November 2005

Family Resource Management

Business Meetings

Running a farm smoothly requires a great deal of decision making and families who are successful at it make decisions democratically. Even if there is a "boss" who directs the entire operation, successful farm enterprises share leadership and management opportunities with family members who work in the business.

Communications are vital to its success. Every family is reminded of this whenever miscommunication causes problems on the farm. Taking time to deal with issues before complications occur helps guarantee a smooth running operation with minimal conflict. However, even the most successful families are neither free of, nor intimidated by conflict. It is a fact of life not a sign of failure.

Some families have found that holding regular farm business meetings have fostered good communications and have helped reduce potential conflict. They can be held weekly, monthly, seasonally, or yearly depending on how many people are involved and how complex the operation. However, regardless of how often the family decides to meet, it is necessary to schedule the meetings on a regular basis. When the meetings are built into the farm routine the family begins to rely on them to help manage a well run farm.

Reasons Why Farm Business Meetings Are Important

• The business meetings help the partners to solve the problems of the day, plan for the future, and anticipate changes.
• Family business decisions are often complicated by family emotion, therefore a business-like meeting will help the members separate family relationships and personalities from the business decisions that must be made.
• Meetings can be planned where
  a) there will be fewer distractions,
  b) each is mentally prepared to look at the enterprise and where it is going,
  c) each is emotionally and physically ready for the discussion.

People are not as willing to do the legwork if they are not also involved in the planning.

• Meetings that involve all family members, including spouses and children, have the added advantage of helping everyone feel like (s)he is part of the team. Families find they get more help with the 'leg work' if everyone is involved in the decision making.
• The younger members get the added advantage of learning how adults make decisions by observing the discussions at the meeting and observing the results of the decisions.
• Regular meetings "build in" a procedure for planning for the future which can help alleviate additional time, energy and money spent unexpectedly.

Convincing the Others

Sometimes other family members have to be convinced that meetings are necessary. How can you guarantee that the business meeting concept will be adopted:

• Point out that in some respects you presently have similar meetings: perhaps on a more informal basis.
• It may be a practice that has to be slowly introduced if it is viewed as a threatening idea.
• Sometimes people resist the idea because they don't want to get too formal. It can be as informal as necessary as long as the important business is handled properly. However, if there are constant interruptions, key people are not present, or there is no preparations prior to the meetings it can cause nagging delays and reduce morale.
• 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.
• Sometimes families attempt to accomplish too much at a meeting. 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.
• Some may have the wrong attitude about meetings. They may feel that they are "meeting-ed to death". If this is the case, point out that many meetings don't accomplish as much as they could. Your meetings will be different!

The effort it will take to have regular meetings will pay high dividends for the future of your farm and family; Because business meetings build family strengths which 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 your farming enterprise as a tractor is!

The following are important. points to consider when deciding how to organize a business meeting:

Short meetings prevent fatigue and frustration.

The Hows of a Business Meeting:
Keys to Success

Before your first meeting have everyone involved read the following:

The three elements of a meeting that will determine the level of accomplishment are the members, the chairman and the meeting content.

Each person attending a meeting contributes to its success. When people don't feel responsible, an ineffective meeting results.

Participants have the responsibility to:

1. be on time
2. come prepared -- information, research concerns, or questions
3. listen
4. think before speaking -- make sure you're speaking on topic. If you have an opinion, voice it
5. not use verbal abuse
6. accept the group consensus and support it, once a decision has been made

Chairperson

The chairperson sets the tone of the meeting and provides leadership. The ability to share the leadership at the appropriate time enhances the effectiveness of the group.

The chairperson has the responsibility to:

1. organize agenda
2. include everyone in discussion
3. limit discussion - "Our meeting time is almost up"
4. handle conflict (with the help of others)
5. recognize and develop individual strengths
6. define and assign tasks
7. provide leadership
8. encourage members to participate
9. not talk too much

Why you decide to have a meeting and what you discuss at the meeting are of prime importance.

A.  Nothing brings order to a meeting like an agenda. An agenda should:

1. indicate what will be discussed
2. announce guest speakers (if there are any)
3. provide order
4. suggest time limits
5. be posted before the meeting.

A bulletin board for farm business reminders, agendas and business correspondence is a good idea. If participants have seen the agenda, then there's no excuse for homework that isn't done.

B.  Attitudes about a meeting influence the outcome. if you go into the meeting with the expectation that little will be accomplished, that is exactly what is likely to happen. But if the meeting is seen as positive, the way is open for productivity.

ADVICE FROM THE FAMILIES WHO HAVE FAMILY MEETINGS

For more information related to this topic ask for the following fact sheets:

• Managing Change Together: Understanding and Negotiating Changes
• Managing Change Together: Are You Pushing Too Hard/Too Fast?
• Coping with Farming Pressures
• The Farm Transfer: Talking and Planning With Your Family
• Helping a Person Cope with Change, Crisis or Loss
• Fair Versus Equal - What Do You Owe Your Children
• Understanding Change (for organizations)

For Further Information See Your Local Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives Office.

Prepared by:
Jill Falloon, PHEc
Home Economics Section
915 - 401 York Avenue
Winnipeg MB R3C OP8