Do you have the right people on your farm?

It’s the time when many businesses prepare for annual reviews. Some have sophisticated employee measurement metrics, but many do not. Whether you do or not, I’m guessing you want two basic things. The right people working in the business (the wrong ones somewhere else) and placing these “right people” in the “right spot.”

The “right people” is a hard thing to measure and it’s different for every farm. But here are some ideas.

Levels of “Right People”
There are approximately five levels of employees.

1. The Dependable: They do the Minimum. This is the minimum standard, and all employees should be able to function here. It’s simple. When given a task, they do what they are told to do within time and quality expectations. This level requires skill in doing the work and being part of a team, but not much else. Every business has these, but too many create challenges for scaling up because they require lots of daily management.
2. The Diagnostician: They Identify Problems. This employee has their eyes and ears open as they work, and they identify problems. This could be problems with equipment, livestock, or anything else. When they see something amiss, they bring it to their manager’s attention. They aren’t proactively solving problems but are not letting things slide.
3. The Problem Solvers: They Come with Solutions. As they work, these employees may see things that need to be done, done better, or fixed, and they come to you with a solution. They diagnose the situation and come up with a plan to fix it. They have their hands busy, their eyes and ears open, and their brains actively engaged in improving the farm. This level is still not at a managerial level, but a farm team of all Problem Solver employees is truly remarkable.
4. Team Leaders:They Rally the Troops. These employees are good at organizing other employees around complex and multi-day tasks. You can tell these employees the desired result without detailing every step or micromanaging. Teams with several team leaders can scale up because it frees up the owners’ time. This is the delegation of expected outcomes, not just tasks.
5. The Coach Developers: They Build Others. These are team leaders who work beyond the tasks of the week or season. They think both short and long-term. They find and develop other employees through coaching, communication, and training. They can tie their work and their teams’ work to the farm’s long-term vision. They help others to understand how their work fits into the vision. They are good communicators, deal with conflict, and motivate others by developing each employee’s talents. A business doesn’t need many of these employees, but someone needs to be in this spot.

So, how can this be used for employee reviews? Create a matrix of employees and levels as detailed above. Then, think back through the year. Give them a star at the level where they perform at least 80% of the time. Don’t show the employee just yet.

In the review, walk them through the definitions and ask them to place a star where they see themselves. Hopefully, you are all in agreement about where they are. Talk about where they would like to be and how they can contribute at any level.

Something to remember, not all employees will be Team Leaders or Coaches. Some don’t have the aptitude for it, and others don’t want it. Thats OK. The second thing to remember is that you must set the standard for how many employees you want as dependables, diagnosticians, and problem solvers.

Of course, every employee must, at the least, be dependable. If they are not, strongly consider finding a replacement and encouraging these employees to find other employment. Your stress and business will all improve when your team is well-balanced. Over time, you’ll build the right employee team for your business that meets your needs and theirs as well.