About This Issue

We seem to be full of questions.  After all, the title of each of our respective articles is in the form of a question.  But with the end of the year quickly approaching and 2008 looming on the horizon, this is a good time to start asking questions—questions about reaching goals, about productivity, and yes, even about having fun.  With that in mind, we hope that you enjoy this issue of The Animal Science Monitor.  And of course, be sure to contact us . . . if you have any questions.

—Dan and Don

Tips for the Boss

The third quarter of 2007 is already over.  The end of the year will be here before you know it.  So there are two things you should absolutely be doing right now—figuring out whether or not your team is going to reach its goals for 2007 and planning for your success in 2008.

Fortunately, your analysis of the first endeavor will help you to successfully carry out the second. In other words, once you identify how close you are to achieving your goals for this year, you’ll be able to identify which team members have had the biggest hand in that achievement—and which ones haven’t.

First step—retain
At the beginning of this year, or ideally, at the end of 2006, you set concrete objectives and expectations for 2007.  It’s time to compare those to the progress you’ve made to this point.   Are you on pace to reach your goals?  If so, what are the reasons you’ve been able to do so?  If not, list those reasons, as well.  The good news is that you’ve still got nearly three full months before the end of the year, enough time to make adjustments and tweak your plans.

Now take a close look at the top one-third to one-quarter of your team, those members who are superstars and those who perform at a consistently high level.  What kind of relationship do you have with them?  If they were unhappy, would you know it?  If they were considering a move to another company, would you know that?

One of the biggest mistakes that a company can make is to take their top producers for granted and not show them enough attention and appreciation.  Many times, too much energy is diverted to solving problems and addressing other needs.  Just because a plant is growing and thriving doesn’t mean you can stop watering it.  Retention of your best employees is crucial to making sure that you reach your goals not only this year, but next year, as well.

Step two—replace
But retaining your top performers is just the first step.  The second step is to replace those employees at the bottom, those who aren’t performing for one reason or another.  Remember, it could be a variety of reasons—ineptitude, a lack of drive or ambition, or a lack of passion.  Maybe they just don’t like what they’re doing.  It doesn’t mean they’re terrible employees in general; it just means they’re not a fit for your team.

In employment guru Dale Dauten’s book, (Great) Employees Only: How Gifted Bosses Hire and De-Hire Their Way to Success, Dauten advocates “de-hiring” employees as opposed to simply firing them.  What’s the difference, you ask?  With de-hiring, bosses take the time to talk with the employee and find out more about them, what drives them and what motivates them.  Oftentimes, the employee realizes, just as their boss has, that they aren’t a fit for the company. 

And believe it or not, that employee often expresses their gratitude before submitting their two-week notice.  People have an intrinsic need to enjoy what they’re doing, and they’re thankful to anybody who points that out to them, even if it means a change in jobs or scenery.  (After all, that might be just what they need.)  So as you might imagine, de-hiring can a much better way to shape and mold your team than firing.

After that, the key is to replace those team members you’ve de-hired with more top performers, those who are on a par with the superstars you already have.  Once you’ve done that, it’s almost a foregone conclusion that you’re going to increase both productivity and profits.  If you’ve reached that stage and you’re ready to conduct a search, be sure to give me a call at (888) 276-6789.

Step three—a record year!
Now that you’ve reviewed your goals for 2007, taken steps to retain your top performers, worked to de-hire those who would be happier elsewhere, and replaced those you’ve de-hired with more top performers, you can start setting goals for the upcoming year.  The goals you set should be commensurate with the changes you’ve made with your team.  If you believe you’ve increased the talent and drive of your team by 25%, then adjust your objectives accordingly.

The beauty of this system is that, if it’s done annually, you’ll increase your chances of growing in a dramatic fashion.  By this time next year, you’ll once again be able to identify both the best of the best on your team, as well as those you may need to de-hire.  However, the important thing is to start now.  The holiday season will be here soon.  Believe it or not, the new year is just around the corner.  Start preparing now to ensure that it’s the best one yet.

If you have any questions about this topic, feel free to send me an email at dan@consearch.com.

American Dairy Science Association Offering New Tool

(Editor’s Note: At The Animal Science Monitor, we’re advocates of continuous education and training.  We also like to provide an avenue by which organizations within the animal science industry can gain exposure for new and innovative ways of sharing information.  In this issue of The Animal Science Monitor, we’re pleased to be able to do both by including an article from the American Dairy Association.  If you’d like to submit information for possible inclusion in a future issue of The ASM, send it to matt@animalsciencemonitor.com.)

The American Dairy Science Association™ (ADSA) has developed a unique and powerful new tool, the Searchable Proceeding of Animal Conferences (S-PAC).   S-PAC is an online, user searchable database of proceedings from many of the top animal conferences in the United States.

Each year, many state, regional, national, and international conferences are held for producers and agricultural professionals, where cutting-edge research and management information is provided.  Oftentimes the first and only place this information appears is in the conference proceedings.  S-PAC was established as a convenient way to provide access to this wealth of valuable information.  It allows a much broader audience than just the conference attendees, or even those who happen to find the conference proceedings, to use the information provided at the conferences.  It benefits users from around the globe.

