Motivating Employees

Motivation is a fire from within. If someone else tries to light that fire under you, chances are it will burn very briefly.
Stephen R. Covey

Do the "Little Things" Get Done on Your Dairy?

Lee Gross University of Minnesota Extension Service On a successful dairy, several thousand details need to be properly attended to each day. (Well, ok, maybe it's more like hundreds, but I got your attention.) The single most common complaint I hear from dairy managers is that their workers (family members or employees) don't pay attention to the little things that can lead to big problems if not caught early. They're not alert to critical details that determine whether a cow stays or is culled. Whether the moldy silage goes into the mixer or gets put aside. Whether you're informed that the teat dip from the new barrel looks different from the previous batch. Whether the cow in heat gets reported. How can you make your workers do the detail work? Well, you can't make people do anything. They have to want to do it! But there is a way you can help them want to pay attention to the small stuff. It's called motivation and folks, that's an internal act. Here are some ideas on how to help your workers develop that motivation : Regularly review your mission statement with your workers. Tell them how important your business is to you and your family. Let them know how important they are to the success of your business. Let them know that they are important to you as individuals. Tell them you need their skills and experience. Tell them the business can only succeed with their help. Tell them you want to see them grow in their job and achieve whatever they want and are capable of doing in your business. Show them that your business is a fun place to work.

Tell them the "little things" are the most important things.

Easy? Far from it! It takes serious effort to convey these messages to your workers on a regular basis. But try it. Be sincere. Write reminders on your calendar. Smile! People that are appreciated are motivated. People that are valued are motivated. People having fun are motivated. People that know they matter to the organization/dairy/family are motivated. Motivated people do great things. From DAIRY Initiatives NEWSLETTER Volume 11 Issue 2 Summer 2002 University of Minnesota Extension Service

What is Motivation?
Is motivation just another "buzz" word, or should it actually have a place on your farm? A motivated workforce is typically a more productive workforce, with less absenteeism and turnover. It is generally recognized that an employer cannot "make" a person become motivated. Instead, an employer can provide an environment which encourages motivation.

Two Types of Motivation

It is important to understand that there are two types of motivation: Extrinsic: This motivation comes from external sources, such as rewards, recognition, and financial incentives. When driving down the road, you are motivated to brake if you see a deer in the road. Intrinsic: This is the motivation within your employeetheir passion, fear, commitment, beliefs, values, needs. This will influence whether they will hunt that deer - with a gun or a camera.

Defining Motivation
Motivation is hard to define, since it means different things to different people, both extrinsically and intrinsically. Plus, different age groups, and different cultures are motivated differently. Simplified, you can think of it as the carrot before the horsethe moving horse trying to reach the carrot. It is incentive or enticement plus action. (Without the action, the horse is still standing in the same spot.)

The difficult thing is determining potential personal motivators which you can incorporate in your day-to-day farm operation. Kenneth Kovach of George Mason University did a study comparing what employees wanted, and what the employer thought the employees wanted, with some surprising results. What is important?
Employees' Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Item Interesting work Appreciation of work Feeling "in on things" Job Security Good wages Promotion/growth Good working conditions Personal loyalty Tactful discipline Sympathetic help with problems Employer's Rank 5 8 10 2 1 3 4 6 7 9

According to Kovac, managers should ask themselves the following 10 questions when attempting to provide a more positive motivational climate for employees: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Do you personally thank staff for a job well done? Is feedback timely and specific? Do you make time to meet with--and listen to--staff on a regular basis? Is your workplace open, trusting, and fun? Do you encourage and reward initiative and new ideas? Do you share information about your organization with staff on a regular basis? 7. Do you involve staff in decisions, especially those that will affect them? 8. Do you provide staff with a sense of ownership of their jobs and the unit as a whole? 9. Do you give associates the chance to succeed? 10.Do you reward staff based on their performance?