When turnover on a dairy is low, employees are motivated and teams work together to reach goals, one has to wonder, what are these managers doing differently?
Conversations with these three dairy managers who hit those marks reveal a few critical habits that lead to their success:
- Jared Dueppengiesser, herd manager, Rosendale Dairy, Rosendale, Wis.
- Scott Blevins, dairy and heifer director, Wiese Bros. Farms, Greenleaf, Wis.
- Omar Guerrero, manager and partner, Drake Dairy, Elkhart Lake, Wis.
The ability to streamline operational efficiencies is certainly a key aspect, but what’s more, these effective managers are great leaders. The way they lead themselves sets the example for their mid-managers, and trickles on down through the teams of employees. This top-down leadership creates the culture.
These managers make it a habit to communicate daily, ask for input and set clear expectations.
1. Communicate daily. An intentional conversation with each employee every single day is a foundational habit for Dueppengiesser and the team he oversees of more than 50 employees. “Every day we have conversations with every single one of our employees,” he says. “It’s not a half an hour conversation with each employee but that little conversation that we have … whether it’s about work-related topics so that they can continue to grow and do a better job in their role here or topics outside of the workplace … home, family … just to get on a more personal level and know our employees.”
2. Ask for input. Guerrero makes a habit of asking his team for their input. He finds that doing so creates a higher level of buy-in and engagement. “When we have a meeting, everyone has to write down a good idea to make our jobs easier,” Guerrero says. Whether it’s how cows are cared for or better ways of getting things done, the request for ideas allows each team member to have a voice at the table. He goes beyond the lead manager group and includes every employee in these conversations, even the employee who cleans the offices at their 3,000-cow dairy.
3. Clear expectations. For Blevins, clearly communicating standards and expectations is critical to keeping his teams motivated and engaged on an operation with 6,500 cows and 6,600 head of youngstock. He leads with these principles: Word hard. Show respect. Keep things clean. Follow the rules.
And while he drives for excellence, Blevins consciously cultivates a culture for people to learn and grow by “expecting mistakes.”
“I really instilled into employees that I want them to take responsibility. You make a mistake, you own it and then we learn from it,” Blevins says. “Mistakes are going to happen. But how you relate those mistakes to that person and what they get out of it and what they learn from it helps you be better.”
Hear more from these three managers and more on the Uplevel Dairy Podcast, hosted by Peggy Coffeen:
LISTEN HERE
For more on leadership, read:
- The Third Question Dairy Leaders Should Ask
- How to Make Tough Talks Easier
- Could Your Next Manager be in Your Milking Parlor Right Now?
