Feedlot Management: Dealing with Bad Habits

by Don Tyler, Tyler & Associates

Our daily habits determine our success. If we develop good, productive, responsible habits in ourselves and our people, success will come with greater ease and consistency. If our habits include moodiness, tardiness, exaggeration and lack of dedication, then success seems elusive and hard-fought. To achieve our business, personal and professional goals, we need to enhance the development of good habits in our employees and ourselves.

In my work with a wide variety of livestock operations, there are some common bad habits that create frustration for foremen and their employees. Tardiness, over-use of personal cell phones, exaggeration and unauthorized internet use are habits that develop over time. Though behaviors such as morning moodiness, chronic negativity, belligerence and an inability to handle stress are typically associated with attitude problems, these tendencies develop as a reflexive response to a situation. This reflex develops because there is either a lack of desire—or a lack of ability—to develop a more appropriate response.

One of the issues that makes modifying habits a difficult management challenge is the fact that fewer and fewer employees are entering the workplace with a clear understanding of acceptable behaviors. When I began developing employee handbooks 10 years ago, we only needed one paragraph to outline acceptable employee behaviors. Now, on average, the typical employee handbook contains nearly five pages detailing acceptable and unacceptable behaviors for employees. It is frustrating that we have to explain to employees that it is inappropriate to lie to a supervisor, treat their co-workers with disrespect, steal from the company, or do personal business on company time.

We need to realize that these patterns of behavior develop over long periods of time, so the solution will not come overnight. We need to focus on one problem at a time, let the employee know that we are watching their behavior closely, and that consequences will follow if behaviors do not change.

Let’s take tardiness for an example. If an employee has developed a pattern of being late, they need to be told in a short (two minute) discussion, that continued tardiness will not be tolerated. It should be said that they are “under the microscope” on this issue, and that their arrival time will be monitored each day. Any breaches of behavior will be handled immediately in accordance to policy. They should be told that there will be another short meeting on this issue in seven days to review their progress. At that meeting, if they are successfully modifying their behavior we should congratulate them and tell them to keep up the good work. If they are not developing appropriate behaviors, action should be taken according to policy.

At the next meeting (seven days after the initial meeting) our actions should be similar to the first meeting. If they are accomplishing the expectation, pat them on the back. If not, discipline them according to policy. Another meeting should be held in seven days to reinforce the behavior. In each of these meetings, emphasize that the outcome is completely up to the actions of the employee. Do not allow them to talk about other people’s behaviors or poor performance.

Though this seems like overkill, realize that this repetition and focus on a specific issue is exactly what is needed to modify the behavior. It takes 21 consecutive days of a new behavior to fully eliminate the bad habit. The biggest mistake made by supervisors when trying to modify behaviors is making the assumption that if a person can do it right for a few days, they have modified their behavior.

In coaching many managers, foremen and supervisors through this process, we have never had to dismiss an employee for failure to modify their behavior. About 80 percent of the employees successfully modify their behaviors. The other 20 percent quit of their own choice because they either cannot or will not accept the need for change. Their co-workers appreciate the fact that the foreman did everything possible to help the employee make the appropriate changes, and that a real effort was made to keep the workplace fair to all employees.
For a complete outline on how to modify behaviors, send an e-mail to dhtyler@quixnet.net, or call me at 765-523-3259 and I will e-mail or fax them to you. ©

Don Tyler is a management coach from Clarks Hill, IN. His recent book, “The Complete Guide To Managing Agricultural Employees” is available online at www.dontyler.com.