How do we make a career we love so undesirable for others? That question posed by Jose Santiago of Tosh Farms quieted the audience at the 31st Annual Swine Health & Production Conference on Aug. 24 in Quincy, Ill.
Santiago believes it starts with unreasonable expectations, leading with “urgency,” not offering grace when people fail, managing by checklists and our behavior when things go wrong.
What Makes a Healthy Work Culture?
In order to build a healthy culture, Santiago offers four tips.
1. Be real.
Managers need to be approachable and available.
2. Be appreciative.
Give credit where credit is due. Find the bright spots.
3. Be present.
Go to farms and understand what your teams are dealing with
4. Be calm.
Stay calm, especially in the face of disasters. Learn from failures.
Culture Starts With You
“Pig farms are weird – don’t lose that perspective,” Santiago says.
There are always opportunities to improve culture. Don’t wait to begin trying, Santiago says. Waiting to improve when times are hard is an uphill battle that no one wants to fight.
Be clear, be detailed and start small. Not everyone sees the big picture when initiating change.
“Start somewhere,” he suggests. “Small changes add up.”
One way to get this done is to model the behavior you want to see in your team, Santiago says.
“We all have strengths and weaknesses. Why are our expectations for employees different than for ourselves?” Santiago asks. “Caring for people leads to people who care for pigs.”
Consider creating targets and goals to help employees see your vision, he says. People will hit targets and meet goals if they are realistic and attainable. Checklists don’t always help people hit targets.
“Empower your employees and they will do amazing things,” Santiago says.
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