332 | The Conversations That Make—or Break—Farm Transition | Kristy Pagel
Transition Talks from the Farm Forward Conference
In this Farm Forward Recap, Peggy Coffeen hosts a transition talk featuring Kristy Pagel of Leading Edge Consulting, who focuses on facilitating difficult family farm transition conversations, aligning expectations across generations, and helping farms get “unstuck,” often during conflict or crisis. Pagel emphasizes the need to clarify the senior generation’s purpose beyond day-to-day farm duties and to support curiosity about what comes next.
She also explains an adapted Employee Analyzer tool from Gino Wickman’s “Traction” to objectively assess whether owners, family members, and employees have the head, heart, and capacity for their roles, adding a “reinvest” column with plans, communication, timelines, and accountability. Pagel describes using the tool as a two-way self-assessment to open honest dialogue about burnout, fit, and workload.
Connect with Kristy:
Owner, coach, consultant with Leading Edge Consulting LLC
kristy@leadingedgeccd.com
LinkedIn: Kristy Pagel
Listen to Kristy's Other Episode on Uplevel Dairy here: https://youtu.be/wJU12xNYyl4?si=h7ypvZKEgUgY3GdL
00:55 Meet Kristy Pagel
02:21 Why Facilitation Matters
03:29 Getting Unstuck Together
05:49 Purpose After the Farm
08:44 Employee Analyzer Tool
11:57 Objective Feedback Not Emotion
14:14 Story Using the Tool
