There has never been a greater need for teamwork within our workforce than there is today, nor a more demanding use of my time than that of speaking on the subject of teamwork and about the importance and value of all of us working together. As the economy continues to struggle, the size of the work force continues to dwindle. This means the same amount of work needs to get done with fewer people and less hours, making the challenge of success far different than it has been in the past.

There has always been waste in the marketplace, but none as obvious as, that of human resources. In today's market, it is unheard of to just keep hiring until you get the right fit or deadwood sitting around ready to come off the beach.

This is as true in agriculture, particularly livestock operations, as it is in any other segment of labor driven enterprises. Though the pitchfork and shovel have been replaced with skid loaders and the like, there is always waste and inefficiency caused by a lack of teamwork and the non- selective positioning of attempting to put a square plug in a round hole.

Before considering any important personal management decision, you should first turn to your dictionary, which defines teamwork as: A cooperative effort. Team: A group on the same side. A group organized to work together. Teamster: One who drives the team.

The term “teamster” conjures up old memorable times back on the farm, and more importantly it serves as a reminder that it is a term that has been long forgotten by most. For those that still remember, you know what it was like to drive a team of horses that didn't pull together. One horse would want to ride with you on the seat while the other did all the work. If that wasn't bad enough, the lazy horse may have even further complicated the situation by kicking and nipping at the one that was trying to do it all. Not much has changed, as we still have people that want to participate that way; just sit back and let the other person do all the work, contributing to personal aggravation and total company chaos.

In the good ‘ol days we called it “keeping the tugs tight”. For those that don't know, the tugs are the part of the harness that attaches a team of horses to the load it’s pulling. You can imagine what it would be like when the team didn't pull together. It was total frustration for the teamster and the work efficiency was reduced to half or less. Sometimes it was actually worse than it would have been to have had only one horse. Obviously the job was designed for two (sometime 4 or 6) horses, so it wasn't feasible to consider the option of only one horse. However on occasion, I’ve seen it happen. I can remember "threshing time" at one of our neighbors (Kenny Christianson) when one of the horses balked and wouldn't even tighten the tugs to pull a load of bundles up to the threshing machine. He was so mad that he unhooked the horse, booted it in the *******, grabbed the neck-yoke, and together, he and the single horse pulled the load up to the threshing machine.

Now, I understand that we're dealing with people here and not horses. But the outcome can be similar and the frustration can be just as intense as that of our neighbor. However, he was smarter than a lot of teamsters are today and made the professional decision of getting rid of the horse immediately. I don't use the word professional loosely, as Mr. Christianson was a very successful farmer and livestock producer in has own right.

Professionalism, however, is the key to making corporate work force decisions. There are too many hiring decisions made without regard to how that individual will fit the compatibility of working with a team. All-stars are often a hindrance if they don't fit the mold or the position of their caliber has already been filled. This doesn't suggest that you shouldn’'t always be looking for the best, but it does mean that a hiring management plan with well-defined positions (job description) should be the objective of every new hire. This is fairly common in most organizations. The uncommon part is that of compatibility, how each works with the other. Like a good athletic team, it requires excellent coaching and top management to put a winning team together.

Planning is still the most crucial ingredient of teamwork. Like that of a livestock marketing plan, if just one piece is missing the whole plan will fall apart. Livestock marketing seminars are still my focus, but as the twilight of time draws closer there is great satisfaction in relationships derived from an atmosphere of teamwork, where the pluses are multiplied by the exponent of infinity.

Success is no accident — it takes everyone! It takes everyone with the same goals and objectives, without regard for personal gain and recognition. As difficult as this may seem, when you put the company first and your co-workers in a compatible supportive position, success is inevitable.

Recipe For Success
One part BELIEF
One part HONESTY
One part PREPARATION
One part TEAMWORK
Mix until blended into the person you want to be.

Note that teamwork is an important ingredient in this recipe. To be an island onto yourself with your own agenda is being part of the problem rather than part of the solution. Problems are simply opportunities looking for solutions, and when approached in that manner you separate the people from the problems. Good people make mistakes. Mistakes can be fixed, but good people are your most cherished commodity. To have the leadership qualities to distinguish the difference may be the "'bond of trust" that makes the greatest contribution to effective teamwork.

There is no place for anger in the work place, however it is often the outcome of poor judgment and misdirected placement of blame. Therefore, when it seems unavoidable, it is wise to direct your anger toward problems, not people, to focus your energy on answers, not excuses. Your strength is in your character and problems bring out the true test of character.

Character is what you do when no one is watching. It is an intrinsic value that becomes one's greatest motivation of excellence. It is the measure of people's accountability to themselves. Your strength is in your character and it starts and ends with building the other person up. It’s called teamwork. The greatest hope of any company is the collective individual character of each and every employee.

If you want your people involved and functioning as a team, make sure the individual has a significant role in effecting change. Change is inevitable and should be welcomed with an open mind and a sense of supportive working conditions. This is best interpreted as letting your people participate in making not only small decisions, but also major policy changing decisions. There is nothing like input to produce output.

Every change be it big or little, seismic or insignificant, starts with someone who decides to do something differently. Don't dampen this kind of spirit, as creativity is the defeat of habit by imposing originality and change. "But it has always been done this way" is the most shallow form of thinking known to the work place. It stymies growth and discourages people from becoming all they could be and thus limiting their contribution to the company.

The company’s duty to its employees is to manage as if limits to their ability do not exist. The best return on your investment is your people. Teamwork starts at the top where everyone is treated as though they are more important than you. This includes budgeting of all resources to reflect the priorities of your workforce. But, the most important attributes of your people cannot be measured or counted. You can only have an inspired and engaged workforce if it is fueled by a positive attitude.

Attitude
The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, gifts, or skill. It will make or break a company, a church, a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past — we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you, we are in charge of our attitudes.

By: Charles Swindoll

To visually picture the message of this column, refer to the May 2008 issue of the Midwest and Livestock Directory. The cover picture is a team of horses with the
'"tugs tight". It is so artistically portrayed by one of my favorite artists, Roger DeWitt.

And, remember the growth of a company will take care of itself when the people in the company want to grow and participate in the growth. It’s called Teamwork.