Running a farm smoothly requires a great deal of decision making and families that are successful at it make decisions democratically.
Even if there is a boss who directs the operation, successful farm enterprises share leadership and management opportunities with family members who work in the business.
Communication is vital to a farm’s success. Taking time to deal with issues before complications occur helps to smooth operation and reduce conflict.
However, the most successful families are neither free of, nor intimidated by, conflict. It is a fact of life and not a sign of failure.
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Some families have found that holding regular farm business meetings fosters good communication and helps reduce potential conflict.
They can be held weekly, monthly, seasonally or yearly depending on how many people are involved and the operation’s complexity.
Regardless of how often the family decides to meet, it is necessary to schedule the meetings on a regular basis. When they are built into the farm routine, the family begins to rely on the meetings to help them manage the farm.
Business meetings help partners solve the problems of the day, plan for the future and anticipate changes.
Family business decisions are often complicated by emotion. Therefore, a business-like meeting may help the members separate family relationships and personalities from the business decisions that must be made.
Meetings should be held where there are few distractions.
Involvement sparks interest
Meetings that involve all family members, including spouses and children, have the added advantage of helping everyone feel part of the team. Families find they get more help with the legwork if everyone is involved in the decision making.
Younger members get the advantage of learning how adults make decisions by observing discussions at the meeting and observing
results.
Regular meetings develop a procedure for future planning that can help reduce costly emergencies.
The concept of regular business meetings will be better accepted if it is noted that in some respects farmers already have similar meetings on a more informal basis.
Sometimes people resist the idea because they don’t want to get too formal. The meeting can be informal if the important business is handled properly. However, meetings can cause nagging delays and reduce morale if there are constant interruptions, if key people aren’t present, or if no preparation is done.
No quick solutions
Sometimes too much is expected from the meetings. Families think they can solve in a few hours problems that have been unresolved for years. They can’t see progress with such high expectations.
Several short meetings are usually more effective than one long one. If the meeting goes too long, people get tired, tempers may flare, and poor decisions may be made.
The effort it will take to have regular meetings will pay high dividends in the future because they build family strengths that in turn will bring strength to the farm business.
Trying something new may feel awkward and inappropriate at first, but just as it felt strange to learn to drive a tractor, with practice it will become as valuable a tool for the farming enterprise as is a tractor.
There are important points to consider when deciding how to organize a business meeting:
- Clearly state the purpose of meeting. Prepare and distribute a written agenda with topics to be discussed and suggested time allotments.
- At most meetings, all family members involved in the decisions should be there.
- Select a chair to run the meeting. It may work to have everyone take turns.
- Select a location that is quiet, comfortable and where there will be few interruptions. Have tools available, including pens, paper, calculator and a blackboard and chalk.
- Keep meeting minutes, including who will do what, when and the conclusions of the decisions made.
More information is available on farm management under the business and economics section of the Manitoba Agriculture website at www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/
