Published as part of the Farm Financial Management and Policy Institute’s Manager’s Library Series

Written by:

John Foltz, Professor Emeritus, The Ohio State University; and Dean Emeritus, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, and Professor Emeritus, Agricultural Economics, University of Idaho

Margaret Jodlowski, Assistant Professor; Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics; The Ohio State University

Jay Akridge, Trustee Chair, Teaching and Learning Excellence and Professor, Department of Agricultural Economics, Purdue University

Have you ever thought about habits? When we hear the word, we often think first of “bad” habits, like cracking our knuckles or biting our nails, which are easily recognizable and relatively minor in terms of their impact on others. Habits, however, encompass many other behaviors, some more conscious than others. They often impact our ability to function in the workplace as either a manager or as an employee. An old adage says, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.” Making our habits reflect who we are and who we want to be means both breaking bad habits and starting good ones.

In this article, we discuss how to first recognize the bad habits that may be holding you back and then how to replace them with habits that have a documented impact on improving on-the-job effectiveness as either a manager or an employee. We will focus our discussion initially on habits—what they are and how we might rid ourselves of bad ones. We will also review how we can make positive habits part of our lives and our work. Then, we will look at the positive habits of successful and effective people, and how they might benefit you as the leader of your farm or agribusiness.

Habits, Good and Bad

Habits are the building blocks of behavior. They are patterns that we follow for situations in our personal and professional lives that dictate how we interact with ourselves and those around us. Habits form naturally to reduce our cognitive burden—when we do not have to think as hard about what to do in a given situation, we are typically better off, at least in the short term. Any habit, whether good or bad, has three components:

1. the cue or trigger
2. the routine
3. the reward

The cue is the external stimulus that prompts a response. The actions performed after the cue, regardless of how conscious or unconscious, form the routine. The reward is the signal the brain receives that the habit cycle is complete. Later in this article, we will review how behavior change requires targeting one or more of these components of a habit.

Good Habits in the Workplace

Successful and effective managers have elements of their success that are not easily replicable. Nonetheless, surveys of habits that result in proven managerial effectiveness reveal many commonalities. These seemingly small behaviors add up to form one’s management style and on-the-job personality. They reduce workplace friction, save operation time, and provide the tools to more easily confront unexpected disruptions. A review of the research reveals the common and easily replicable habits of effective managers.

Effective Management: Leading by Example

One of the classic studies of effective management is almost certainly one you may have heard of, or perhaps even read. A longstanding bestseller and something of an “oldie but goodie,” The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by the late Dr. Stephen R. Covey, laid the early groundwork for our understanding of effective managerial and personal traits. Covey asserts that our “character is a collection of habits,” and that these habits have a powerful role on our lives. An important feature of his seven habits is the way in which each emphasizes the need to move from dependence, which characterizes new workers, to independence, which is where many managers tend to get stuck, to the ultimate goal of interdependence, which acknowledges the need for effective management to identify and incorporate the work of others into the operation in order to increase achievement.

Covey’s identification of independence within his framework is an important one, especially as more attention can be attributed to its value. While independence is inherently valuable, an over-emphasis on this value can be extremely limiting from an operational perspective. Operators must acknowledge that in today’s world, their operation is interdependent on actors inside and outside of their business. A model of strict independence is limiting when the environment is interdependent, as it is today for most operations in the food and agricultural value chain. Effective operations in this sector need both leaders and team members to advance goals and make progress.

Dr. Stephen R. Covey’s list of seven habits:

1. Be Proactive.
2. Begin with the end in mind.
3. Put first things first.
4. Think win/win.
5. Seek first to understand, then to be understood.
6. Synergize.
7. Sharpen the saw.

Taken together, these habits reveal important characteristics of managers. The first two habits reveal the need to overcome our natural human (and managerial) tendency to be reactive rather than proactive. Reactionary management does not anticipate change well and thus cannot respond effectively to it. Without end goals in sight, managerial decisions often are reduced to reactions to external forces. Of course, reactions are needed on occasion, but the bulk of the steps a business takes should be internally driven, proactive, and focused on furthering the operation’s stated mission or targeted goal.

Knowing the mission of one’s life and operation is central to the first three habits. This requires knowing what the “first thing” is, and putting it first in order to have a clear picture of what one wants out of life and what one wants their operation to achieve. Thinking critically about the specifics of an operation’s mission, including as many details as possible, is foundational to effective management.

