Leadership that empowers people to learn, lead and deliver results

Justin Kleinschmidt, director of Swine Vet Center Management (SVCM), understands effective leadership starts by empowering his team, often through continuous learning and creating opportunities for meaningful colleague collaboration. When SVCM partnered with Zoetis for a comprehensive week-long training program that included on-farm visits and collaborative roundtable discussions, the results demonstrated how training connected to everyday actions can inspire employees and drive real impact across operations.

Empowering people through leadership and learning

Being relatively new to his role at SVCM, Kleinschmidt sought to bring his management team together to take a fresh look at training and ways to keep employees motivated. When discussing his goals with the Zoetis team, Kleinschmidt determined a multi-day agenda that included three on-farm training sessions with sow farm staff and management training that included DiSC^® assessment (a behavioral tool to identify a person’s style) would deliver the most value to his team. Having Zoetis involved throughout the week allowed the SVCM team to hear a different perspective, which also fostered a lot of open discussion.

“We’re always looking for new and creative ways to implement training on our farms,” he explained. “Our employees like to learn, and it helps keep them enthusiastic about their jobs.”

Kleinschmidt was pleased to see how the training encouraged his employees to ask questions, openly discuss protocols, and build relationships outside their normal work setting. In the months since the initial training, he has seen friendships develop and increased peer-to-peer teamwork taking place between managers at different farms. The results exceeded his expectations.

“I think our employees enjoy seeing people from other farms and having open conversations in a comfortable setting. I also enjoyed having the Zoetis team participate, as it’s always great to have another set of eyes during the week,” Kleinschmidt continued. “In the future, we’re planning more off-farm training opportunities, as it is much more collaborative and fun for the employees.”

Collaboration that drives impact

SVCM managers and barn staff found the collaboration with the Zoetis team helped them feel comfortable and in support of their development.

“One of the things I appreciated, and I think one of the biggest values of this training, was the openness that our employees had with the Zoetis team to just ask questions,” he explained. “Our employees were comfortable interacting with the Zoetis team, especially those who primarily speak Spanish. Having a Zoetis team member there who spoke both English and Spanish made it easier for comfortable interaction. It was much more collaborative during the training to have someone there to help with questions and talk around obstacles that they might not convey to me.”

This openness led to discovering issues that might have otherwise gone unnoticed. For example, the group discovered an antibiotic was being administered at the wrong dosage level. This issue may not have been identified during typical on-farm conversations. In addition to addressing this issue, the discussions led to the continued peer-to-peer interaction that Kleinschmidt encourages.

“Now, for example, if we were to have a farm with a little bit higher pre-wean mortality, the manager reaches out to another farm to see how they manage their piglet care,” he continued. “It’s not that people can’t reach out to me, but they are more likely to talk with their peers about protocols and systems.”

Training connected to everyday actions

Rather than abstract classroom learning, the week included visits to three farms, allowing participants to see concepts applied in actual working environments. This approach ensured training remained relevant and immediately applicable.

“It’s very easy to make a protocol and outline what needs to be done. But, with any protocol, that’s just kind of a guideline,” Kleinschmidt explained. “There’s always a ‘what happens if’ type of scenario. Meeting on- and off-farm allowed employees to discuss those scenarios and ask their questions in both real time and in a comfortable setting.”

The initial program has led to improvements in the company’s ongoing training programs. These regular sessions now include having resources like a Spanish-speaking person on hand during training to help empower managers and having training materials available in both languages to ensure accessibility for all team members.

Inspiring others through Champions of Care

Beyond seeing the immediate skill development and improvement in collaboration, the partnership with Zoetis and SVCM has led to a renewed enthusiasm for the SVCM team. Since the initial training, the team meets on a regular basis to continue training.

“This training helped to relight the fire,” Kleinschmidt said. “I think our employees are very proud of their farms and they want to do well. They like showcasing their farms as well as getting critiqued the right way to improve their operations.”

“People will share their experiences and ask, ‘How do you do this on your farm?’ This creates great conversations and helps everyone learn.”

Kleinschmidt is happy to share the power teamwork has had in his operation. The training model at SVCM demonstrates when leaders prioritize empowerment through learning, foster genuine collaboration, connect training to daily realities and create inspiring environments for growth, the results benefit everyone involved — from individual employees to the broader organization’s success.