The Fumitaml;
Direct /
YOU’VE GOT THEM,
NOW MOTIVATE THEM!
I was recently talking with
several people concerning the
jobs they were working at in a
direct marketing business.
After a short time, the conver
sation turned from what the
job entailed doing, to the sense
of frustration they felt because
of the feeling of being miscast
in their roles in the business.
They agreed they brought a
number of valuable talents
and experience to the table
that management was either
overlooking or downplaying.
Often they felt they were being
asked to work on tasks that
had utilized their skills in only
a minor way or that could be
collectively accomplished by
one person in the organiza
tion.
Their underlying concern
was that they felt a close alle
giance to the business and had
a strong desire to see it grow
but weren’t being fully utilized
to accomplish what they per
ceived should be a shared
goal, common to both man
agement and employees.
for Vineyards
FRUTTETO 60. 75 & 85, 2WD
& AWD models. Just 57.4"
wide with engines ranging
from 60 to 85 hp. Factory
installed air conditioned cab
with carbon filtration.
Synchronized shuttle, 25
mph with integral front
brakes and optional front
PTO.
GOLDEN 60, 65, 75 & 85 are
noted for low rounded hood
design, and is only 47.3"
wide with engines ranging
from 60 to 85 hp. Available
with optional factory
installed pressurized cabs.
GOLDEN - FRUTTETO - your
ideal vineyard solutions.
Come in today and see the ARGON & FRUTTETO tractors
from SAME!
mm
Since 1927
www sametractor.com
Several times in the conver
sation, the issue of good lead
ership was raised and what at
tributes they felt were critical
in a good manager. Character
istics such as being approach
able, fair, supportive, re
sourceful, setting attainable
goals, being reliable, and hav
ing the ability to motivate
were mentioned. They also felt
a manager should be able to
see the “big picture” and
translate it into a version that
employees could work toward
in their daily activities in the
business. They further states
that a top-quality manager
should be a good communica
tor and ask for ideas, opin
ions, and comments from em
ployees and encourage
employees to ask the same of
customers when appropriate.
So as a business manager or
owner, what value do these
comments have to you? First
you need to recognize that if
you have one or more good,
quality employees, you work
toward retaining them in a va
riety of ways. A top-producing
employee is an investment of
ARGON, lightweight but
powerful and economical.
Ideal for use in general
farm operations. Operator
comfort - levers positioned
on right side. Engine hp 50,
60 and 70 with 24
forward/12 reverse trans
mission with underdrive,
creeper and synchromesh
shuttle. 55° degree steering
angle for maneuverability.
Muffler under the hood
with lateral exhaust.
Foldable 2 post ROPS and
four wheel braking.
Allen Hoover Repair Inc.
RRI, Box 227 Mifflinburg, PA 17844
570-966-3821
Your Home for SAME TRACTORS
both your time and money.
Stop and think for a moment
how much mental time you
spend replacing people when
they leave and just getting
back to a level of status quo in
your business.
Next to dealing with envi
ronmental and zoning issues,
finding labor in an agricultur
al business is the top com
plaint of owners. The hours
usually aren’t pretty and it’s
tough competing against other
non-ag businesses on pay
scales.
You have already sur
mounted these two issues with
the people working for you or
they wouldn’t still be there. In
fact although money is crit
ical. survey after survey con
ducted with employees points
to the fact that they rate high
wages below such items as
being appreciated, feeling they
are a part of decisions that af
fect them or their job, the
work being interesting, job se
curity, and a manager being
approachable on personal is
sues.
It’s interesting to note that
similar studies of managers il
lustrates the opposite is true.
Money and growth (personal
and company) are ranked
highest. The lesson learned is
that you think differently than
those who work for you and
you need to see that as a chal
lenge to work through.
It’s often said being a good
leader is an art form, to get
there, you need to learn to
read your employees, finding
MULTI-PURPOSE
UTILITY TRACTOR
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 1,2003, Grower & Marketer-El9
the common ground between
you, and working toward the
same end. You want to devel
op a sense of ownership in
your employees.
A landscape business owner
recently related a personal ex
perience to me. He talked of
being in a men’s restroom at a
rest area along the highway
washing his hands, when a
boy in his late teens came in,
used the facilities, and then
proceeded to pick up paper
scattered around the floor on
his way out. The boy was a
traveler passing through but
demonstrated a sense of own
ership by his action.
The businessman stated
that ownership is the most im
portant skill a manager can
develop in an employee. It re
tains employees, prevents bro
ken machinery, stops theft,
and provides the best custom
er service possible. The best
employees will scrub bath
rooms, unload late deliveries,
harvest on wet days, and even
cheerfully deal with unhappy
customers if you continually
“read” them and provide the
motivation they need.
Find and exploit the
strengths of your employees
instead of focusing on their
weaknesses. Often the weak
ness of one is the strength of
another and tasks can be as
signed in that manner. Man
aging that way will create a
stronger, stable, and more sat
isfied workforce. That in turn
creates a happier owner/
manager and a potential in
crease in the bottom line.
I Know You’re In There!
S ) P*K2nM^
Com planting is coming soon, we have excellent
quality and quantity of seed com this year. Seed com
has been our business for over 57 years.
We have a large selection of varieties. Reasonably priced!
{ Prices Ranging $56 to $3B per Bag | .jnL,
We carry many varieties of Grass Seeds.
We also have Oats, Soybeans, Twine & Chemicals
Y HORST SEED AND CHEMICALS
Charles L Horst Dennis S Horst
1 Mile East of Marion Along Manon - New Franklin Rd
(717) 375-2582 (717) 375-4690
How Can I Be
The One To Feed You?
I have been asked a number
of times this spring by growers
of food crops how to break
into the market of selling
products in school settings.
Actually the question should
be larger, and asked as: “How
can I sell my products to insti
tutions?”
That’s because other group
ings of people are equally im
portant as a market for your
products. Don’t overlook
local, state, and federal pris
ons in your area, colleges, sen
ior centers, health care facili
ties, nursing homes, and other
similar locations. There are a
lot of facilities probably within
a short distance of your busi
ness that are purchasing prod
ucts similar to yours, from
companies out of the area.
This can be a good market
once you profile the institu
tional customer and learn to
provide the right product.
I was speaking to Dan
Schofer from USDA’s Agri
cultural Marketing Service re
cently about a project he
worked with in Florida deal
ing with a similar scenario.
This was not just survey stuff.
It was a real, in the field,
hands-on effort between grow
ers, school district buyers, and
marketing researchers. It in
volved a group of growers
looking for methods to get
their products profitably into
the kitchens of local schools
on a routine basis. He offered
a number of good suggestions
(Turn to Page E 22)