Dairy Coach

Whenever I see a squad car in the distance, my first reaction is usually to tap my brakes.  Mainly, it’s because I’m speeding, but also because it’s a force of habit.  And as much as I dread getting stopped for speeding, I’m actually a pretty big fan of police officers.  Just like the majority of the people who respect and obey the laws of the land, I have no reason to fear or avoid the police.  Their job is to enforce our laws and protect the people within their jurisdiction.

But what happens when they don’t, or can’t?

In the last couple weeks, we’ve witnessed the lawlessness of ‘flash mobs’ from the Wisconsin State Fair, to Philadelphia, and all throughout England.  The destructive impact of these thugs was initially too much to handle for the local police forces.  Innocent people were assaulted, property was stolen, and in some cases, vehicles and buildings were set on fire.  Eventually, the authorities regained control and order was restored.  But the detail that’s grabbed my attention has been the response of the law-abiding people.  In the absence and shortage of police force, the ‘good guys’ took to the street to defend their neighbors and their neighborhood.

They proved that an overwhelming majority of people want to live in a place where laws are respected and their safety and property is protected.  And that same sentiment carries over to the workplace too.

Whether you realize it or not, the majority of your employees sincerely want some basic rules to be established and enforced at work.  These employees already do the right thing because they know they should.  For the most part, people are inherently good and simply want everyone else to do what’s right as well.

The problem lies in the fact that not everyone shares these same values.  Like passwords and padlocks, most rules and regulations weren’t created to deal with honest and trustworthy people.  Instead, most policies exist to deal with the other people… the ones who actively choose to do wrong in spite of the consequences.  These are the people who only follow rules and protocols when they think someone is watching.  And as you can probably imagine, these are the co-workers that the ‘good guys’ can’t stand to work with.

Hopefully you already know who’s who.  But regardless of whether you’re completely aware of who the ‘good guys’ and the ‘bad guys’ are, everyone else on the team knows what their co-workers are up to!  And often times, that tends to be the problem.  Although everyone without authority knows what’s going on, the person who’s supposed to be in charge is often unaware or oblivious to what’s really happening among the ranks.  The only thing worse than that is when the manager knows what’s going on, yet chooses to ignore it.

And when that’s the case, the vigilantes often emerge.  Under the ‘leadership’ of an inattentive, hands-off manager who’s unwilling to address issues that are important to the team (like punctuality, work ethic, and follow-through); the good guys choose to take the matter into their own hands.  Sure, to some degree we want the team to police itself.  But many times, they administer discipline and justice in ways that only fuel more dissension and conflict.

Unfortunately, there are just two other alternatives to vigilante-style justice, and neither one is very good.  One is to join the ‘boss’ and do nothing, allowing the ‘bad guys’ to continue causing problems.  And the other is to accept that the struggle between right and wrong isn’t worth the effort, and just quit.  Ironically, your ‘good guys’ leave and the ‘mob rule’ continues until it becomes your company culture.

Regardless of what city someone lives in or what company they work at, most people simply want to be in a place where rules, order, and respect are the norms.  At the core, the majority of people are good and truly want the rest of world to be held accountable for their actions.  Ultimately, when a few start ruining it for the others, something has to be done.  The question is… do you have the courage to do it?

This past weekend I was originally planning to join some great family friends to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary. But, those initial plans quickly changed last Tuesday night when I found out that one of my closest friend’s dad passed away. After battling various forms of cancer and countless complications due to a weak immune system for nearly five years, Craig fought hard to the very end… just two days after his 61st birthday.

Craig was as tough as nails and absolutely cherished his devoted wife of 36+ years. And he never missed a chance to show and tell his family how much he loved them. When we’d go on sports/food trips, Craig’s stories grew bigger each time I heard them and his witty sense of humor was so refined that even his ‘digs’ could make you laugh and feel good.

And not only was Craig a great family man, he was a solid friend too. Among his many friendships, his best friend of more than 55 years was there with him until the very end.

This past weekend, I initially thought I was going to celebrate 40 years of an incredible couple’s faithful marriage. But instead, I was fortunate to join a great family to celebrate a wonderful life that was filled with steadfast love and dedicated relationships. In either case, love and loyalty were at the core of each celebration.

