In the dairy industry, the conversation around labor has shifted. It is no longer enough to simply find a milker to fill a shift. As dairies grow in scale and complexity, the focus has moved toward organizational development, cultural transformation and the science of human behavior.
At the High Plains Dairy Conference in Amarillo, Texas, in a panel moderated by Ryan DeWit of Twin Circle Dairy, three experts — Jorge Delgado, Jorge M. Estrada, and Tom Wall — shared a blueprint for moving a workforce from basic hiring to high-performance results.
The Foundation of “Why": Relevancy and Understanding
Delgado with Alltech kicked off the discussion by addressing the psychology of the dairy worker. He argues effective training is built on three pillars:
- Relevancy
- No Anonymity
- Measurement
According to Delgado, the most powerful tool in a manager’s arsenal is the answer to one question: “Why do you do what you do?” For the vast majority of dairy workers, the answer is familia. When training is framed as a way to protect the farm’s success — and by extension, the worker’s ability to provide for their family — the relevancy of a milking protocol or a biosecurity measure skyrockets.
Delgado also emphasizes the need for no anonymity. High-performance teams are built when every member participates and feels seen. To move from participation to true understanding, Delgado uses visual and tactile tools, such as 3D models of udders and biological cells, to show workers the unseen impact of their actions. This is supported by modern technology, such as QR-code-based training modules (Knowby) and bilingual on-farm support posters that provide five-step rules for everything from cow movement to calving protocols.
The Systems Approach: Organizational Development
While Delgado focuses on the individual worker, Estrada of Leadership Coaching International takes a large systems view of the dairy. Estrada’s approach to organizational development is a structured, six-month journey designed to move a dairy from its current state to a desired state.
“Organizational transformation isn’t an event; it’s a process,” Estrada notes.
His model begins with a deep needs assessment and a culture/leadership audit. From there, he designs interventions that include on-site practice, dialogic approaches and intensive executive coaching.
The goal is to increase awareness of how behavior impacts the bottom line. By the end of the six-month program, the dairy should see observable changes in behavior and a new culture where leadership and transformation are integrated into the daily routine. Estrada’s message to owners was clear: if you want high-performance results, you must first design an organization capable of producing them.
The Coach’s Playbook: COR-4 and the Results Pyramid
Wall, known as “The Dairy Coach” and founder of PeopleCor, brought the panel home with a focus on the mechanics of management. Wall’s philosophy is centered on the COR-4 model:
- Clarify
- Communicate
- Connect
- Recognize
Wall argues many labor problems are actually clarity problems. If an employee doesn’t know exactly what is expected of them, they cannot be held accountable. This led to his results pyramid model.
At the base of the pyramid are the three essentials: clarity, discipline, and accountability. These three foundations support the development of habits. Once the right habits are ingrained in the workforce, the results follow naturally at the top of the pyramid.
Wall’s approach emphasizes that management is a daily discipline. Connect refers to the relationship between the manager and the worker, while recognize ensures high performance is incentivized and rewarded. Without the base of the pyramid — clarity — the habits will be inconsistent, and the results will be mediocre.
The consensus of the panel was that the high performance dairy of the future is one that treats people as its most valuable asset. By combining Delgado’s focus on the why and visual learning, Estrada’s systematic organizational design and Wall’s disciplined management playbook, producers can build a workforce that is not only efficient but deeply resilient.
As DeWit concluded, moving from hiring to high performance requires a shift in mindset. It’s about moving away from managing tasks and toward leading people.
