The BIZ-THINK Series
Applying business-school theory to on-farm practice:
1. Getting strategic about business thinking
Don Barclay/Ivey
2. Why you need to understand personality
Kris Savage/Syngenta
3. Using financial analysis to drive decisions
Mary Heisz/Ivey
4. Motivating people so everyone wins
Lyn Purdy/Ivey
Earning commitment from the employees on your farm doesn t happen overnight. With family members on the payroll and a limited pool of potential employees, asserting your role as leader requires dedication, patience and a healthy dose of strategic decision-making.
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Three common techniques are used to motivate staff: fear, compensation and belief. Fear and compensation can have a negative impact on employee morale, however, and can present a very slippery slope for you as an employer.
Staff motivated by fear tend to be compliant when the boss is around, but feel little motivation to complete the job without constant supervision.
Those motivated by compensation are risky too. When pay determines commitment, this can lead to a nothing is ever enough mentality. At this year s session of Syngenta Grower University, for instance, one grower talked about giving an employee hockey tickets. Instead of appreciating the gesture, the employee complained about the location of the seats.
On most farms, the third motivational option is best. Belief generates the ultimate commitment. When employees get behind the mission and vision of the operation, they are far more likely to feel a sense of commitment in working together towards a common goal.
Fostering this type of motivation requires a strong dedication to effective leadership, especially in the preliminary stages, but these efforts will pay off as you build loyalty and commitment from your employees. Here are some tips for gaining commitment from your team.
Prepare, prepare, prepare!
The first step to building commitment from your employees is to work out a solid plan. Identify the issues on your farm, consider their implications and begin to outline goals for your business. What issues would you like to solve? What aspirations do you have for your business?
Goals will guide your day-to-day operations and give your employees a clear objective.
While your concerns and desires are very important, so are those of your staff. Consider a day in the life of one of your employees and ask yourself, what would I care most about if I were in their shoes? Take some time to explore the different options for meeting both your goals and theirs while preparing yourself with a clear direction for what you want to achieve and how that plan affects your staff.
Get everyone involved
Creating goals for your farm won t be useful if you keep them to yourself. Get employees involved in setting these goals and show them the importance of their role in meeting them. Keep in mind that something as small as acknowledging their contribution can go a long way toward building common ground.
Gaining commitment is more about asking than telling. You will find your staff much more receptive to your ideas if you ve considered theirs. Ask them how they feel and use it as a platform to build
