The Subtle Bigotry of Low Expectations
Several weeks ago I sat in a meeting with a few legislators and a number of interested parties to discuss a particular piece of legislation. Although the issue did not directly connect to OPC or our industry, a comment from Senator James Halligan really hit home for me.
Senator Halligan talked about the subtle bigotry of low expectations and how important it is to set high expectations. Rarely will a person exceed what is expected of them. If your expectations are low, chances are performance will mirror those expectations.
For years, producers throughout Oklahoma have participated in an advertising campaign sharing the care and concern we have for our animals, employees, neighbors, environment, and communities with citizens of our state. I have no doubt the owners and operators of our farms share this commitment. What I wonder; however, is how do we convey this commitment to our employees and what are we willing to do to demonstrate this commitment to everyone around us.
A couple of weeks ago, we added an item to our website titled 100 one percent solutions. This was not an original idea – in fact, our colleagues in Indiana shared this with us and we chose to adapt it to Oklahoma. Here is the introduction from that list:
"More and more, pork producers are being second-guessed by non-farmers about production practices. Whether it is environmental, animal welfare, or food safety issues – or just being a good neighbor, the gap between producers and the communities they live and work is growing.”
"Many producers, frustrated by this reality, are seeking a silver bullet to fix all the problems. That won’t happen."
The premise behind this list is there is not a single action producers can do to address the challenges that lie before us. However, we can partake in one percent solutions, which add up quickly.
These items are not controversial, nor are they only doable from the “management” side of farm operations. The list outlines a number of items that everyone who works in our industry can do. Not only “can” we do these things, we must do these things. The owners and operators of our farms should expect that we live up to these simple concepts.
Expectations have a major impact on the accomplishments and goals of individuals. If you set low expectations, you’ll get low performance. Set those expectations high and hold everyone accountable to those expectations. That’s how we’ll move our industry forward.
To find the list in its entirety, visit the OPC Home page. Also, stay tuned to the @okpork twitter feed to get one percent reminders!
