Do you pay special attention to duties and titles you assign the individual members of your ranch team? Do you assign duties based on strengths and weaknesses? I know, I know, for many ranchers the “team” consists of you and your spouse. But whether there is one or two of you or multiple employees or family members, you are still a team. You are working towards the same goal, and should treat each other as such. This means being intentional with assigning duties and positions that align with that person’s strengths and desires.
Here is an example. Often times the bookkeeping for the ranch falls to the wife of the rancher. Sometimes, she is the best person for the job. But sometimes, she isn’t good at the job, or simply hates doing it. Instead of her beating her head against a rock each time the bookwork needs updated, maybe you should consider hiring the bookkeeping out to someone else. This frees her up to do the things she is good at and enjoys.
Another example. Maybe you don’t assign titles or duties to your ranch team at all. Let’s say that two brothers work together on the ranch. Instead of having a clear organizational chart that gives each of them autonomy to do their job duties, they simply decide what each other are going to do that day. Then, when something doesn’t get done how one brother thinks it should, they are mad at the other, causing a snowball effect of undesirable behaviors.
Set your team members up to do jobs that they will see achievement in. Give them a job or title that they are interested in, then the autonomy to do the job without you. As a team, sit down together and set the expectations for that job. Regularly check in to make sure that the expectations are being met, and if they aren’t, what resources you can provide to help them get back on track.
For example, make one person the livestock production manager. Set the expectation that cow body condition scoring must be a five or higher and checked at the end of each month. In being the livestock production manager, this person is also responsible for doing a pasture walk each month and reporting the forage inventory. I could keep going with the responsibilities of this person, but I think you get the point. Create clear expectations with measurable outcomes, not daily duties. Then, and this is the most important part, let them do the job how they want to. As long as those outcomes are being met, let them have the autonomy to do their job their way. (Note: This is simply an example. Start small and work up to this level.)
I believe in operating your ranch as a business, and in doing so, I believe it is your responsibility to take care of the people on the ranch before anything else. This means setting them up for success.
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