UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Many dairy managers are frustrated. They have mastered the skills needed to get profitable production from cows and equipment, but still need to learn about getting great performance from people.

It is a myth that some are born with the ability to manage while others are not. Dairy managers can learn how to get outstanding performance from people. All they need is to be exposed to different perspectives and fresh ideas about human resource management.

Management Essentials for Dairy Success (MEDS), an educational program offered by the Pennsylvania Dairy Alliance, is an intensive course in human resource management that combines unique insight with practical tools and techniques that anyone can use to help their people perform better. MEDS is taught in six modules that work together to progressively build a manager's skills.

MEDS will be offered at the Ramada Inn in Altoona this fall on six consecutive Mondays -- Oct. 15, 22 and 29 and Nov. 5, 12 and 19. Registration, which will be limited, costs $450 per person.

MEDS teaches dairy managers how to organize work routines on their farms that employees can understand and follow consistently. Managers can achieve performance breakthroughs by getting employees to feel a certain ownership and responsibility for the quality of their work. This ownership and pride in one's work sets apart high performance dairy farms from mediocre ones.

A dairy manager seeking high performance from workers will learn to act as a coach. He or she will learn to distinguish between performance problems caused by weaknesses in a system and those caused by a lack of knowledge or skills. This ability allows the manager to take appropriate action to improve performance. MEDS takes the mystery out of getting consistently great results from otherwise average people.

Leadership is also an important component of effective human resource management. Leaders have the ability to define a vision of where the business is going and how everyone associated with the business contributes to getting there. MEDS participants master the fundamentals of situational leadership, including the well-reasoned and effective use of employee feedback.

Finally, professional dairy managers need a tried and true set of techniques that can be used to resolve problems that inevitably arise. High performance managers turn problem solving into an opportunity to build the capacity and teamwork of the dairy workforce. At the same time, they avoid shortsighted solutions that lead to future problems. MEDS includes a scientific approach to problem solving.

For more information, or to reserve your place in MEDS, contact Tammy Perkins at the Dairy Alliance office by calling 1-888-373-PADA or e-mail her at tap10@psu.edu. Pre-registration is required, there are a few slots still available. For questions about MEDS program content, contact Richard Stup at 814-652-6430 or RichStup@psu.edu.

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EDITORS: Contact Tammy Perkins at (888) 373-PADAIRY or e-mail at tap10@psu.edu.

Contact:

Jeff Mulhollem jjm29@psu.edu 814-863-2719 814-865-1068 fax