On-farm management series part 2: Culture is key

This is the second article of a two-part series. In the first article, the author discussed the importance of self-reflection and considering the concept of “who not how” in employee relationships. Read part one here. 

“How we do things around here” is a layman’s definition of culture.

More specifically, culture is defined as the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterize an institution or organization. It can be hard to describe, but you can feel it when your organization makes it a priority.

Every farm or business has a unique culture. Every culture can find employees, but corrupt cultures will become extinct overtime.  The challenge to a properly functioning culture is alignment. It is a work of art when accountability is the fabric woven into the culture of a business. When an employee strays from the company culture, it either pulls them back in or it spits them out.

Coaching

From time to time, I see situations where a lack of accountability has allowed a drift from the culture. Typically, that happens when an individual’s circumstances change, job performance has diminished, and no one has called them out. In short, abnormal becomes normal. Beware of those situations. If it doesn’t get fixed, things are going to fall apart.

Recently, I saw a loose definition of a coaching described as a mechanism to move people from one place to another. For example, a coach bus, a horse-drawn coach, or, as we consider it in this context, a teacher, a motivator, or a trainer. In most cases, a coach is a team builder. Ken Blanchard and Don Shula wrote “The Little Book of Coaching: Motivating People to Be Winners.”  They break down the different concepts of coaching:

• Conviction-driven: Never compromise your beliefs
• Overlearning: Practice until it is perfect
• Audible-ready: Know when to change
• Consistency: Respond predictably to performance
• Honesty-based: Walk your talk

In any relationship with employees you work with, plans must be communicated to be successful. The training needs to be fairly communicated, performance needs to be monitored, and positive and negative feedback needs to be given.  Feedback should be very specific and timely.  For example, say, “I’ve just been observing your work, and I appreciate how thoroughly you’re cleaning the teat ends,” versus waiting two weeks to say, “You’re doing a good job in the parlor.”  Employees need to be recognized for their specific efforts and need redirection when they are not meeting expectations.

If you have hired people who fit your culture, and your culture has not changed, the last thing a person wants to do is to be the weak link. They want to know how to do better.

In the book “Who Not How: The Formula to Achieve Bigger Goals Through Accelerating Teamwork,” Dan Sullivan brings up self-determination theory. Every human has three basic needs: a sense of competence, autonomy in how they do their work, and positive and meaningful relationships.

Too often, a manager allows seasoned employees to operate with less supervision, assuming they will manage themselves. Humans need feedback and need to know they are on the right track. Great coaches define the plan, allow individuals the freedom to excel, and provide regular, consistent feedback. They also allow team members to have the opportunity to provide input on improving the plan.

Put employees in the right seat

Jim Collins wrote “Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap…And Others Don’t,” discussing how a small number of businesses did exactly that. They had humble leaders that were conviction-driven. Without fail, they focused on having people who fit the culture. They were given the ability to excel and lead with questions, not answers, and created dialog and debate.

They put their best people on the biggest opportunities, not the biggest problems. They knew what they did well, and they stuck with that rather than getting distracted by new ideas.

Collins identified a disciplined approach to everything they did. Great employees in the organization were allowed the autonomy to make decisions using the framework provided by leadership, the culture of the company and the constant search for improvement.

The book coined the phrase “right seats on the bus.” The concept is similar to “who not how.” If you have the right employees, tasks get done successfully because they are fully engaged. In each work environment, it is critical to assess what seats employees are filling. Some employees need to be removed from their seats and get off the bus. Some employees need to move to other seats. The best employees should be dealing with the larger seats that offer the biggest opportunities for the business.

What can I take back to my operation?

Hiring people with values that align with your culture is the first step in having an engaged workforce. If you have a bad first impression of a prospective employee, move on. If you make a bad hire, move on quickly. Know that it may be hard to do but also know that person may excel in another culture. That’s a win for you, the person and the next place they go.

Effective management puts people in positions where they have great opportunity to succeed – both personally and for the organization.  With people in the right positions, managers can help fuel their success.  Look inward often. Make sure you are consistent, provide feedback, set goals, plan, and communicate openly with your employees. Allow autonomy, take criticism, and have a vision. Hold people accountable when culture is challenged. Learn when to call an audible and make sure to listen to your people to gain information on how to make changes successfully.