Unfortunately, loyalty in the workplace is often a lot different. Sure, it exists, but loyalty at work is a lot more conditional. Most of the time, loyalty in the business world comes with the question “What have you done for me lately?” And to some degree, it should be that way, right? After all, if we don’t deliver, companies fail and we all lose. Whether directly or indirectly, everyone depends on a vibrant business climate in order to keep the economy moving forward. So yes, “What have you done for me lately?” is a fair question.

But how extreme are you when it comes to loyalty in the workplace? Are you so loyal to a product, a company, or a team member that you refuse to see and acknowledge that something or someone no longer delivers a sufficient benefit to you and your company? Or are you so disloyal that you’re willing to drop a vendor or fire an employee at any time in order to switch over to a cheaper alternative?

That’s a tough one sometimes, isn’t it? As much as you’d like to maintain long-standing relationships, you also need to keep a close eye on the bottom line… but, to what degree?

Sure, it’s tempting to seek out or switch over to the cheapest people and products you can find in order to maximize your company’s profit margin. But as you’ve probably already realized, the cheapest option isn’t always the most beneficial or affordable in the long-run. And many times when you take a strong “it’s business, not personal” approach, both parties are typically aware that the relationship is fickle and exists to fulfill short-term needs; not to build a trustworthy, long-term relationship.

On the other hand, blind loyalty sends the message that you’ll accept poor performance and substandard results because you go “way back”. Remaining loyal to someone or something regardless of current outcomes eventually leads to complacency for both you and the longtime ‘chosen one’. Even if someone was “there for you” during those really tough times many years ago, nostalgia doesn’t make up for the lack of performance that your business requires today.

So what’s the answer? As always, that’s up to you. I guess it depends on whether you’re trying to build ongoing business relationships or create a list of available employees, vendors, and products. On one hand, constantly looking for the cheaper, ‘better deal’ sounds exhausting and pretty uncertain. On the other hand, being loyal as a result of tradition or habit while not accomplishing your goals seems costly and frustrating.

As for me, I hope to stay somewhere in the middle… investing in the best quality equipment and team of professionals that I can afford, so I can continue counting on them now and in the future. Of course, that doesn’t happen overnight. But then again, lifelong friendships and everything else that matters never does.

As much as I’ve always enjoyed reading, my short attention span makes it impossibly difficult to finish really long books like Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations. And chances are you’ve never made it all the way through the 1208 pages either. But, if you ever took a basic Economics course in school, you’re probably familiar with the economic term from Smith’s timeless writings called “the Invisible Hand”.

Now, I’m definitely NOT an Economist. But if you don’t mind, humor me as I attempt to give my simple understanding of how the Invisible Hand works. Essentially, the Invisible Hand represents the way human nature affects how the economy functions… whether it’s humankind’s self-interest, fear, competitiveness, greed, uncertainty, or even commonsense, the Invisible Hand is our basic humanness at work.

It’s why 4:00am Black Friday sales work, and why Socialism never has and never will. It’s why a lot people love online auction sites like EBay. And it can also help explain housing bubbles, inflated used-car prices after Cash for Clunkers, tax-deductible donations, and $100 Beanie Babies.

At the risk of sounding like I support Laissez Faire economic policies (I don’t), I believe the Invisible Hand is always at work and almost always right. In spite of the many attempts to control the market through government policy and regulations, human nature and its power in the marketplace cannot be ignored. As hard as the intellectuals try, their attempt at controlling the outcome of a free market is foolish at best and dangerous at worst.

Okay, I’ll get off my ‘semi-political’ soapbox. So… how does the Invisible Hand affect your dairy team’s dynamics? Some people say it doesn’t or shouldn’t.

I’ve talked with numerous dairy owners and managers that say “people should just do their job correctly because it’s their job.” And you know what? I agree with them. But then again, cows should always walk where you need them to go also. After all, you’re only trying to help them, right? But to expect cows to reason like we do would be to ignore the fact that they’re animals. And to expect humans to set aside our humanness would sort of make us robotic.

Almost every sales person (myself included) would love to simply tell you to “just buy what we’re selling because it kicks ass and it we know it will help make your job easier and make your dairy more profitable.” But of course, we don’t say that. You see, most people (including you) don’t like to be told what to do. If the ‘people part’ of business was truly that effortless, you could just hand your new employees a binder full of protocols, a list of rules, and your phone number in case they have any questions. After that, you could put your employee management duties on autopilot.

