Perspectives

Holstein Cows and People

You may be surprised to learn about the similarity between Holstein cows and people.

The November 2009 issue of Country Living reported a study conducted by researchers at Newcastle University in England. The researchers confirmed what dairy farmers have long understood—contented cows produce more milk than their less contented counterparts. The scientists concluded that speaking kindly to cows and treating them with kindness increases their milk production up to 68 gallons of milk annually. The authors reported that stressed-out cows release too much of the hormone cortisol which retards milk production.

The researchers reported additional advantages with giving the cows names, results that give new meaning to Dale Carnegie’s assertion that the sound of your name is sweet music to your ears.

Now what does this research have to do with people? It is no secret that people like to be valued. Using their names, showing them that they are cared for as individuals, engaging people in the decision-making process, and providing meaningful and challenging work are some of the behaviors that can let people know that they are valued.

What’s unfortunate is that I imagine that some farmers treat cows better than some supervisors treat their people! Ouch! That hurt.

Over the twenty-two years of working within organizations, I’ve seen many sad stories:

• Narcissistic bullying.
• Cussing at people.
• Threatening job security.
• Intense micro-managing and intimidation.
• Acting like their people are stupid and even talking negatively about their people to other employees.

Perhaps the last book I write in my career will be titled Stupid Management. That book may be a career stopper!

Again, it’s a well-known fact that when supervisors treat people as the farmers reported in this research treat their cows, production improves along with the quality of the product and safety. Thus, how we should treat people is a no brainer.

There are valid reasons why we should treat people as the farmers treat their cows.

1. Organizational Commitment. Surely, you want the company to be successful. Long-term employment is predicated on the organization being successful.

2. Integrity—it’s the right thing to do. Treating people with respect is just the right thing to do. Surely, we can treat each other with the respect that farmers treat cows!

3. People Power. People like to work with people who treat them with respect.

4. Life is easier and work is more fun. People like to come to work when they know they’re valued and challenged with meaningful work. There is no better way to retain talent and improve productivity.

5. Continue Personal Development. All of us should continuously be improving our interpersonal effectiveness for the reasons listed in this article.

In closing, the statement in one of Ed Lawler’s best selling books comes to mind, “Only 5% of the executives practice the best management techniques upon becoming aware of them.” That means 5% of you will put the contents of this article to work. Are you in that top 5% that will treat your people as well as farmers treat their cows?