Does a period at the end of a text signal that the sender is angry? It was a question that had cattlemen scratching their heads in Fort Worth, Texas, Nov. 4, during the opening general session of Angus Convention. 

When Scott Stratten, president of UnMarketing, said that’s what his son had taught him, audience members realized just how big the gap between generations and their communication styles can be. 

It’s a story we hear all too often, Stratten said. For example, he gave Angus producers a challenge.

“‘Times are bad. Children no longer obey their parents, and everyone is writing a book,’” he quoted, asking the audience to guess what year the words were said. 

An answer of the ’50s came the closest, though Stratten had to break some bad news. The quote wasn’t from the 1950s, but rather 50 B.C.

“Every generation hates the younger generation,” he joked. “We rip on a younger generation, when in fact they’re the ones almost the best prepared for the future.” 

There’s wisdom from those who’ve seen more years and innovation from fresh minds; and when those two groups combine, progression can truly be achieved. 

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A perfect equation 

Stratten defines wisdom as time plus mistakes. There’s value in having made mistakes, because things can be learned. 

“Every mistake — in a cheesy way and a non-cheesy way — is an opportunity,” he said. 

This extends beyond a personal level for entrepreneurs (or in the case of Stratten’s presentation, ranch owners). If someone like a client or employee brings a complaint forward, he said there’s a psychological concept called the service recovery paradox. 

“When people complain, they’re looking for validation,” he explained. “If you fix an issue at or above their expectation, they will love you more than before the issue.”  

When people with shared values and similar backgrounds come together at events like Angus Convention, Stratten said that also opens the door for collective wisdom. 

In an industry with such pride and connectivity, he said cattlemen can be strengthened by their peers. 

I might be on stage right now, but your value should be from each other, sharing that wisdom. If you don’t have each other’s back as a team in an industry, you’re not a team. You’re just a group of random people together.” — Scott Stratten

While wisdom has its own value, Stratten encourages business owners and employers to learn to applaud young minds who come to a job or task with new ideas. 

“You can’t shift anything without rocking it a bit,” he said. “A lot of the time, innovation comes from people newer to the industry.” 

While there’s the benefit of new ideas, adding fresh faces to the team also comes with new considerations, Stratten added. 

“You don’t know what it’s like to work for you,” he explained. “If you run the show, you don’t know the culture … the people that know the culture the best and the most and the most realistically is the lowest person on the org chart.” 

Those in charge of the operations consider their statements as situational, but employees hear things as foundational. There can easily be a disconnect between the groups, but that’s why Stratten said it’s so important to prioritize communication. 

If the equation of using time and management style doesn’t feel quite simple enough, Stratten had one last piece of advice. 

“Ask: start, stop, [continue],” he said. 

Employees will know best about what a company needs to start doing, stop doing and continue doing