And speaking of protocols… I’ve seen a lot of ‘good’ Standard Operating Procedures and policies. ‘In theory’ they should work fine. But the problem is that you and I don’t work ‘in theory’. Instead, we work in the real world. In the real world, some people look for loopholes in SOP’s and tear them apart if they’re not perfectly constructed. You see, just because a protocol makes sense ‘scientifically’, it still needs to pass the real-world ‘people test’ and deliver the expected results.

Like most people, you’re probably not a big fan of dealing with the ‘psychology part’ of your work force. But unfortunately, the ‘human factor’ is always at work and can’t be ignored. Like a vibrant free market economy, your dairy’s performance depends on these invisible forces to keep it running. Now if only there was someone who could hope to pass new laws and change all of that!

It looks like 2011 is going to be remembered as the “Year of the Showdown”. A few months ago, Charlie Sheen and CBS’s Two and a Half Men parted ways in a contentious, drama-filled split. The NFL lockout continues as billionaire owners argue with millionaire players over a new collective bargaining agreement. A shutdown of the Federal government is looming as Republicans and Democrats argue whether they should borrow more money in order to keep funding their already-unsustainable spending habits. Even Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony are getting divorced after seven years!

So why can’t we all just get along? Of course, I’m not personally involved in any of the above disputes, so I have no idea what’s been said or done behind closed doors. But, I’d bet dollars to donuts these conflicts probably boil down to one thing… a lot of unreasonable people.

In all fairness, I’m sure we’ve all taken an unreasonable stance a time or two. And in our own defense, it’s quite possible that our inflexible positions were necessary at the time… after all, you can’t compromise on everything!

But honestly, who looks forward to dealing with unreasonable people? Personally, I can’t stand it.

Unfortunately, it seems like dealing with people who are unreasonable is just a part of doing business. It’s the tenant who doesn’t think he should have to pay for his gas bill. Or the employee who thinks it’s ok to leave early and asks someone else swipe her time card later. It’s the co-worker who can’t be corrected when making a mistake because it hurts his feelings. Or the customer who orders an add-on part, and then complains that she got invoiced for it. It’s the boss or business partner who’s never wrong, so don’t even think about questioning his decision.

So what makes some people so unreasonable? I’d suggest that you go and ask them for yourself. But one of the biggest problems with people who are unreasonable is that they usually don’t think they are. Maybe their “unreasonability” comes from being selfish, prideful, stubborn, ignorant, vengeful, or insecure.

Yet as much as you desire to resolve the issue through a mature, professional conversation, it’s highly unlikely that you’ll be able to come to an agreement with someone who’s hopelessly unreasonable. Even if you try to ‘stick to the facts’ and sort out the details of an issue, their reality is often formed by emotionally-charged interpretations, not what’s logical and true.

So what can you do if you’ve got people on your team who are completely unreasonable? Well, if you’re married or related to them, I’m afraid you might be stuck. Nonetheless, unreasonable people kill teamwork and productivity; and at some point, you’ll need to have ‘the talk’. No, it won’t be easy. As you may have already guessed, unreasonable people are hard to reason with. Just ask anyone who has to deal with them every day.

When movies are described as ‘predictable’ that’s typically a bad thing, right?  But what about when people are described as predictable… is that a bad thing too?  I suppose that depends on who you ask.

If you ask me, predictable people are great.  Why?  Because when people are predictable, you always know where they (and you) stand.  But when they’re not, life can be a real rollercoaster.

Think back to the last time you had to deal with a someone who went from ‘hot’ one day to ‘cold’ the next?  You never knew which person would show up, right?  You sat back and timidly waited to see how to approach each interaction.

Now think about predictability from your current perspective.  Every day,you navigate through variables and surprises that pop up with little to no warning.  When you need to turn to the people on your team for help, who do you look to?  Do you call someone who often says one thing and then does something else?  No, you’ve probably already learned your lesson and you don’t waste your time making that phone call.  Instead, you look for people who consistently do what they say, right?

