Feed Lot

APR 2013

Feedlots and cow/calf operations in the beef industry who feed 500 or more has annually on grains and concentrates; maintain 500 or more beef cows; backgrounder, stocker/grower, preconditioner; veterinarian, nutritionist, consultant

Issue link: http://feedlotmagazine.epubxp.com/i/119569

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MANAGEMENT BY DON TYLER ���Blind��� Managers Self-awareness is our ability to see ourselves exactly as others see us. Fully self-aware individuals know how they are perceived by others and read other people���s verbal and non-verbal reactions to their comments and decisions with 100 percent accuracy. They do not deceive themselves by thinking that they are someone they are not. In working with hundreds of managers over the years, I occasionally am called upon to try and coach someone with very little to no self-awareness. These are ���blind��� managers because they cannot see themselves accurately in any area of their behaviors. They have convinced themselves that they are the most efficient time manager, the best decisionmaker and a wonderful people manager, yet fail to achieve even basic levels of consistent performance. If you ask them, their performance is exceptional, yet the production records confirm a completely different story. A feedlot hired a cattle boss who had fairly good references, but once hired was barely mediocre in all areas. Records clearly showed that production had slipped significantly. The feed yard manager had provided good coaching that should have corrected the situation, but no improvement occurred. I spent a day interviewing the cattle bosses��� staff, and they all agreed that he was totally ineffective, couldn���t make decisions, lacked sound cattle sense, and failed to provide consistent management of the department. The yard manager and I met with him at the end of the day, and he provided detailed descriptions of all the things he was doing perfectly as a manager. Regardless of the question, he had the ���right��� answer, but all of his responses were inconsistent with what his staff had witnessed���and the records showed. After an hour and a half of his explanations and fables of consistent success, the manager and I Circle No. 117 on Reply 18 FEED���LOT April/May 2013

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