Hiring, motivating and leading your team

The old adage, “People don’t leave jobs; they leave managers,” is actually quite true. We support the research that shows an employee’s relationship with his or her supervisor, boss or manager can make or break his or her retention.

Kathryn Doan

Recently, at the Canadian Dairy XPO held in Stratford, Ontario, Eric Spell, president of www.AgCareers.com, spoke to farm owners, managers and members of the industry about the “power of people” and the importance of hiring, motivating and leading your on-farm team.

Motivation is a key component to success

What are key items that contribute to motivation? Motivation is typically thought of as one’s ability and energy to get excited or exert the effort to complete a task, whether personal or work-related.

If employees show a sense of self-motivation or passion for the work they are doing, a less hands-on approach may be needed. If an employee is struggling to get motivated or isn’t particularly interested in a certain task for which he or she is responsible, a more direct approach may be needed.

Key items, such as good benefits, competitive wages and decent working conditions, are essential in the role.

What motivates and what doesn’t

Have you ever thought about what you do on your farm to motivate your team members? Achievement, recognition, responsibility and the work itself are areas that can impact motivation. These motivators were not only the most frequent causes of motivation, but they had the longest-lasting effect on satisfaction.

Managers need to ensure staff experience achievement on a regular basis, given that achievement is the most frequently occurring motivator. Some staff can relate better to short-term goals (daily, weekly or monthly) or task-oriented goals (i.e., feeding or milking) compared to long-term goals of the farm.

Responsibility is the longest-lasting motivator. It is important to provide staff with the confidence and support for independent tasks where results can be measured, such as milk production or conception rates. For experienced staff, allowing them to coordinate and delegate tasks also promotes the value of trust.

Did you know that wage is rarely ranked within the top five things that motivate an employee long-term? However, if a wage or salary is completely out of sync, it can be a de-motivator with a long-lasting effect.

Perhaps not common on dairy farms, bonus structures might be worth linking key financial or production metrics to increase employee engagement. As always, have a pulse of the team to continually assess and gauge the staff.

What you can do to improve motivation within a team

Communication. Ask for feedback on the challenges but also what motivates them to stay with the dairy operation.
Recognize good work and do so frequently (e.g., a gift card to say “thank you”).
Review and update farm policies, such as standard operating procedures, and remove any that are unnecessary.
Invest in the people and give them opportunities to learn about the entire farm and why their roles matter. Connect them with specific responsibilities that contribute to your operation’s profitability (i.e., something that matters).
Conduct exit interviews that ask questions to help understand why the person is leaving. Use this information to help modify current practices and behaviours on-farm.

The type of manager matters: What type of manager are you?

There are two types of extreme managers; call them X and Y. An “X” manager is more of a dictator; they feel that people need to be pushed to work and managed through discipline and control. This manager type rules with an “iron fist.” They make the decisions and manage people by instilling fear and structure.

A “Y” manager believes that people naturally want to do their job well and will excel when given responsibility and freedom to do so. They are sometimes considered spineless and easily taken advantage of.

These manager types often lack the ability to provide direction and objectives for completing work and can lack accountability and offer unwarranted praise.

Many of those who are managed by “X” will feel disheartened and unable to grow. Employees are afraid to share ideas for fear of being shot down, which stifles creativity and potential opportunities for the business.

Employees managed by “Y” will question the sincerity of a compliment or be upset that everyone is rewarded equally, even though they complete varying levels of work.

There is not a best style. We know that sometimes there are times when you need to be more assertive with employees and take an “X” approach. However, in certain situations a “Y” approach may be more appropriate.

The goal is to land somewhere in the middle or have a small range on the continuum.

Looking at accountability differently

Accountability presents itself in two forms: the employee’s accountability to the task and farm, and the manager’s accountability to the employee. Accountable employees can identify a situation, take ownership, work a plan to solve it and then follow through.

Unaccountable employees may say things like: “It isn’t my job,” “I’ll just wait to see what happens” or “That is someone else’s responsibility.” How accountable your workforce is will be shaped in part by how accountable the manager is.

All leaders can improve the team effectiveness

Communicate and provide feedback frequently. We’ve talked about praise, but also constructive feedback is important.
Help employees achieve a work-life balance. Distractions outside of the workplace often have an impact.
Ask your staff for feedback on your management style. Listen (without getting defensive) and try to implement suggestions when possible.
Help your employees grow. Invest in your employees and provide them opportunities to get outside training or see another aspect of the operation.
Recognize employees when deserved and as often as possible. Make sure it is warranted and sincere. Recognition in front of peers also often intensifies the motivation response.
Have passion for what you do and lead by example.

Motivation, leadership style and accountability

Great leaders are people who handle changing circumstances with poise and consistency. They know how to communicate, engage and motivate their team and understand how to convey appreciation for their efforts.

Managing people takes a dedicated effort, but the rewards of helping employees grow can be one of the most rewarding aspects of a farmer’s job. Effective leadership has a direct influence on building a solid farm team and the bottom line. PD