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Well, 2019 is over and with it 819 dairies went out of business in Wisconsin alone. Some might say, it is the evolution of the industry; some might say, “They were poor producers.”
Your management philosophy translates into your thinking framework and behavior, impacting your management style. One way this impacts your dairy is by influencing how you work with people and their overall engagement – which translates directly into productivity and return on investment for you.
First off, I want you to depart from the premise that one of the critical strategic components for your dairy to operate and achieve results is its people. You have read through the articles on management philosophies and how those drive your ways of thinking and feeling toward people and work. These are your ways of behaving.
Fernando, your milking parlor supervisor, had a meeting with you yesterday afternoon. High employee turnover is among the issues he is facing. Almost 100 percent of his milking crew has turned over in the last 12 months.
If the team manager can integrate this hard-to-find mix of ambition and humility into one, he or she may just be hitting a sweet spot of inspiring others to pursue their own excellence in management to become a role model and inspiration to others.
Editor’s note: This article is part of a series of articles to review the four most common management philosophies that dairy managers employ. The first article in the series appeared in the July 1 issue and reviewed the authority-obedience philosophy.
Editor’s note: This article is part of a series of articles to review the four most common management philosophies that dairy managers employ. The first article in the series appeared here and reviewed the authority-obedience philosophy.
Dan comes into the milking parlor. The members of his five-person milking team are all standing around in the middle of the parlor. Dan fumes and comes down the hall yelling, “Get back to milking, we are going to be late! What are you doing standing there doing nothing?”
When milk quality challenges arise on your dairy, how do you normally respond? By observing milking routines or reviewing milking protocols? Changing teat dip or contacting your veterinarian to discuss mastitis treatments?
In the beginning, your dairy company probably didn’t need to spell out a people management philosophy. You did everything yourself. You managed as you saw fit.
As you have grown and now execute and produce results through others, it is key in business to have clarity around what your people management philosophy is and how that is helping you (or hindering you) in accomplishing results.
