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Tip of the month: "Signs that you can improve your management skills". These top 5 signs are based on my observations and can hopefully help you improve your management skills.(continue reading below).
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New article:"Tips for more effective delegation" - This article was published in the Dairy Today website AgWeb on May 7, 2012. In this article I share some ideas on how to be more effective when delegating.
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Visit to China: See the pictures from my trip to China last month. I spent a week doing a training program for dairy producers and managers at Easent company in Rizhao, Shandong province.
"We will either find a way, or make one" - Hannibal
Signs that you can improve your management skills
I recently read an article called “5 signs that you are a bad boss” (Randy Hall published this in his website 4thgearconsulting.com) that inspired me to write this article. Based on my observations when visiting dairy farms and talking with dairy managers and employees, I came up with my “5 signs that you need to improve your management skills”.
It’s normal for managers to have a hard time evaluating themselves as managers, and sometimes it requires a third person to make a better assessment of their skills as managers. This is why many times I’m asked to evaluate managers’ skills and define areas for improvement. It’s important when doing this assessment to not only meet with the managers but also to talk with employees. This helps me make a better evaluation of the management practices at the dairy.
Based on my observations, you may need to work on your management skills if:
1. Employees tell me that the last time they talk to you (the manager/supervisor) about their job was over a month ago. Most good employees like to be listened to and want to know how things are going at the dairy. Having a weekly meeting with milkers for example, to talk about parlor performance, milk quality, and things that need to be fixed or addressed is critical if you want to keep your milkers motivated and focused on their job. Don’t manage by special occasion and only talk to employees about their performance when things are not going well. Talk to them about your expectations and goals and let them know how they are doing.
2. Employees don’t know how they are being evaluated. Many times I ask employees whether they think they are doing a good job or not. Sometimes, they answer: “I assume I am doing a good job because the boss hasn’t talked to me since the last time I made a mistake”. Lack of feedback is one of the most common weaknesses I see in most dairy managers. Whether it’s good, average, or bad, you should tell them how they are doing at least monthly. A more formal performance evaluation is recommended once or twice a year as well (read about the negotiated performance appraisal from Gregory Billikopf on my website at www.apndairy.com/articles or at cnr.berkeley.edu/ucce50/ag-labor/7bielikov.html).
3. There’s a high employee turn over rate. It’s not a good sign when employees call in sick all the time, or when people are leaving your dairy after 6 months of work. Most of the time, employees quit their jobs because of their supervisor, not because of the company they work for, or because they don’t like their job.
4. I see that a specific job is done differently depending on who’s doing it or what day of the week it is. Read more
Felix Soriano, MS, PAS
President
