Family Farm Meetings Are Valuable Business Tools

Meetings are a key in organizational communications. It is difficult to imagine a complex organization functioning well without regularly held meetings in which information is exchanged, planning is accomplished, and decisions are made.

Farm and ranch families in business together have the additional complexity of being related and trying to maintain cordial and rewarding family ties.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. The family business meeting prevents angry outbursts, lingering resentments and unresolved conflict. Doing good business requires conflict where the best ideas win. Managing conflict with the context of a family business meeting makes for better business and happier families.

Coordinating daily work. Farm families find it helpful to plan two separate types of meetings. One meeting is to plan and coordinate day-to-day operations of the farm. Typically, this is a daily or weekly meeting and involves all those who do the actual farm work, including hired employees. Most farm families have some form of this meeting, either on a formal or informal basis.

The purpose of this meeting is make the most effective use of personnel and resources in accomplishing daily goals so the right hand knows what the left is doing and vice-versa.

Items for discussion might include such questions as, "What needs to be done?" "Who is going to do it?" "What type of coordination is necessary?" "What are the potential problems?" "What might happen to disrupt the plan?" "If it does, what are we going to do then?"

The family business meeting. The purpose of the family business meeting is to discuss long-term planning and goal-setting, define roles and relationships, review performance and integrate family issues with business priorities.

This meeting can be held effectively on a bi-weekly or monthly basis and should involve all family members working in partnership in the farm enterprise, including spouses and in-laws. Portions of the meeting may be used to invite participation of non-family employees, consultants, or other advisors. On an annual basis, the meeting can be expanded to include off-farm relatives who have a vested interest in the farm.

A typical agenda. Agenda items might include such questions as, "What are the strengths and weaknesses of this operation?" "Where does the farm stand at this point?" "What are the biggest problems right now?" "How can we prevent this problem from happening again?" "What are the opportunities?" "Is there anything else we should be doing?" "Are we using our resources and talents in the most effective manner?" "Is there any unfairness?"

Managers and specialists can give an overview of their areas of stewardship. Family members should be

open to feedback or questions. This is also an opportunity to show appreciation or recognize special accomplishments. The family business meeting can be an effective vehicle for training, delegation and follow up.

Effective use of a family business meeting can help family members work out differences and resolve business conflict without having it spill over and endanger family harmony.

Ground rules for well-designed meetings. A regular time and location of the meeting should be clearly specified. The meeting should start and end on time.

The success of getting a family business meeting going depends on the regularity and priority the family gives to the meeting. All key family members are expected to attend. If there is an unavoidable conflict, a prescheduled postponement date will be specified.

There should be a policy on how to handle intrusions and telephone interruptions. Messages can be taken and calls returned after the meeting. Any planned interruptions such as priority phone call should be communicated beforehand to the group.

A written agenda should be prepared and available in advance of the meeting, A clipboard or a blackboard at a fixed location might serve as a focal point for listing agenda items to be discussed in the meeting.

A closure point should be specified closing off additions to the agenda. This gives everyone coming to the meeting a fair opportunity to prepare for or think about the topic.

Moderator plays a key role. The moderator of the meeting can chosen to lead the meeting. The moderator should be someone who is able to detach from their personal agenda enough to lead an effective meeting and attend to the process of the meeting. The fairness, the open-mindedness and the listening ability of the moderator of the meeting will create the atmosphere for effective communications.

The moderator insures that the comments in the meeting a respectful and issue-oriented. He or she makes sure the discussion is even-handed and draw out opinions from those who normally don’t express themselves. The moderator manages the emotions of the meetings, keeps the group on task and moves the agenda forward expeditiously.

An atmosphere of genuine give-and-take should prevail. If someone becomes emotional or angry, the meeting could be recessed for a prearranged amount of time to allow that person to gain composure. Votes are taken in accordance with appropriate motions and discussion.

A note-taker or recorder should be designated to take minutes for each meeting. The minutes will serve as a reminder of any agreements or assignments made during the meeting. The notes also summarize the disposition of the various agenda items and clarify the understandings reached during the meeting. The minutes will be useful as a management tool for monitoring the follow up actions decided upon in the meeting.