American football coach Vince Lombardi once said: “It is time for us all to stand and cheer for the doer, the achiever – the one who recognizes the challenges and does something about it.”
The power of encouragement on your farm is massive, says Bob Milligan, senior consultant at Dairy Strategies.
Want proof? Think about when professional sports resumed play after being shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Teams returned to fan-less stadiums.
“The players were lamenting not have fans in the stadium, rink, etc.,” Milligan says. “Why? They missed the fans supporting and cheering for the team.”
Let’s think about that.
If highly motivated professional athletes perform better when they have fans cheering for them, Milligan says, shouldn’t you provide a similar advantage for your farm workforce by supporting and cheering for your employees, partners, and family members?
“Perhaps you should think of yourself as the CCO — the Chief Cheering Officer — for your farm,” he says.
Milligan provides these suggestions for you as the farm’s CCO:
- Provide encouragement: “I know you can do it.” “We can meet this goal.” “I have confidence in you.”
- Provide positive feedback. Excellent, specific positive feedback encourages and motivates employees to continue the great performance in order to continue to achieve success. The athletes miss the loud roar after a run or a touchdown as motivation to get another run or score. You do not want you employees lacking motivation to continue to succeed.
- Celebrate success. Just as teams and fans celebrate success, your farm team should celebrate and reward success. Surprise rewards to individuals and teams are powerful “cheers.” These can be non-monetary or small items or gift cards. They should be occasional surprises so that they do not become expectations.
“Your role as Chief Cheering Officer need not be time consuming as you do it as part of your normal routine,” Milligan says. “You can reap great rewards!”
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