As we enjoy this spring season, flocks of geese are flying north in their characteristic V-formation.

The geese have a common destination. The geese share the lead during the trip. The geese in back honk to encourage those in front. The geese (in V-formation) have 71 percent more flying range. Is there anything that we can learn from watching the geese?

Many dairies are using teams in one way or another. Some dairies use an advisory team. Similar to a board of directors in larger firms, these farm advisors meet with owners and key managers on a regular basis to review data, develop strategies and provide advice for sound decision-making. Some dairies use management teams. All of the owners and dairy managers meet together on a regular basis to discuss operations, to make business decisions and to find ways to improve. Some dairies use targeted or focused teams in specific areas of the business. For example, the milking team made up of milkers, a parlor manager and the dairy owner may meet twice monthly to review data, discuss concerns and provide information about updates or changes ahead. This team may also include an outside consultant to help improve performance or solve problems. Whatever type of team you have on your dairy, there are some common characteristics that help to ensure continued success for those teams.

Like the geese, the team must have a common destination – a defined purpose, a clear goal or a shared vision. With the complexity in the dairy business, it is too easy to lose focus. Teams need to know what that goal is, how they will achieve it and where to look for progress. If your nutrition team wants consistent, accurate and cost-effective feed delivery to the bunks, how clear is the goal? What is being measured? Do team members know what data is important, and can they access it? Clarify the goal. Ask each team member to write down what they think the team goal is and then compare. Share the data that is already (most cases) available with the people who need it. Electronic tracking systems and feeding systems make it fairly easy to measure accuracy, shrink, etc. in feeding. Make that data more accessible to those employees who can use it. Use simple charts, graphs and other output to make it easier to see progress towards the goal – post key information in employee areas. Feedback is essential for making certain that goals will be met.

Like the geese, everyone on the team must share responsibility for what happens with the dairy. As the lead goose tires and drops back from point, another moves up to take its place. Teams that work well over the longer term will ensure that responsibility and leadership is shared across people rather than resting solely with the team leader. Well-defined roles help to encourage this sharing of responsibility. Shift duties for team tasks (scheduling meetings, recording notes, etc.) periodically to help spread out the workload. Make certain that any rewards are team-based rather than individual-based to encourage sharing of workload across team members. When turnover of team members or dairy employees occurs, having some shared responsibility will help with transition of new people. Having a detailed history for each of the team members will help in bringing new people into the team. The learning curve will be less steep for new team members, and the dairy will benefit from greater consistency over time.

Lastly, strong teams have honest and open communication. There is trust among team members, and the expectation that both constructive criticism and positive encouragement should and will be offered. Like the honking geese, all team members, not just dairy owners or managers, have a vital role to play in encouraging performance. Solid communication among dairy employees in a team-based environment can greatly improve overall performance.

Managers and team leaders must be willing to be open and share insight with the team in a positive way. Encouraging suggestions and allowing for mistakes to be made help to build trust over time. Yearly review of the team, its accomplishments and various members’ contributions can also be beneficial. If using an advisory team, the facilitator can provide brief evaluation for team members to complete in the interest of ensuring that all members are performing well.

From the book Creating High Performance Teams by Steve Buchholz and Thomas Roth, I quote the following, “Wearing the same shirts doesn’t make you a team. It takes work to make strong, successful teams. Great teams share these three attributes:

1. Common goal
2. Shared responsibility (and rewards)
3. Strong communications

These three attributes lead teams to superior performance. As you look at the teams working with your dairy, compare your teams to the example of the geese, and ask yourself: Where can my teams get better? What will I do to help my team find their “V” and improve their “flying range?” PD

Lisa Holden
Dairy & Animal Science Adviser for
Penn State University