What Farming Has Taught Me About Supervision
When I set out to farm full time (sort of), I wanted to be a real farmer, one who gets her hands dirty and doesn’t need to jog or any exercise because she works at the farm all day long (farm workers are extremely toned!).
See I am a perfectionist doer. I like to get things done, and I feel especially good when I am part of what is being done. So I would wake up in the morning, quickly gobble down some breakfast and head out to the farm in a pair of gumboots, jeans and a light tee shirt ready for the hard work. A few weeks into it, I realized blisters were getting in the way, so I got a pair of work gloves to the amusement of my staff. Then a few months in I realized sunburn was going to be a problem, and my arms were getting way darker than the rest of my body, so I started looking for long sleeved tee shirts, only to realize that it is impossible to work in one because it gets too hot. Besides the physical challenges, I realized several other things:
- I wasn’t any good at any farm activity. I may have the enthusiasm for it, but I sucked at everything I did and I couldn’t work for more than 2 hours before tiring out. I could learn, but was the cost worth the benefits?
- Farm work was not good for my body. I wore my blisters and surnburn (sunscreen does not work against Ukambani sun) as a badge of honor, but really, it was not good for my appearance or even health. I could take my chances and hope my body gets used to it, but at my age that is not a risk I would happily take. Skin regenerates slower as you age.
- Doing farm work was affecting my ability to effectively supervise at the farm, because it left me too tired to arrive early the next day. I would get home deliciously tired, eat a farmer-sized dinner, sleep and wake up at 9am the next day still deliciously tired.
In addition to the above realizations, I noticed that all my neighbors never did farm work, even the full time farmers. The two I most admire arrive at the farm at 7am, leave at 6pm and do not do any work save for demonstrating what should be done and mixing chemicals. Nothing laborious.
When I shared my involved management style with my neighbor and the challenges, she laughed for a bit, then said:
You are a supervisor not a farm worker. You need to learn the difference if you hope to be in farming for the long haul.
She said many other things, but also gave the example of how I run my home. If I had to do every single house chore, would I have time or the energy to do the truly important things? That is why we hire and train workers.
So yeah, while it was fancy to say I am a farmer who gets her hands dirty, I stopped getting my hands dirty and instead started focusing on spending more time at the farm, and supervising to make sure everything is being done as per spec. I mix chemicals and demonstrate fertilizer application but for the rest of the time I walk around the farm.
The results are already showing on the farm (and on my skin thankfully).
In conclusion, getting your hands dirty does not always mean taking up tasks. Managerial presence and energy at the floor as a motivator and supervisor is more important than doing tasks that your team should be working on.
We all know that manager who focuses so much on his/her tasks that they hardly have time for you as their junior. While in the short term the output for the department is great, that manager does not grow as an individual, his/her juniors do not learn and grow and it impedes the long term growth of the company, compared to the one who takes on the role of teacher, slowly replacing him/herself in the organization.