Last week, Ambassador Mark Green posted the following statement online… I had an International Relations professor who used to preach to us, “When you’re a superpower, you must be the most predictable nation on earth. Everyone, friend and foe alike, needs to know that if they do X, America will do Y. The whole world is based upon that idea.”

 I like that statement a lot.  And it doesn’t just apply to International Relations involving “super power” nations like the United States.  I think it can be applied to anyone in the role of authority.  Whether you’re an owner, a department head, or a parent, you teach people the cause and effect of their actions every day.  Your response to each situation communicates to everyone what you expect and what you’ll accept.  Whether you’re giving one employee a raise and another one a warning, or one child a cookie and another one a timeout; your behavior should always be predictable.  In these moments, you’re not just demonstrating this cause and effect outcome to the people who are directly involved, but you’re also teaching it to anyone who’s waiting to see what happens next.

Unfortunately it’s not always easy to stay true to a predictable approach when dealing with people.  For one, every circumstance is different.  Depending on the situation, you may be easily persuaded to stray from your original, pre-determined course.  But, if you have a few simple rules and guidelines firmly in place from the start, you’ll be prepared each time these moments arise.  Once you’re clear about what your own rules and values are, you’ll be able to effectively and consistently demonstrate them through your disciplined actions.

Some people call this being resolute, others call it being stubborn.  Regardless of what you call it, when you do it predictably, everyone will know what to expect.

During my senior year of college I spent a little more time at a local watering hole than I probably should have. Of course, this wasn’t because I enjoyed going to the bar.  As luck would have it, a few of my roommates and friends worked there nearly every night of the week.  So as any supportive friend would do, a few of us volunteered to go to the bar and keep them company.  It was during those two semesters that I learned being good friends with the bartender has its pro’s and con’s.  On the plus side, we always got the ‘roommate discount’ and often stayed until after bar close.  But on the minus side, if it was a really busy night, we had to wait until everyone else at the bar got their drinks before we got ours.  Sure, we were okay with waiting.  But back then, ten minutes with an empty glass felt like an eternity!

Have you ever noticed that sometimes when you’re considered a friend first and a customer last, you sometimes don’t get treated as either?  Ironically, it seems that the stronger the relationship is, the more comfortable and complacent we get at taking care of it.

I think we’re all guilty of doing this to some degree, aren’t we?  I know I am.  We get a little too comfortable in the friendship-side of the relationship and neglect the business-side of it.  We know that the people we have the most solid, long-standing relationships with will cut us some slack and ‘understand’ if we drop the ball.  Allowed to go unchecked over time, we end up treating our most valuable relationships like anything but!  And by no means, am I suggesting that it’s something we do on purpose.  We all face a limited amount of time to spread around, and somehow we direct more attention to the most recent, uncertain relationships instead of the most tried and true.

So how about you?  Of all the people that help keep your world turning, who do you take for granted?  Is this person one of your key managers, a steady role player, a long-time vendor, a patient customer, or maybe your significant other?

Before this week is over, muster up the courage to tell this person how much you appreciate their consistent, unwavering support.  If you’re bad at this sort of “soft stuff”, keep it simple and just say something like… “Hey [so-and-so], I probably don’t tell you this often enough, but I just wanted to say ‘Thanks’ for always being so reliable.  I know it might seem like you’re taken for granted sometimes, but I know I can always count on you to be there.  Thank you… I really appreciate it.”

Business, like life, is all about the relationships we cultivate.  Even though the well-established ones continue to grow regardless of how well you tend to them, those are the ones that truly deserve your attention. Up until now, these are the people who have always stuck with you.  The question is, are you giving them a reason to stay?

This past Saturday morning, I was one of the 18,000+ people in Green Bay who participated in the Bellin Run.  It’s only the second time I ran in this annual 10k race, and as it turns out, it’s also only the second time I’ve ever run 6.2 miles.  After the event, the obvious question everyone likes to ask each other is “How did you do?”  To that, I like to reply with, “I didn’t win.”  In fact, I didn’t even come close!

That’s the funny thing about running in races.  Everyone knows that only one person will win.  And usually the winner could run the race twice before most of us cross the finish line once.  Yet thousands still choose to train and run them anyway.

So why do so many people choose to work hard at something they know they can’t win?  I’m sure everyone has their personal reason for why they sign up for these races.  But I think most of us do it because we like the challenge of pushing ourselves in order to beat our last year’s time.

