“When The Cows Lie Down: The Reason People Quit You—Their ‘Leader’”

Retired Air Force Chief Master Sergeant Dave Nordel grew up in Orland. While the Air Force “made me a medic” the cows in Orland made him wise. 

“As I grew older,” he writes in his winsome guide to leading, “and became a contributor to the daily activities it takes to run a farm or an orchard … this required a few roles to ensure I did it right. One role is a trainer and leader, one is a cheerleader, and one is a mentor.”

“Back then,” he adds, “the coffee was a must before you started the milking. … The best of all was you got your cup, went to the first cow to be milked, and squirted your cream right from the cow into the cup. It was heaven….”

Years later, on a fishing boat with friends, he noticed cows near the dock all hunkered down. That meant bad weather was on the way. So now he asks those in charge: “What are the cows doing, do you still check, do you notice the changes, or have you quit paying attention to the subtle (or not-so-subtle) signs of a pending storm, illness, or problem with our followers or processes?”

“When The Cows Lie Down: The Reason People Quit You—Their ‘Leader’” ($19.99 in paperback from Max Fab Consulting; also for Amazon Kindle) illustrates leadership principles from farm experiences; Nordel’s time as a medic in Iraq (where “we had some terrible incidents of suicide and near-death, self-inflicted injuries … And what did we quit noticing or doing?”); and as a consultant (maxfabconsulting.com) showing leaders how to maintain “Maximum Fabulous” attitudes—bringing one’s best to a war zone or an office team in danger of “lying down” or quiet quitting.

Along the way readers meet those who have been transformative in Nordel’s life, like Paul, his First Sergeant (“Shirt” for short), who later developed “severe cancer. He was scared—not scared of dying but scared of quitting. He didn’t want to quit his people, quit his family, and not answer the call.” Attitude, he told Nordel, “is everything.”

The book exemplifies vulnerable, compassionate, and effective leadership.

"The Road To Positive Work Cultures"

"Nursing," Chicoan Carol Huston writes, "is both physically and emotionally demanding. Hours are long; fatigue related to the physical demands of moving constantly, lifting, and bending is common...." Then there are the sometimes competing "expectations of the employer, patient, family, professional boards, and self." Small wonder that "compassion fatigue" can set in, a weary sadness when the nurse feels unable to help the patient.

Though these words were published a few months before the pandemic, they are multiplied in their significance today. Leaders need to be sensitive to the stresses experienced by health care professionals while at the same time offering a hopeful vision of the future. Huston, management consultant and Emerita Professor at Chico State's School of Nursing, served as Chair of the Enloe Medical Center Board of Trustees and knows the importance of a supportive workplace.

"The Road To Positive Work Cultures" ($24.95 in paperback from Sigma; also for Amazon Kindle) provides ten "leadership lessons" applicable not only to health care but to most any business with employees. Though simple in outline, Huston's examples make it clear that creating a good work culture is far from easy.

Take, for example, the chapter on avoiding micromanaging which, she writes, "is generally an outgrowth of inexperience or insecurity, not a demonstration of competence or expertise on the part of the leader." At the start of hospital shifts, good nurses may check patients, meds, and lab reports in a particular order, which may not be the order preferred by a micromanager and that can make nurses feel they are not trusted.

Far better, says Huston, for leaders to develop macromanagement skills in setting clear expectations but allowing a "divergence in problem-solving."

Each chapter, from establishing mutual respect and civility, maintaining appropriate boundaries, and not letting problems fester, to building effective teams, reducing stress, and showing appreciation, draws on management research to illuminate real-world situations. 

The book concludes with chapters on being an "authentic leader," one with "passion" and "purpose." Conflict and change are inevitable even in positive work cultures, but the key is how they are dealt with. 

Huston ends her insightful book with Benjamin Franklin: "'When you're finished changing, you're finished.'"