About This Issue

Nobody likes to be blindsided.  Just ask any quarterback.  But all too often, that’s exactly what can happen in the workplace, regardless of whether you’re a manager or an employee.  Suddenly, a key member of your team tells you that they’ve taken another position, or perhaps you make the realization that you’re not going to reach the career goals you set for yourself in college.  In this issue of The Animal Science Monitor, we’re going to explore ways in which to avoid such a blindside hit, as well as the devastating effects that often follow them.  So kick back, relax, and enjoy this issue of The ASM.  And always look both ways before crossing the street.

—Dan and Don

Tips for the Boss

Imagine this scenario:

You walk into work on Monday morning.  Your boss comes to see you, and he says this: “I want to meet in five minutes to discuss the career goals of every member of your team.  Oh, and one more thing.  If you don’t know what they are, you’re fired.”

What would your reaction be?

What you can influence

That scenario may seem a bit drastic, but in actuality, it’s quite an accurate analogy and I’ll explain why.  First, though, let’s examine the subjects of turnover and retention.  Turnover is almost impossible to prevent 100% of the time, despite the latest and greatest retention techniques and tools.  It’s always tragic when a supervisor loses a key player on their team.  However, it’s the reason behind the loss that can turn a tragedy into a catastrophe.

Not knowing your employees’ career goals and ambitions and not helping them to achieve those goals and ambitions should absolutely, positively never be a reason that a key member of your team leaves to go to another company (quite possibly your chief competitor).  Unfortunately, this situation is all too common in the workplace today, and companies are losing top talent.  As a result, their productivity and profitability are suffering.

It all comes down to what you can influence and what you can’t.  There are some reasons an employee leaves that you have no influence over—say, they move to the other side of the country to care for an elderly parent.  But you can and should have a direct influence over how an employee perceives their position with your company as an avenue to reach their goals.  It’s simple, really.  If they believe they can reach their objectives with your company, they’ll stay.  If not . . . well, that meeting with your immediate supervisor becomes more plausible with each passing second.

Be pro-active

This is an effective retention technique, but one that requires you to be pro-active.  More than likely, employees aren’t just going to come into your office and start gushing about their long-range career goals.  For one, they probably don’t know how you’ll react.  It’s your job to break the ice and get to the heart of the matter.  It’ll be better for both of you in the long run.

The old adage that you’ll never know until you ask is certainly true in this instance.  And the information you gain by asking is crucial to the retention process.  Not only that, the fact that you’re asking your team members about their goals will help to cultivate loyalty with those employees, simply because you’re showing that you value them and their careers and that you’re interested in investing in their future.  And the more loyal they are, the less likely they’ll leave.

So here’s your assignment: meet with every member of your team individually.  Broach the subject of their career and the goals they’ve set for themselves.  Brainstorm ways that the company can help them to achieve those goals.  Make sure that the employee is fully participating in the process, and make sure that you’re showing enthusiasm.  If you’re excited about how the company can help them, then they’ll be excited about how the company can help them.  Remember, non-excited employees become former employees.

If possible, set a concrete plan of action.  For example, perhaps the employee would benefit from additional or different duties, ones that more accurately fit their plans but would still benefit the company.  You’re only limited by your imagination, and since the employee is fully vested in the process, ideas should be plentiful.  (So long as you create an environment that’s conducive to sharing, that is.)

And what if, during the course of these meetings, you discover that an employee doesn’t have any career plans, or for that matter, any enthusiasm for what they’re currently doing?  Then this is the perfect opportunity to exercise the art of “de-hiring,” a phrase coined by employment guru Dale Dauten.  In this case, discuss alternatives and other options with the employee, including possible transfer to another department.  They may ultimately reach the conclusion that your company just isn’t for them, and if they’re not passionate about what they’re doing, that decision will only benefit you and your team.

Give ‘em what they want

So—the scenario I posed at the beginning of this article isn’t that much off the mark, is it?  Your job really does hinge upon how well you know the career goals and ambitions of your team members.  While it’s true that your boss isn’t going to spring a surprise meeting on you with the threat of termination, if enough team members go elsewhere, meetings will be taking place.

Retaining key employees becomes easier when you identify what they really want, and one thing they want is to know that the company they work for considers them valuable enough to invest in—now and in the future.  Don’t let a golden opportunity to increase retention pass you and your company by.  Find out as soon as possible what your employees’ plans are—before you find out the hard way.

If you have any questions about this topic or would like more information about effective retention techniques, you can contact me at dan@consearch.com.

Your ASM Calendar of
Upcoming Industry Events

At the Animal Science Monitor, we’re advocates of continuous education and the promotion of industry events such as conferences and conventions.  The training and networking opportunities that exist at these events are extremely valuable and can pay dividends in a number of different ways.

That’s why we’re now running a regular column devoted to upcoming events in the animal science and animal nutrition industries.  And as always, we value your input.  If there’s an industry event that you believe we should promote through our newsletter, please email your information to matt@animalsciencemonitor.com.

Below are two upcoming industry events of note.

September

Allen D. Leman Swine Conference
Dates: Sunday, September 15 through Tuesday, September 18
Location: RiverCentre Conference Facility in St. Paul, Minnesota
Description: In 1974, Dr. Leman, along with Dr. Jim Hanson, initiated this conference to present new information and discuss issues important to the swine industry.  What began as a conference for Minnesota practitioners in a small lecture hall on the St. Paul campus has evolved into the multi-session, international meeting it is today.
Registration: The cost of the event varies, depending upon which sessions you’d like to attend.  For a detailed breakdown of costs and more registration information, click here.

https://cc.ahc.umn.edu/ustar/vce/register_event.cfm?event_id=4474

The Poultry Federation’s Annual Nutrition Conference
Dates: Tuesday, September 11 through Thursday, September 13
Location: The Embassy Suites Hotel in Rogers, Arkansas

Registration: The pre-registration deadline is Monday, September 2.  The cost is $125 at the door.  Click here for the complete agenda and to register for the conference.

http://www.thepoultryfederation.com/nutrition.htm

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Sorry, no beef or equine postings this issue

Managing Your Career

Who’s Thinking About Your Career?
(By Don Hunter)

Are you the type of person who likes to fly by the seat of your pants?  Does the thought of planning make you sigh and roll your eyes?