And even if you’ve never participated in a race, I’m sure you’ve found yourself working hard at something that you knew you weren’t going to finish in first place.  Yet for some reason, you remained committed to finishing and achieving your personal goal.

The reality is that there’s only one ‘number one’.  Unfortunately, you might never be the biggest or the best.  But that doesn’t mean you should get discouraged and quit trying.  The good news is that if you’re truly good at what you do, the market will make plenty of room for you and what you have to offer.

So if being the biggest or the best is ‘already taken’ and currently out of reach, what does that mean for you and your team?  Hopefully that means your goal is ‘constant improvement’.  In other words, instead of focusing your team’s efforts on chasing someone else, focus this energy on being better than your previous best.

Sure, it’s easy to want to give up when you realize you’re not going to be ‘the biggest’ or ‘the best’.  But as long as you stay in the race and keep pushing forward, you can always do better than you did before.

The other day when I was walking through the parking lot at Jimmy John’s, I noticed the ‘tag line’ on the van of a local carpet cleaning company.  It said “When Quality Matters”.  As I drove away with a ham sandwich that was made with freshly-baked bread, I couldn’t help but think how ridiculous that phrase was.  I mean, even Jimmy John’s thinks that quality matters enough to ensure that a four dollar sandwich is made with quality ingredients.

Nonetheless, this carpet cleaner’s slogan got me thinking about “When Quality Doesn’t Matter”.  And you know what, I’m at a loss.  Sure, I guess I’m somewhat willing to give quality a pass when I get something for free or really cheap.  And I’m sure you’ve probably been there too… something breaks or quits working and your first thought tends to be, “well, what did you expect for five bucks!?!”

But even then, buying something that’s cheap and doesn’t work still costs you.  Not only do you waste the money you spent; on top of that, you also lose the value of your time and the opportunity cost that’s being incurred as you search and wait for an alternative.

When I was in college I had a landscaping company and I learned about quality the hard way when it comes to tools and equipment.  It didn’t take long to realize why cheap rakes and shovels were so affordable… they were cheap.     It turns out, one expensive shovel works better and lasts longer than two of the ‘more economical’ alternatives.

Of course, it makes perfect sense that any time you’re going to invest a quarter million dollars on a piece of equipment; you need to do your homework before buying such big ticket item.  And at that level of spending, chances are you’re not just buying on price, right?  Sure, the price has to be reasonable.  But more than anything, the price tag needs to reflect the value that you’ll receive from whatever it is that you’re buying.

And when you finally decide to pull the trigger on one of these big purchases, who do you trust enough to drive it?  Do you let any and all employees drive your newest and most expensive piece of equipment?  I’m guessing you don’t.  So why not?  After all, these are the same people you trust to care for and work with millions of dollars worth of cattle and equipment throughout the entire day.

And yes, I’m realistic enough to know that not every employee you bring on-board is going to be a top-quality hire.  Sometimes you just have to hire the best candidates available at a given time.  But hopefully, once you get settled in with your newly-hired employees, you choose to dedicate the same amount of time developing them as you did when deciding on what piece of equipment or machinery to buy.

Ultimately, it doesn’t matter what you’re buying or how much you’re spending.  Whether it’s equipment, animals, or the people you’ve hired and pay every day to take care of these assets… you count on quality.

Sure, the price you pay for quality tends to be a little higher than that of an alternative.  But what are you really looking to buy?  Something cheap, or something that returns the best value?  Either way… quality matters.

After a long, snowy winter, it’s no surprise that most of us couldn’t wait for spring to arrive.  But so far, it doesn’t seem that spring is quite ready to give us that literal and figurative fresh start for new life that we’ve anxiously been waiting for.  This year, it seems that spring has been replaced by late snow falls, extended cold temps, and excessive rain and wind.  And in many parts of the country, deadly and destructive floods and tornados have added to the misery.

To make matters worse, rural residents and their farmlands throughout the Mississippi River valley are being sacrificed this week in order to protect larger metropolitan areas further down the river.  And I’ll admit it… I have a hard time accepting that the government has decided to reduce the damage to large, heavily-populated cities by flooding rural communities just like the ones most of us call home.

