Creating A Back to Basics Culture

By: Sam Cossio, General Manager Easterday Ranches

Covering the basics is often forgotten in feedlots these days. Decision makers spend a great amount of time and energy on very complicated and difficult things that, without basic everyday tasks, could not even come close to happening correctly. Some examples of these everyday tasks include cattle conversions, cattle gains, budget management, people retention, cattle mortality and cattle morbidity.

These basic tasks have more of an impact on the big-picture bottom line than a high-tech or desk decision (a decision made based on numbers or graphs from a computer that does not take into account many of the variables that impact the feedlot on a daily basis).

It all begins with one of the most basic human needs –connection. In this case, the connection is between leaders and employees. The sooner you start to create this new relationship between you and those you aim to lead, the easier daily decisions will become.

As a starting base, here is an example of a conversation you might have with a new employee: “Hello, John Doe. Welcome to our team. My name is Sam. I am very happy that you decided to join us. I am determined to make our new relationship work. The first thing you need to know is that in our company we have a set of rules and regulations that we all must follow.” At this time, tell him the basic rules such as starting time, quitting time, safety regulations, attitude expectations, vacation time, pay, and overtime. “I expect you to follow these to the letter. Should you have a problem with any of them, please let me know what I can do to help you get over it, as these are not negotiable.”

Continue the conversation as follows: “Now let’s talk about your everyday tasks. You will be part of a team that is in charge of (name the department). I have assigned a person to help you learn and guide you everyday. Besides the tasks given, I will also need you to understand that I expect you to be courteous to your coworkers, as I am trying to perfect a team and I need everyone to be involved in achieving this goal. Again, please let me know what I can do to help you as I am counting on you to get this done.” At some point during this conversation, do not forget to provide a way for that employee to get a hold of you at any time. Make sure he has your contact information. Just by having this brief twenty-minute conversation, you have provided direction and responsibility and created a safety net which has encouraged and empowered this person to become a great employee.

Now the crucial part is that you follow up with him to see if you can assist him with anything that he may be having trouble with during his first few days on the job. In your follow up with him, you have to give him a quick review of his performance and find ways to motivate him to take on a more influential roll. Make sure you listen to what he has to say and remember if it is important to him, then it should be important to you. In this conversation, you are building trust for both of you. This will be crucial in times where there may be a little conflict down the road. This is where you have to get involved on a personal level. This conversation will facilitate your decision making on what particular position this person can best perform.

The next conversation you should have is about results. This is the time of accountability. You must explain in detail what is expected (now that this employee is trained). You have to explain the importance of creating a friendship team so we know what to expect from each other in order to create an atmosphere where everyone involved is clear on what to do. This is where employees start taking care of each other in order to avoid failure. This will create a winning mentality that will allow you to take on the hardships of the business in a confident way.

OTHER BRD TREATMENTS WERE 50% AS EFFECTIVE AS DRAXXIN® IN SEVERAL STUDIES.

Treat bovine respiratory disease (BRD) the right way with DRAXXIN® (tulathromycin) Injectable Solution. DRAXXIN demonstrated 50% fewer re-treats and 50% fewer dead or chronic animals1 versus competitive products in several large pen studies.2 Which means your cattle stay healthier, and that helps keep your bottom line healthier, too. Get the numbers on DRAXXIN at draxxin.com.

BRD

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FROM ZOETIS

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION: DRAXXIN has a pre-slaughter withdrawal time of 18 days in cattle. Do not use in female dairy cattle 20 months of age or older. Do not use in animals known to be hypersensitive to the product. See Brief Summary of Prescribing Information on adjacent page and full Prescribing Information at draxxin.com/pi.