The key to successful meetings is sticking to an agenda and focusing on communication.
Having regular meetings with your staff can be key to running your farm or business. Staff meetings help to keep lines of communication open. However, running a successful meeting isn’t always easy, but if you keep things on track, it can go smoothly.
“I found that businesses and family businesses that share information, and to a certain extent have regular meetings, tend to be more successful,” explains Lance Stockbrugger of LDS Stockbrugger Farms on the May 11 episode of Seed Speaks. Meetings are meant to “set the next generation up for success, or even employees, so that they can understand what’s driving the business.”
Lance Stockbrugger of LDS Stockbrugger Farms
Scott Sanders, general manager of Peterson Farms Seed, agrees meetings are important for staying connected with staff, whether it’s done via a phone call, video call or ideally in-person. He says you want to provide your employee an environment that allows for them to feel supported and not micromanaged.
Both Sanders and Stockbrugger agree planning staff meetings in advance and having an agenda made up beforehand is paramount. This helps employees to know what to expect in advance while giving them time to ask questions and share any comments they may have.
“Having an agenda and that framework for the meeting allows consistency and consistency is what makes these meetings, I think, beneficial,” Sanders adds. “I do think it’s really important to create an environment to focus… to just set the distractions aside, have an agenda, stick to it, and then move on with your day.”
Scott Sanders, general manager of Peterson Farms Seed
Keeping the meeting on track through structure is also important to hold peoples’ attention and not give them an opportunity to get distracted.
“You really need to have strong chairman and whoever that person might be, who’s gonna keep bringing it back to the agenda,” Stockbrugger says. “You have to allow the discussion to happen. But at some point, you have to bring the meeting back to the topics that you’re discussing.”
Sanders adds it’s important to only include people in the meeting that can add to the agenda or the discussion. This helps to keep the meeting on track and not have unengaged meeting attendees.
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