelt story about leading with purpose while creating change with an ethical approach that engages, empowers, and ultimately serves others, not you.

Fortunately, the lessons of Farmer Able don’t stop with Art Barter’s fable. Art just released The Servant Leadership Journal an 18 Week Journal to Transform You and Your Organization. This journal guides us on a journey to strengthen and develop our servant leadership skills. Art shares nine key behaviors that we all need in order to be effective leaders. This book is engaging and interactive through journaling every day. Art’s process will help develop new leadership behaviors and habits through 4 steps:

Educate yourself about each behavior
Understand where you are at with each behavior
Apply what you learn and ask how you use new learning’s
Reflect by writing down details or results of this leadership journey

I am just digging into Art's journal, and I feel so challenged. I look forward to new learnings and growth that I can apply to how I interact and empower others. More to come after my 18-week journey!

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful, thought provoking, quick read ... Farmer Able goes about doing what needs to be done, paying no attention to the effect his actions have on those closest to him until things begin to fall apart. Author, Art Barter writes this simple (all too familiar) story, setting the scene on a farm vs. an office or manufacturing floor. The animals become jealous of one another and dissention begins to breed throughout the farm. It takes a mere miss, and the wind, to awaken Farmer Able from his stupor to realize his faults and re-emerge as a servant leader. Barter begins each chapter with a bit of wisdom, my favorite is: 'A liberated chicken lays more eggs.' A must read.

[J. S. Seebauer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reinforced many ideas I knew... was sorry it didn't give me more options on how to help guide others.

[Alina Molloy · Rating 3 out of 5]

rather simplistic analogy. the message was clear, yet meaningful. quick, easy read.

[Troy · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Farmer Able, Art Barter expertly weaves the principles of Servant Leadership through an easy to read fable. From the time I opened this book I found it incredibly difficult to put down until I was finished. This book should be in every Servant Leaders library.