We talk a lot about exports. They have been critical for the successful growth of the U.S. pork industry. When we have uncertainty in international trade for any reason, we worry a lot about where product is going to move — especially those parts and pieces that U.S. consumers aren’t keen on consuming.

Yet for an industry whose overall growth and success relies so much on exports, I have observed that exports of a different kind are not perceived favorably. Our export of talent.

Recently, I have had two incredibly talented members of my team leave our organization to take positions with the state pork associations we collaborate with closely. Both moves are definitely promotions and will greatly expand the skills and experience of these professionals. I was proud when they told me about their opportunities, and I am already enjoying watching them grow into their new roles.

Did these departures create a hole in our team? Absolutely. But it also created opportunities — opportunities for others to grow their own careers, and an opportunity for me to take a step back and think about how best to fill the needs of my team so we can continue to perform at a high level.

Ponder for a moment what would happen to the U.S. pork industry without exports. In simplest terms, we would have a lot of pork for which to find a market. “Sell it or smell it” is a phrase we throw around a lot, because quite literally, pork without a place to go will spoil. Talent isn’t any different. And if you are doing a good job developing talent in your organization, you’re going to need to find a place for growth. This may necessitate exports.

So why do we struggle so much with this concept? I have some observations based on my experience over the years:

Turnover is generally perceived as negative. As a leader, I have recently been questioned about my leadership and management style. The insinuation? I was a bad leader and thus people left. We have all heard that people don’t leave jobs, they leave bosses. No one wants that brand.
Talent is not easy or inexpensive to develop. Once we find it, we covet it. Our organizational talent pools do not operate like a pig farm. It’s hard to increase or decrease production to meet demand, at least in any timely fashion. Finding and fostering talent takes discipline in hiring and a lot of time and resources to develop. Why on earth would we want to share that treasure with another organization (or even function within our own organization)?
If we become good at exporting talent, it might necessitate importing talent as well. New ideas? New personalities? Sounds exciting, right? Maybe or maybe not. (See my blog from August 2020 titled “Welcome to the Team! (No, not really.) for one perspective on this challenge.)

Exports are a good thing. It means we’ve created something of value and someone else sees a need for it. We’re in the business of creating demand, so when we see the talent in our organizations being sought after, we should celebrate. It not only gives us an opportunity to develop more, it also gives us an opportunity to import talent from other industries.

Learning to love exports

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