Each article is stored individually so that it may be searched in any way you wish.  This means that rather than going to 10 sets of proceedings that are sitting on your bookshelf and paging through them for information that you need, or checking 15 websites for information that you think may have been presented at a conference, a visit to the S-PAC site allows you to rapidly search all proceedings in the database for the information you’re seeking.   A total of 120 proceedings from 24 different conferences are currently available to S-PAC subscribers.  New conferences and additional proceedings are being added on a regular basis, making S-PAC a tool of rapidly increasing value.

Visit http://spac.adsa.org for more information about S-PAC.  In addition to the primary search function, you will find a calendar of upcoming conferences and links to websites for many of those conferences.  You can “test drive” the system at the special rate of “$5 for 5 days.”  This allows you full access to the system as many times as you would like during those five days, and you can sign up for this offer repeatedly.

To sign up for the special offer or, if you are ready to add S-PAC to your tool kit for the coming year, go to the “Subscribe to S-PAC” page and follow the links (that will take you through the “Federation of Animal Science Societies e-commerce area) to become an S-PAC subscriber.  If you have questions about S-PAC, contact Ken Olson at keolson@prodigy.net or Peter Studney at peters@assochq.org.

Your Special Link to Exclusive Opportunities

This issue of The Animal Science Monitor was scheduled to be a special Employment Issue, but our list of jobs was so big that we couldn’t fit it in with the front-page content. Consequently, we’ve provided a link to all of the hot job searches that Don and I are currently working on here. Click on the link to view those opportunities, and if you have any questions, please contact Don at brg@charterinternet.net. Once again, thanks for reading The ASM.

—Dan

Managing Your Career

Is Your Job Still Fun?
(By Don Hunter)

Stress, aggravation, anxiety.

They’re all a part of our daily lives, to one extent or another.  But how much of those three things are the result of your job?

In other words, is your job still fun?

Unfortunately, job-related stress and anxiety has been on the rise in this country during the past several years.  For some people, their job and the word “fun” aren’t even located in the same hemisphere.  One of the more intriguing aspects of this phenomenon is that it doesn’t happen all at once.  It’s not as though you’re having fun at your job one day, and then you show up the next day and all of the fun has been sucked out of it.

And since it’s a gradual process, sometimes it’s difficult to discern just how much fun your job is right now.  Maybe it doesn’t have the same allure that it did when you first started.  That’s perfectly natural in some cases, although if you’ve truly found the perfect job, then the allure should be as strong on day 1,000 as it was on day one.

A 10-question quiz

But perhaps you’ve noticed that you don’t have anywhere near the same zest and zip that you used to, you don’t look forward to work each day, and you can’t conjure up any enthusiasm for it.  Regardless of what situation you’re closer to, you might find it helpful to participate in a little quiz I’ve devised to determine your job’s “fun quotient.”

The questions below have been compiled based upon my many years of experience in the employment and recruiting industries, acting as a consultant for candidates and helping them to reach their full potential and career objectives.  Give yourself 10 points for each of the questions that you answer “yes.”

1. Do you enjoy going to work each day?
2. Do you have a reasonable balance of life and work?
3. Are you comfortable with the travel or commute involved with your job?
4. Do you feel appreciated?
5. Do you feel challenged?
6. Are you still learning?
7. Are you proud of your job and employer?
8. Are advancement opportunities available to you?
9. Do you like the people you work with?
10. Do you like your boss?

Tabulating the results

Now add up your total.  If you scored 70 points or less on this quiz, then perhaps you should explore our job opportunities, which are listed here.  If you scored above 70 points, then pat yourself on the back.  You have what many Americans don’t have today—a job they really enjoy.

Nobody sets out to enter the workforce, create lofty career goals and objectives, and then attempt to achieve them without enjoying themselves.  But all too often, that’s exactly what happens.  The fact of the matter is that it’s nearly impossible for people who aren’t having fun pursuing their passions to reach their full potential.  When you truly enjoy what you do, then work doesn’t really seem like work—and that’s the best job of all.

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—and fun—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.  Any exchange of information, including resumes, will be kept in total confidence and handled in a discreet fashion.

Is Your Company Recruiting?

Are you in the process of searching for top talent in the marketplace?  Then you should sign up for Simmons Says, the monthly e-newsletter exclusively for hiring managers written by executive recruiter Dan Simmons of Continental Search & Outplacement, Inc.  Dan is a 15-year veteran of the recruiting industry, and Continental Search has provided targeted search and placement services for over a decade.  Each issue of Simmons Says is designed to inform and educate about a variety of workplace issues, recruiting trends, and marketplace dynamics.  Sign up today, and take the next step in making 2007 a great year!  To sign up for Simmons Says or to find out more about the recruiting services offered by Dan and Continental Search, send an email to dan@consearch.com.