Most farms are gearing up for one of the busiest times of the year….seeding! And of course, we have many producers still dealing with calving while trying to get equipment serviced and products lined up for seeding time. Your days get longer, work demands are getting higher and your time is precious. You know that your efficiency is linked to your profitability. This is why a team huddle every morning with your staff is so important.
It would be ideal to start each day with a “team huddle.” When your team has a clear vision of what needs to get done and everyone is pulling in the same direction, it makes “getting the job done” much easier. Creating consistency is important – so choose the same time, same place, every day to hold a team huddle. The shorter the team huddles, the better, so try to keep it less than 15 minutes, but also allow each team member to touch on all the points you’ve decided to talk about during your huddle. If huddles turn into 45-minute discussions, then you’ll start to get a lot of glazed-over looks from everyone who doesn’t need to be part of the discussion. If specific issues are raised that may require more attention, then a formal meeting can be scheduled for another time. Team huddles are meant to be short and are intended to improve management and performance levels at the farm.
Team huddles are the time where duties are decided, updates are given and everyone is clear as to expectations and deliverables for the day. You may wish to set an agenda for each huddle to discuss specific items but ensure that everyone is allowed to contribute and participate in the conversation.
Here are some key points to remember when implementing this strategy on the farm:
• Keep huddles focused, positive and short. Everyone may already feel that his or her time is stretched, so being able to stay on topic and addressing the needs are important. Save the visiting for another time.
• Set SMART goals for the day. SMART is the acronym for specific, measureable, attainable, realistic and timely.
• Ensure that everyone understands his or her responsibilities and your expectations.
• Review action items at the end of each meeting, recapping who is accountable for what activity.
• Allow everyone to share ideas and provide feedback where possible.
• Focus on the “we” rather than the “I’ because there is no “I” in a team.
• Be open to change.
• Make requests rather than demands of others.
Making these “morning huddles” a habit will:
• Establish a climate of trust;
• Motivate staff because they are part of the decision-making process and may feel like each one is making a meaningful contribution to the operation;
• Encourage communication and collaboration;
• Generate ideas for improvements;
• Increase an understanding of everyone’s expectations and responsibilities;
• Make the farm run more efficiently and effectively;
• Make for better goal setting – daily, weekly, monthly;
• Allow yourself to act more pro-actively rather than reactively as a manager;
• Allow the team to detect problems, weaknesses and mistakes so corrective measures can be implemented to mitigate potential problems;
• Contribute to a well thought out strategic approach to all your decisions relating to production, marketing, finance and human resources on the farm; and
• Ultimately, create a more happy and healthy farm!
If you require more information on implementing effective human resource strategies into your daily farming operations, feel free to contact your regional farm business management specialist or the ministry’s agriculture Knowledge Centre.
