Getting through the Staff Barriers

Very few people wake up and think, “What shall I do to stuff up today.”

Achieving great farm performance relies on good infra structure, water, drainage and subdivision. It needs a strong focus on maximum pasture harvested and attention to the cows’ diet. As farms grow, they are more dependent on people who do not have ownership of the land or cows. Today I am finding that the staff are often the limiting factor to higher performance. Often when a farmer starts employing someone they comment that mistakes increase and the work takes twice as long to complete. The challenge is to make the most of your people without causing grief to yourself or your farm.

I would like to suggest a shift in outlook and put forward an alternative view. Very few people wake up and think, “What shall I do to stuff up today.” Most people want to do well and enjoy success. I also believe that a business employs people of a common ability. If a person of low ability slips through the selection process then they don’t last long before being helped to find a better future. Likewise if someone is streets ahead in ability from their new found peers then this is soon recognized and they move on to greener pastures. If this is true and most people in a business are of similar potential then how do we maximize their performance?

I would suggest that the role of the manager is to create an environment where people thrive and succeed. It is through this personal achievement that the farm achieves. Before we endeavor to solve the complicated issues it is important that the basics are done properly. This includes a good staff selection process, an induction programme, a job description and fair disciplinary procedures.

When selecting staff it is important to understand the skill needed and the personality type required to achieve a top flight team. Strangely enough, it is not the person you are most comfortable with that is necessarily the best fit. The best teams have a high degree of constructive conflict in them.

An effective induction programme is essential to the performance of your new worker. There is a 48 hour time span in which to get them on board. If they are not saying “we” and “our” farm by the end of this time the chances are they will not stay long. Your new worker wants to belong and please their new boss. They want to find out how you like things done. This is the time you can easily instill the habits that are important to you.

Everyone needs a job description or a team role. This should be flexible but specific. Liken it to a sports team where each player has a position but can fill in for other players when called upon.
Fair disciplinary and performance evaluation is key to building trust and improving your businesses effectiveness. Not only does a good performance evaluation system save problems later but it also builds confidence and commitment in the team.

When putting together a top team, I would suggest you want to create diversity. This will also create tension, but if well managed the tension will be constructive. The total performance for the farm will surpass everyone’s expectations. Do not look for an “All Star” team and don’t look for people like yourself. If an “All Star” team or a comfortable team is selected the outcome will be success when there are no problems but when the chips are down the group will most likely make poor decisions.

How do you get to this apparent utopia? Firstly, understand your own style, strengths and weaknesses. Then understand the style of individuals that are working for you. There are many tools available to help with style identification and managing interactions between conflicting styles. When the interpersonal relationships are under control then you can focus on win-win issues for the farm.
The best win-win issue between staff and managers is often in farm Health and Safety. Ask your staff to identify the most dangerous jobs on the farm. Work with them to sort out an acceptable solution. Not only will their commitment be high to implementing the solutions but the cost to you in down time, broken machinery and other problems will drop. Keep working on these sorts of issues until the problem solving process is working well. Once this happens move onto productivity and profit issues.

There are some cautionary notes to this approach. Do not lower your standards or performance expectations. The name of the game is to lift performance not end up in comfortable mediocrity.

Keep the paper work down! Document systems but do so in a clear, summarised and constructive form. Display and circulate these documents to all staff so that everyone can read and absorb them!

Simon Redmond
Intelact Consultant (Manawatu)