If so, I have good news and bad news.  The good news is that kind of mindset might work well for a weekend cross-country trip. The bad news?  It’s not so good when it comes to planning your long-range career goals and ambitions.

In fact, it could be downright lethal, and in ways you hadn’t even considered.

Plannin’ time lemonade

Even those of us who embrace planning can easily find ourselves sidetracked in this day and age of hustle-and-bustle.  If you take your eye off the ball for just a second, you could find yourself going in a direction that’s completely off the mark, even though that was never your intention.

This can be the case with career planning.  Without regular and consistent reflection, you can stray from your course like a ship without a rudder.  And conducting this type of reflection is just the first part of the process.  The second part is sharing your thoughts with your boss.  That might seem a bit uncomfortable at first, but keep in mind that career planning is basically a long process of reaping and sowing.  You’re planting seeds, and one reason that some people don’t plant as many as they should is that they’re afraid—subconsciously or not—of what will eventually grow.

As long as you sow the right way, however, there’s nothing at all to fear.  Here’s my recommendation: take a few moments on a sunny day with a nice glass of lemonade and analyze whether or not your career is progressing as planned.  If, after careful consideration, you believe it isn’t, brainstorm ways in which you can get it back on track.

Then think about other people you might be able to talk with regarding your concerns and challenges.  That group could include your spouse, various family members, or your friends, but one person it should definitely include is your supervisor.  Why?  Because who else—besides yourself—can have an immediate impact on the situation, as well as influence what happens in the future?

For example, if your goal is to be a lab manager with a research facility, and you’re presently a lab tech, are you doing the right things to educate yourself?  Furthermore, is your boss giving you ample opportunity to shine?  If not, what are you doing about it and what can your boss do to help you?  These are the types of questions you need to ask yourself, since they’re vital to the process of achieving your long-range objectives.

Two possible outcomes

What’s also vital is setting up a time to meet with your immediate supervisor to discuss these goals.  Although you might view such a meeting with trepidation, you shouldn’t.  There is one of two possible outcomes, both of which will ultimately help you to better assess your current situation:

Outcome #1—Your boss is receptive to your initiative, and the two of you brainstorm ways in which the company can help position you to achieve your goals.

Outcome #2—Your boss isn’t receptive, isn’t willing to meet to discuss your career plans, and overall, just isn’t very encouraging.

Any company worth its salt should have a vested interest in the goals and ambitions of its employees.  Knowing and understanding their career plans is one way to express that interest, and exploring avenues to help employees reach their goals shows the company’s level of commitment.  With Outcome #1, you’ve created an open dialogue with your boss and have set yourself up for greater success not only within the company, but in your career, as well.  With Outcome #2, you’ve identified the fact that your current employer simply doesn’t fit into your long-range plans and perhaps it’s time to consider a change, one that fits more into your vision of the future.

Because although it’s sometimes fun to fly by the seat of your pants, it’s never fun to reach the end of your career and realize it’s not what you had in mind when you started out.

If you have any questions about this topic, please send me an email at brg@charterinternet.com.  And if you’re currently engaged in a job search or are interested in advancing the scope of your career, be sure to send me your resume.  I’d be happy to discuss your career goals and ambitions, including ways in which I can help you to achieve them.  Keep in mind that any exchange of information, including resumes, will be kept in total confidence and handled in a discreet fashion.

Six Excellent—and Free—Publications

(By Dan Simmons)

At The Animal Science Monitor, we’re staunch advocates of continuous education and training.  No matter where you are in your career, it’s always a good idea to learn new techniques, keep abreast of current trends, and discover what the future might hold.

In the interest of helping you to accomplish just that, we’re pleased to be able to highlight six publications that are not only excellent resources, but also completely free.  These publications are produced by the National Institute of Animal Agriculture (NIAA), which is committed to providing a source for individuals, organizations, and the entire animal agriculture industry to obtain information, education, and solutions for challenges facing animal agriculture.

To that end, the NIAA offers six excellent publications for those who work and study in the animal science field.  Those publications are the Animal Agriculture Quarterly, the Equine Health Report, the Poultry Health Report, the Cattle Health Report, the Swine Health Report, and the Sheep & Goat Health Report.

(Click on the title of any of the publications above to access the most current issue.)

The Animal Agriculture Quarterly is the official newsletter of the NIAA.  The AAQ provides a communications link between producers, veterinarians, researchers, academicians, government veterinarians, and regulatory personnel.  The five other reports, meanwhile, provide the latest information on issues pertinent to initiatives, strategies, research, and regulatory action in the areas of equine, poultry, cattle, swine, and sheep and goats.

As you can see, there’s subject matter available pertaining to a wide range of specializations within the animal science industry.  I urge you to check out these free publications from the NIAA.  They’re very informative, thorough, and timely, well worth the investment of your time.  The knowledge you glean from them just might help you to advance the growth and scope of your career.

For more information about the NIAA, visit www.animalagriculture.org.

If you have any questions about these publications or any other aspect of continuous training and education, you can contact me at dan@consearch.com.