Dr. Alvi O. Voigt
Prof, of Ag Economics
Penn State University
GOOD HELP IS HARD
TO FIND?
For more and more fanners,
labor is a major business problem.
What to do? How to improve? We
think the following is a great place
to start. It is adapted from an article
by John Towler, a psychologist
professor at the University of
Waterloo and senior partner in a
management consulting firm in
Waterloo, Ontario.
One of the most natural of all
human impulses is the desire to be
in control and do things our own
( ® | HESSTONi£Ii=I
ft a Hesston Corporation a Member of the FIAT Group
way. When we are allowed to be
independent, we become self
confident and proud of our accom
plishments. However, when oflr
attempts to show our indepen
dence are thwarted, we lose confi
dence in our abilities and may
begin to doubt ourselves. This can,
and will, lead to frustration and
unhappiness.
Knowing how to develop inde
pendence and self-confidence in
one’s employees is an important
skill for anyone who needs to work
effectively with people. Done
properly, it leads to a happy and
efficient operation. Done impro
perly, it inevitably results in ten
sions, doubts, and problems.
The drive for self-control
appears very early in life, usually
around the ages of four or five.
This is the time when children
want to do things for themselves
without any parental assistance.
Sometimes a battle ensues
between the child, trying to tie his
or her shoes or button up a shirt,
and mom or dad, who know that
they can do it better and faster.
This usually leads to the child’s
refusing help and crying, “I can do
it myself!” This is nothing more
than his or her demand to be inde
pendent and to exercise some con
trol over the environment Initial
ly, it will take longer and, yes, the
buttons may not match all the but
tonholes exactly, but this will
improve with practice. Most
important allowing or encourag
ing the child to take control means
that he or she will develop confi
dence and be ready to show indivi
dual initiative when another task is
encountered.
As interesting as this is, you
may be wondering what it has to do
with managing people. Well,
remember that adults are children
who have grown up, and they often
react in many of the same ways.
THE BEST POSSIBLE
WORKFORCE IS ONE MADE
UP OF PEOPLE WHO WILL DO
Lancaster Fanning Saturday, October 1, 1988-D39
THINGS WITHOUT BEING
TOLD.
We all have this drive to take, the
initiative and be in control, but
often our bosses or organizations
won’t allow this basic need to sur
face. Yet we have never met an
owner or a manager who doesn’t
wish for a staff of bright energetic
workers with lots of initiative. Part
of the answer lies in the way you
treat your people. Do you allow
them to be in control, or do you
restrict them so much they feel
they can’t do anything on their
own? When they do attempt to
show their initiative, do you wel
come this, praise it, and support it?
Or do you criticize their efforts,
chastise them for their mistakes,
and discourage them from ever
doing this again? We usually get
exactly what we expect from peo
ple, and if you expect that your
workers cannot or will not seize
the initiative, it may well be that
you have made it impossible or
uncomfortable for them to do so.
There probably aren’t many far
mers around who wouldn’t like
their workers to be self-starters. If
people tend naturally to be inde
pendent, what is going wrong?
There are three factors here that
must be taken into account One is
the prim experience of your peo
ple. Are they really ready to take
control, or have their parents or
bosses taught them that showing
initiative leads only to trouble and
criticism, .and thus to feelings of
shame, guilt and doubt? If this is
your situation, then you have
either made some poor hiring deci
sions or you will have a big job to
overcome the damage of prior
experience.
The second factor is the existing
organizational system and work
ing environment in which these
workers are expected to be self
starters. Take a good look at it Is it
rigid and formal, with clearly
defined rules and spheres of
authority? Is there a lot of political
infighting to maintain power and
position? Is the atmosphere one in
which everyone looks after him
self or herself, first and foremost?
If this describes your organization,
you have problems that don’t
involve merely stifling people’s
creativity and initiative. Even the
most energetic people wither and
die in organizations like the one
just described. The smart ones
leave for better jobs and the best
turn up as members of your
competition.
The third factor to examine is
you. Are you really prepared to
give workers their heads and not
only allow, but also encourage,
them to use their tea ins? Or do you
secretly feel that you will lose con
trol or even that your subordinates
will show you up with their
achievements? If so, your problem
is really bigger than theirs.
Let’s assume you are convinced
that most people want to show
some initiative and that you are
more than willing to have this hap
pen. What do you need to make it
become a reality? First of all, you
must set the stage and make it clear
that you will welcome signs of
individual initiative. In addition,
you must make sure your workers
know it will be okay to try and to
fail. After all, no one is perfect
100% of the time and unless you
make it safe for your people, they
will never try anything, for fear of
being fired if they fail.
Probably no ofte will believe
you at this point; people will adopt
a “wait-and-see” attitude. This is
normal and fair, and you mustn’t
expect immediate results. To over
come this, you should do two
things. Thejfjrst is to take the ini
tiative yourself by giving employ
ees tasks that will require their tak
ing control and using their abilities
without supervision. Explain what
you want done, what the end
results should look like, what
resources they can call upon, and
when you want the task completed.
Then go away and leave them
alone. When they have finished the
task, review the results and their
performance with them. Be pre
pared to find that their'approaches
or solutions arc not the way you
would have handled the situation.
Just look at the results. Are you
really trying to make everyone do
things your way? Or are you pre
pared to accept that others’ ideas
may be just as good, if not better?
Finally, be lavish but sincere
with your praise. Nothing suc
ceeds like success, and the person
who is praised for taking control
will do so again. If there are things
you want to criticize, be gentle
and, instead of finding fault, offer
suggestions on how the work
might be improved next time.
Helping people become self
starters is rewarding for everyone.
At the very least, it will lead to a
happier and more enjoyable envi
ronment.