The next three habits (4, 5, and 6) deal with interpersonal relationships—an area of heightened importance for promoting one’s operation in an interdependent framework. The concept of a “win/win” strategy may feel somewhat tired, but it is oft-repeated for a reason—effective managers seek agreements and relationships that are mutually beneficial. Solutions that both parties see as a win are far more likely to achieve long-term success than the alternative. Covey even states that in cases where a win/win situation cannot be achieved, walking away from the deal may be the best alternative. Effective interpersonal communication is best encapsulated by habit 5. Effective listening is not just echoing what the other person has said through the lens of your experience. Rather, it is putting yourself in the other person’s situation, and determining their intentions, motivations, and expectations. Such empathetic listening can be a challenge but pays dividends through smoother interactions. It also contributes to the synergy of one’s organization. Although synergy has taken on buzzword status, it defines the nature of an effective operation as one that leverages individual differences to create a well-functioning whole. We can summarize habits 4, 5, and 6 by saying effective people communicate effectively.

Habit 7 may be one of the most difficult for managers to take on, despite its demonstrated importance for long-term efficacy. Covey is emphatic that you should take time out from “production” to build “production capacity” through personal renewal of your physical, mental, social/emotional, and spiritual dimensions. The approach to doing so may vary. Readings, vacations, retreats, and personal time are all methods of “sharpening your saw.” One of the keys to building in the capacity to take time to recharge is effective delegation. Indeed, management is “the process of getting things done with and through other people.” In your role as manager/leader, perhaps nothing is more important than growing the skills of your people, and this happens in part by giving people increasing levels of responsibility. Managers should practice the habit of delegation, which will then allow them to take time away from the operation. Although the emphasis on relaxation may seem counter to many managers’ tendency to “burn the candle at both ends,” the benefits far outweigh any of the perceived costs.

How Can We Change Our Habits?

Figure 1: The stages of behavior change (click graphic to view enlarged image). Source: Prochaska, Norcross, and DiClemente; Changing for Good: A Revolutionary Six-Stage Program for Overcoming Bad Habits and Moving Your Life Positively Forward, 1994.

Any change in habit requires changing behaviors that have in many cases become ingrained in our personalities and our day-to-day lives. These behavior changes are much easier to think and talk about than they are to actually implement. Proven ways are available on how to break bad habits and there are steps we can follow for starting good habits. Figure 1 illustrates the steps needed to change a behavior, based on the work of Prochaska, Norcross, and DiClemente in Changing for Good: A Revolutionary Six-Stage Program for Overcoming Bad Habits and Moving Your Life Positively Forward. Although the steps seem simple, implementation is the challenge.

Habit-change happens by targeting the three components of habits:

• the cue
• the routine
• the reward

Changing the cue involves creating a new indicator that a habit, particularly a good one, is needed. This can take many forms—an alarm on your phone or other device, a physical cue, or a mental shift. Thinking differently about a behavior you want to change, as simple as it sounds, has been shown to serve the same purpose as a physical cue.

To change the routine that makes up a habit, you must think about the underlying factors behind a bad habit or lack of a good habit. Think about why you do what you do and why it would be valuable to do things differently. Use physical reminders to make implementing the new routine as easy as possible. Finally, change the reward. Often, implementation of a good new habit yields dividends that are rewards unto themselves. For bad habits, behavior tracking often helps, especially as it allows for easily acknowledging the milestones achieved. Knowing yourself means knowing what kind of reward will be most motivating and what will encourage the continued maintenance of the new habit.

Old habits are difficult to break because they are ingrained (comforting, familiar, and easy). We have done them so many times, they come to us naturally. They are tried and true, and form a part of who we believe we are. Simply knowing a habit is bad is often not enough to break it. Mastering one’s habits and instituting behavior change, however, requires dedicated effort and well-supported techniques. Techniques for changing habits and behaviors include vision setting, which involves setting goals for changes that are achievable and within reason. People often fail at changes because they start with objectives that are too extreme. When people fall short of these changes, discouragement can set in. Small, achievable wins are more likely to sustain momentum. Apply daily consistent and purposeful effort to implement new habits and behaviors, regardless of their magnitude.

Believe in your ability to make changes in your life. Self-belief is also a habit, and it makes it easier to be patient with yourself, keep your head down, and keep pushing.

Fight to make the changes stick. Thinking of new habits as a fight for who you would like to be versus who you have been is a mindset that reinforces and reaffirms changing habits.

Behavior can be changed, and you can become a more effective manager or help your employees become more effective employees. Start by taking stock of one or two key habits you would like to begin or change. Then, prepare yourself and take action to implement them. Write them down, and then work every day to implement them. To really ensure success, have one or two of your key, trusted people assist you in changing your behavior or launching a new good habit. Explain to them what you are doing and why, and then ask for assistance in making these desirable traits part of the way you lead and manage.

Change is Hard Work, so We Must Work Hard to Change

The reality is that all of us can improve our habits, which can be good for your farm or agribusiness. Change does not come easily, but once a good behavior or best practice becomes a habit, it is part of your management routine and will make you (and/or your employees) a more effective manager.

Portions of this publication were originally published by WATT Global Media in Feed & Grain Magazine at:
feedandgrain.com/grain-handling-processing/grain-facility-management/article/15400876/valuable-habits-for-effective-managers-and-employees