This year’s nine Graeme Acton Beef Connections mentees: Drew Walsh, Gemma Somerset, Amelia Unthank, Sean Wright, Caitlin Herbert, Adam Bonner, Naomi Leahy, Laura Healey, Zoe Macfarlane.

THE Graeme Acton Beef Connections mentoring project being held in the lead-up to Beef 2027 in Rockhampton next May is underway, and as part of that process, Beef Central is following the journey of one of the nine talented young industry stakeholders taking part.

Using a monthly diary format, Amelia ‘Millie’ Unthank is outlining her experiences and learnings as part of the mentoring program. Click here to reader her first entry, posted last month.

Born and bred in southern NSW, Millie’s connection to the beef industry is grounded in her family’s stock and station agency – a foundation that continues to shape her values and long-term outlook.

Her path has since taken her from Melbourne for university, to engineering roles in Canberra developing Agscent’s cutting-edge diagnostic technology, and now to Cloncurry in north-west Queensland where she works as agtech manager with large-scale northern beef producer, MDH Pty Ltd. With a background in bio-engineering and a growing specialisation in computer science, Millie has built a skillset that sits comfortably between data, technology and on-the-ground production. In her current role as agtech manager at MDH, she works to ensure that innovation delivers practical value.

Over the next nine months, through her Beef Central diary she will outline her journey towards executing her chosen Beef Connections project, culminating with a presentation in Rockhampton along with her mentee cohort.

Here’s Millie’s second monthly diary entry…..

Is negotiation a word you use, or a life you live?

The Graeme Acton Beef Connections cohort shared dinner with members of the Beef Australia board during their time in Brisbane at the start of May. The beef cheeks were undoubtedly the highlight of the menu, yet the most nourishing part of the evening came midway through the meal, when board member Rodney Bell rose to speak and delivered food for thought.

Millie Unthank

Rodney highlighted that none of the mentees’ projects covered the topic of negotiation, leaving a lasting impression long after the plates had been cleared.

Rodney (a respected Brisbane agribusiness lawyer) explained his thinking: ‘I had reviewed the CV of each participant and could recognise the excellent achievements and qualifications of each person and my mind turned to how they might promote themselves. I could see no recognition in any of the material regarding the skills demonstrated. It was clear to me there was a missing link that perhaps required some input.’

When I asked my cohort of mentees if negotiation had fallen off their radar until Rodney raised it – it’s safe to say I was on my own in answering ‘Yes’. Four said ‘No – they think about negotiation every day’. Four others said ‘Maybe – they think about negotiation in an indirect way’.

What is negotiation?

Negotiation can be disguised as a trade-off or the tug-of-war between trust and tradition. The weight of a certain cost today against an uncertain yield tomorrow.

Negotiation is pitching anything. It’s communicating value. It’s showing someone the world through your eyes and if successful, shifting their perception even ever so slightly.

What is good negotiation?

Whether it’s negotiating price, negotiating a behavioural shift to adopt a new variable rate fertiliser, or negotiating TV allowance with a two-and-a-half-year-old – undoubtedly there is a knack to it. Fellow GABC mentee Sean Wright, shared that listening is key, likewise Laura Healey has learnt that ‘you catch more flies with honey than vinegar’ – be kind.

Zoe Macfarlan is Business Development Manager for AuctionsPlus

Fellow GABC mentee Zoe Macfarlan said: “From a work and an agricultural perspective, I think it’s all very relationship-oriented, so I find that I should be looking at negotiation, not as a winner and a loser, but a meeting in the middle.”

Zoe’s GABC project is about understanding the gap between what feedlots need when procuring cattle, and what producers currently understand about those requirements.

Rodney’s own career as a beef producer for 50 years and solicitor for 35 years has taught him that negotiation comes down to four steps: prepare, propose, probe and pursue. He said: “The party that has done the deepest preparation on the issues holds the informational power… Be a good listener with a view to understanding the other party. Ask open-ended questions to understand the other party’s priorities and potential weaknesses.”

Negotiation is the foundation of sustainable business

As Business Development Manager at AuctionsPlus, Zoe said: “Particularly in my role, it’s not a one off. You want to make sure that the people you’re talking to and negotiating with are seeing what you’re doing with them as fair. You’ll work with them ideally for years. It is important that you’re not thinking of negotiation as either self-serving, or that you’re winning and they’re losing.”

Zoe’s words reminded me of something my Dad has always said: “You have got to make sure everyone gets their fair market share”. This has taught me what underpins good business, and I realise now it lies in the art of good negotiation.

How do we learn how to negotiate?

Zoe highlighted an important point: “It’s not actually something that’s necessarily taught, and I think we, as young people, probably look at negotiation in hindsight. You don’t want to be fully self-serving, but you need to be self-advocating when you’re going for a role or a promotion or a salary review or anything like that. And it’s something I’ve probably looked at in hindsight and thought, ‘oh, I probably could have negotiated for myself a bit better or a bit harder’. It’s kind of an experience thing more than anything. Rodney’s comments have certainly got me thinking more deliberately about negotiation.”

And Rodney indicated that negotiation is a skill that must be learned and largely self-taught – it is not a skill you are born with.

In conclusion

Rodney’s words have stuck with me: “Young people must appreciate they will not necessarily receive what they deserve in life, but regrettably must settle for what they negotiate.”

Although none of our projects address negotiation directly, Rodney has helped us realise that all of them depend on it.

Each GABC participant keeps a mentoring log – a dedicated space to reflect on concepts like these, so that the beef industry builds a culture of conscious, purposeful leadership.

My conclusion is this: Negotiation is named in theory but lived every day. It underpins a sustainable beef business, and it deserves more than an afterthought. The real question was never whether we negotiate, it’s whether we’re doing it on purpose.

See you next month!

Millie

Click here to read Millie’s introductory article, published last month