At the same time, I know (and so do the residents that choose to live in these floodplains) that these levees exist and are designed to be opened for this very circumstance.  I guess a part of me I can understand that this is a purely utilitarian decision… the greatest good for the greatest number.  And who knows?  Maybe we would make the same decision if we were put in the same position as the Army Corps of Engineers who concluded it was necessary to start opening the levee system.

But regardless of whether you reluctantly understand or fiercely disagree with the decision, it’s a devastating dose of reality to anyone who knows that their land, their livelihood, and their homes are only a couple days away from being completely destroyed.

Yet for some reason, I can’t help but think that the real story from this event has yet to be told.  And that’s the story about the resiliency and recovery of rural America.  And with all due respect to the residents of New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and other big cities that will also be affected by the flooding… if I had to put my money on who will pull together faster to recover and rebuild everything that will soon be lost, I’d have to say that the spirit of small-town USA will ultimately prevail.

And regardless of where you go… that always seems to be the spirit of ‘the farmer’.  Regardless of the hand that farmers are dealt, they always show up and play their best cards.  While most people look forward to spring and summer because of the recreational activities that come with warmer weather, farmers see the end of winter as another chance to continue doing what they do.  An opportunity to produce the crops they need to feed their animals, their companies, and the people who count on them to do so.  And although it seems that many people have forgotten where their food comes from, those of us in rural America are thinking of the many farmers whose cropland will soon be underwater.

Yeah, this spring has been a tough one for anyone who counts on the land for their livelihood.  As the days go by and fields remain too wet to be plowed and planted, I’m sure the uncertainty of this growing season makes stressful times even tougher.  But as it is every year, Mother Nature calls the shots.  And even though she’s challenging your patience and fortitude right now, you always seem to make it in the end.

Ultimately, this year is no different than any other… and there’s nothing we can do but wait.  Sunnier days are sure to follow.

After almost ten years since 9/11, the U.S. military finally got Osama bin Laden.  Through a combination of observing, strategizing, communicating, planning, training, waiting, and executing, U.S. Navy Seals ‘Team Six’ brought the world’s most sought-after terrorist to justice… a great day for the United States military and the safety of the entire world.  However, as most people would agree, al Qaida’s presence around the world doesn’t end with the demise of their top leader.  And although we can appreciate that bin Laden is now gone, unfortunately, his death won’t diminish the terror organization’s desire to continue recruiting and building its terrorist network.

But just as evil-doers continue to develop and plan for their future, fortunately, so do the good guys.  Every day, the United States military and intelligence department continue to seek and develop courageous leaders who are dedicated to defending our freedom.

So how are you currently developing your team and planning for the future?  When it comes to succession planning, are you actively thinking about it or do you try to avoid the conversation each time your financial advisors bring it up?

All too often, when the conversation turns to developing an organization’s future leaders, it seems that most people would prefer to side-step the issue than actually address it.  Sure, we acknowledge it.  However, succession planning usually doesn’t make its way to the top of the ‘future business needs’ list.  Maybe it’s because you can’t imagine letting go, retiring, or passing away… and that’s completely understandable.  But regardless of why you choose to avoid the unavoidable, everyday the future is slowly creeping up on the present.

And while time continues to tick away, many managers and owners genuinely think that they’re grooming the future of their business.  But the truth is that many of the people in their current roles probably don’t possess the necessary skills or ambition to fulfill their next role and take your company to another level.

And you know what?  That’s okay… for now.  As long as your people are fulfilling their current responsibilities, all is well.  But I’d imagine you’ve already noticed that the world you work in is constantly changing.  And as your business and the market changes, so must you and your leaders.  Today it might be fine that your ‘future leaders’ aren’t currently being challenged to grow.  But how prepared will they be when you need them to step it up and take charge?  Will they be ready when the time comes?  Or will they merely be another good employee who’s willing to work long hours?

Hopefully you and your future leaders are working each day to improve your skills of observing, strategizing, communicating, planning, training, and executing.  Regardless of what your job is, the more you do it, the better you should become.  But at the same time, if you’re not challenging yourself to reach past your current limits; tomorrow you’ll be in the same place as you are today.  And if that sounds like a description that fits your up-and-coming leaders, the future of your company might just be in trouble.