I was glad to be a part of PDMP's "Summer Summit." Farmshine printed a great story about the event, see it here: Farmshine Nov3. 2017 Sept Summit Recap
Category: Leadership
Wait, forget the wedding plans, I didn't mean that kind of engaged! Employee Engagement We're talking about engaged employees, those who feel a mental and emotional connection at work and are willing to put in the extra effort required to do a great job. Disengaged employees, in contrast, are those who just "go through the … Continue reading How to Get Engaged
I'm looking forward to speaking at Farm Credit Council Services' Forum for Ag Lending next week. My presentation is about how to apply critical thinking in your work. Richard Paul's fun definition of critical thinking is "thinking about your thinking while you're thinking in order to make your thinking better." Critical thinkers gather and verify … Continue reading Brain Training
Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) is a solid start in quality management systems, but there is much more potential for quality management in our dairy industry. Read my latest article in Progressive Dairyman here. ©2017 Richard Stup
PDMP September Summit to focus on animal care and employees. The Professional Dairy Managers of Pennsylvania is taking the lead on issues of highest concern in the dairy industry. The September Summit will focus on animal care issues as the industry strives to build consumer confidence in the quality of dairy products and the welfare … Continue reading PDMP September Summit
So many people struggle to find that elusive work-life balance. We took the kids to Rickett's Glen State Park last weekend, it's a spectacular series of waterfalls and a challenging hike, but you will find scenes that many are shocked to learn exist in Pennsylvania. Having everyone together, laughing and enjoying each others' company sure … Continue reading Work-Life Balance
Leading your people should be fun! It's about identifying worthwhile goals, organizing your team to achieve them, and leading everyone toward many small and big successes. It's also about celebrating and recognizing successes along the way. Sure, there will be moments of stress, even painful moments, but the overall job of being a leader should … Continue reading Leading Should Be Fun!
Progressive Dairyman, May 2017 Check out my article in the latest edition of Progressive Dairyman. Thanks to the magazine for featuring it!
Process Consultation by Edgar H. Schein I've been getting a lot of opportunities lately to facilitate small groups of farm owners and managers. My background is in Organization Development (OD) and I am so grateful for the training I received in process consultation during my Ph.D program at Penn State. One of the core textbooks that we … Continue reading Group Process is Fascinating!
"Seek first to understand, then to be understood." - Stephen Covey Just because a person is in a leadership position doesn't mean they are a leader. I have known people in positions of authority who could control assets such as money, positions, and other resources who really weren't leading anyone, they were merely controlling them. … Continue reading Leaders Seek Understanding