Advice for farm owners on employing a deputy

As a farming business grows, it can get to a stage where the owner needs to employ a second in command.

This deputy handles the day-to-day operation and steps in when the farm owner is unavailable – whether because of other business needs, illness or holiday.

Hiring a second in command – also known as a 2iC – is what business coach Phil Fraser, of Business Sounding Board in Leeds, calls one of the important “next big steps” of progressing a business.

See also: What makes a good employer on a dairy farm?

Delegation

“As the owner, you can only do so much. Delegation is an important skill to master, so you don’t end up doing everything. But once you get to a certain size, you have to recruit a 2iC,” he says.

“This is not someone who replaces you, but someone who can focus on the business operation while you, as the owner, look at the bigger picture.”

In Phil’s case, after 12 years of running his business, he wanted to step away from the day work and spend more time on other projects.

He also reckoned the business, while successful, needed some “new impetus”, as performance had plateaued.

New perspective

Aside from giving him new challenges, he says the biggest benefit from hiring a 2iC was a fresh pair of eyes and a new perspective.

“My hire brought in an additional set of skills, a different background, a viewpoint that challenged me – what can be done better, cheaper, faster? – and it drove us forward.”

The crucial point for a farm owner is to be quite sure whether they are ready to cede control and employ a 2iC; the alternative is to appoint a farm, or herd, manager.

Are you ready to let go?

“Psychologically, are you willing and ready to let go? If not, it won’t work, as you won’t give them responsibility or let them do stuff, or they’ll get fed up and leave.

“Maybe once you have gone through the process, you realise you need a manager,” he says.

“It is a big step, particularly for a farmer who is there 24/7. To get a real 2iC in place you need to be very broad minded and open.

“Can you give them responsibility and a free rein to do things differently – or will you just perceive it as the ‘wrong way’?”

A 2iC takes full responsibility and makes decisions in the owner’s absence, says Phil.

He explains that levels of handing over responsibility range from “call me if you need me” to assigning certain key areas to a manager, to full decision making.

“A ‘true’ 2iC will decide what to do, do it, then tell the owner when they return. They make decisions in the owner’s absence and, if things go wrong, will deal with it.

“A manager will leave [a problem] and say ‘It’s not my responsibility and I can’t decide. I will wait until the boss comes home or ring him’.”

New roles for the owner

Once the roles and responsibilities for a 2iC have been clarified, the owner must earmark their new duties, to avoid stepping on the new hire’s toes.

“Clear demarcation of tasks avoids a lot of stress. You will also now have additional roles to perform in managing, motivating, developing and measuring your new hire,” he adds.

He also recommends discussing the idea with the farm team, then with a trusted recruitment consultant, sounding board or adviser for objective feedback.

With staff recruitment a tough challenge for all dairy farms, finding the right person to be a 2iC might seem impossible.

The ideal candidate could be someone who sees it as a stepping stone in their career path – although some people are happy with a secondary role.

They like making some decisions but not necessarily the big ones, or all of them, says Phil, who points out this can be determined during the interview process.

A specialised recruitment consultancy can help source external candidates for this senior role.

While a 2iC could be a family member, a multi-generational family business can bring its own issues (Phil says clear and written roles and responsibilities will help).

Another option is to “grow your own” 2iC. “Identify someone in your team who you think will be brilliant and train them, so they grow into the role.”

Pre-interview chat

One idea he strongly recommends for recruiting this senior role is to hold “pre-interview interviews”.

When interviewing for his own business, Phil says he thought handing over his “baby” and working closely with this person meant he would need to get on with them. However, he says “you have got to connect, not be best pals”.

“Meeting for a coffee in a neutral venue worked brilliantly as they were not judged on their CV or abilities but as a person.

“They dropped their guard, and I got more feel of the real person, to see whether we clicked or not,” he adds.

As with all employees, the work does not stop when they have accepted the post.

Integrating this new senior person into the business is vital because there is a combination of “passing over the reins” and showing the team how important this person is, with the owner’s total backing and support.

“A key moment will always be the first time one of your team comes to you with a problem, and you tell them to go and speak to the new guy instead. This sends a huge message to everyone,” says Phil.

Give them space

He also points out that the 2iC needs a chance to prove themselves, to step up and make some decisions. And this is best done sooner rather than later.

Once they have been through the farm’s rotation of daily/weekly/monthly tasks, Phil suggests letting the new person do some of it.

“Don’t go away for a month’s holiday, but ease them in by drip feeding, depending on the person and their experience.

“You need to allow them to do things differently, make mistakes. We all do it, it’s how we learn.

“You have to let them do it their way. You will undermine them if you don’t give them freedom, along with the support, to do what they have been brought in to do.”

Staff relationships

A potential issue for home-grown talent is when some members of the team do not buy into the person, or the role. And the fact that the team no longer have a “direct line to the boss” may well upset them, too.

This can create resentment, says Phil. “It comes down to the ability of the person and the way the boss passes on responsibility, supports and backs up the new 2iC.

“A lot of this can be alleviated by clear and early communication with the team about the new role, the parameters of that role and any new reporting lines that may be being introduced.

“Giving staff the opportunity to air any frustrations can make those discussions easier and less personal.”

For more information on business coaching, visit philfraser.co.uk