by Mary/María “Bess” Lewis, M.A.T., Bilingual Management Development Specialist / Especialista Bilingüe para el Desarrollo Administrativo
Ima Ramirez is a supervisor for the Cornell Research Dairy Farm. He has worked in the dairy business for over 18 years and has been a supervisor for 8 of those years. Cornell Agricultural Workforce Development interviewed Mr. Ramirez to glean from his experience. The full interview will be part of the Agricultural Supervisory Leadership course in Spanish once it releases online this fall 2023. Here is a part of that interview:
Time is limited, but I have learned that if an owner or boss is too busy to build key relationships with their employees, then they have not created a trustworthy place. I know that everything has a time and there is always enough time – 2 or 3 minutes to go say ‘hello’. It doesn’t take much time. I go into the parlor and say ‘hi’ to everyone. This is not my place of supervision, but I check on them even though it is not my area of supervision. This shows that we are a team. This action says, ‘I am here. I am seeing you.’
Farming can become a very lonely and monotonous job. Every person on this Earth wants to know someone cares and that they matter in this large world. A good supervisor values the team, even the people who are not directly on his team. Every person matters and is essential for the viability of the farm: from the least to the greatest positions on the farm. They all matter. In the book, “It’s O.K. to be the Boss” by Bruce Tulgan he reinforces Ima’s words when he writes, “I know you are busy. I know your time is limited. You don’t have enough time. So you don’t have time not to manage.” Managing starts by noticing or caring. Care enough to greet your employees daily. This will naturally grow into a deeper relationship, and you will continue to notice and care more. Your small investment of 2-3 minutes a day will strengthen your workforce as they will feel connected and thus more motivated because they will know that they do matter on your farm.
Stay tuned to the final segment of Insight from Ima…
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By Mary Bess Lewis, Cornell University. Permission granted to repost, quote, and reprint with author attribution.
The post Insight from Ima, Part 3 appeared in The Ag Workforce Journal
