This month I got inspired to challenge you to define your values and the mission of your farm and include them in your recruitment process.

Why are your values important when recruiting?

The reason for struggling to find the right staff or retain staff (even if they have the skills) is that their values do not align with yours. When you hire someone who is inspired by your passion for your farm and shares your values, they may lack some skills, but they will learn the skills they need. Yet if their values do not align with yours, they just never fit in the team.

• Team spirit: alignment of values gives a shared sense of purpose, builds trust and creates a more dedicated team that works well together

• Cultural Fit: Think of values as the vibe of your farm. When new employees share that vibe, they blend into the team naturally and work well together with the rest of your team.

• Commitment: People who share your values are likely to stay for longer as they have a deeper connection with the farm

• Motivation and fulfillment: When people are passionate about the values of the farm, they are more motivated as they find fulfilment in contributing to something they believe in, leading to higher job satisfaction and productivity.

• Conflict resolution: Shared values help resolve conflicts. When difficult decisions have to be made, having a common set of values helps find solutions based on these values.

• Word of Mouth: People who connect with your values become your farm's biggest fans. They talk about it naturally, spreading the good word and building your farm's reputation, making it easier to attract new employees.

• Learning together: Team members who share your values are eager to learn and grow, making the farm better together.

Define your values and mission.

Most of you probably haven't defined your values or mission clearly for yourself and your staff, yet you do have values and a mission! They are the reason you started farming and why you get out of bed every morning. Your mission and values are your "Why", they underpin your team culture and how you run your farm. Make an effort to define them and write them down.

Find your values

Values will be similar for a lot of farms, but the core values will vary per farm and your mission will be different depending on your passion.

I am challenging you to make some time to define your mission and values. You can do this with your family over breakfast or with your staff in a meeting. Make sure someone writes down what you come up with. It is easy if you have a list with values to pick the ones that speak to you. Choose your top 5 or 6 values and define what they mean to you.

Examples:

Respect: for the farm, the animals and the other staff is they are, always be kind

Communication: talk about what goes right or wrong, how you feel about it and how it could be better

Accountability; everyone makes mistakes. Own your mistakes, fix them and learn from your mistakes.

Safety Consciousness; have a "hmmm'. Is what I am doing safe? What could go wrong? Is there a safer way to do this? Do I need help?