There are plenty of “How to” books available on just about anything . . . how to succeed, how to wire a building, how to be a better person, how to be inspiring, and the list goes on and on.
But in all reality, as a business owner, have you truly been taught how to be the best you can be and how you can get the best from your staff?
All employees are different. They come from different backgrounds, have different ideas and opinions, and different quirks. I honestly don’t believe there is a true book on how to get your employees to be the best that they can be.
It takes work. It takes boundaries as well as getting to truly know them. It takes seeing obstacles and the work at hand as they see it, while at the same time viewing them as a business owner, too.
An employer must have understanding, compassion, and dedication. Dedication . . . that’s a big word. Dedication from you to your work, dedication from you to your employees, and dedication to the goals you have set for you and your employees.
Decide what is realistic. Don’t set unrealistic goals because employees may automatically dismiss them. Set goals they can achieve, and once they have, set more.
In these hard times, it’s easy to take our frustration out and be mad all the time because of the falling milk price. It can be easy to take that anger out on employees for simple problems, such as a stall that hasn’t been raked out. I’ve done it, we've all done it.
We are a team. We are a family. Let’s work together to conquer goals, and once they are achieved, let’s set and conquer more.
Mark and Caitlin Rodgers are dairy farmers in Dearing, Georgia. Their “Father and Daughter Dairy Together” column appears every other Thursday on HD Notebook. The Rodgers have a 400-cow dairy that averages 32,000 pounds of milk. Follow their family farm on Facebook at Hillcrest Farms Inc.
