Cultivating A Champion Culture: Balancing Performance and People in Animal Health

Animal health is known for a special culture

The animal health industry has a distinct and unique culture, emphasizing the well-being of animals and their people and fostering strong loyalty for the field among employees. Many of those working in jobs in the animal health industry appreciate how they are treated by their companies. Indeed, a majority report feeling supported and recognized within a positive workplace culture.¹

While some suggest that this focus on people can hinder performance, we at Animal Health Jobs and Brakke Consulting disagree.² Here’s why.

The Pursuit of profit: Performance-driven cultures

Companies focusing on performance often report significantly higher revenue growth.³ From a purely objective standpoint, that sounds ideal. Businesses, unlike charities, exist to make money. Greater profit means greater returns for owners or shareholders, and more opportunities to invest in and expand the business, creating even greater returns.

However, excessive or singular emphasis on performance can negatively affect employees, heightening workplace stress and ultimately resulting in poor performance and burnout.⁴ Too much pressure to deliver on goals can lead to internal employee competition for resources and attention, undermining attempts at collaboration.⁴ When employees don’t perform at their peak, neither does the business. This may manifest as absenteeism and high turnover, leaving critical work unfinished; ‘presenteeism,’ when disengaged or stressed employees are present but unproductive, only contributes to the problem.⁵

Nurturing your pack: People-centric cultures

Conversely, some businesses live by the rule that happy employees make happy customers, and happy customers are good for the bottom line. The benefits of a people culture include improved collaboration, more open discussion that ideally leads to better decision-making, mutual respect, and in the long run, reduced employee turnover.⁶

Yet critics of people-oriented cultures argue that simply keeping employees happy at work is not enough. They contend that napping spaces, free meals, and team-building exercises in exotic places are no substitute for goals and accountability.² Excessive emphasis on relationships can make employees reluctant to challenge poor decisions or managers hesitant to conduct honest, critical performance reviews.⁶ Without the accountability and course corrections provided by honest feedback, employee performance may decline, potentially breeding resentment among effective team members towards underperforming colleagues and ineffective managers. Ultimately this dynamic can damage the business.

Finding the sweet spot: Combining performance and people

Like many aspects of the animal health industry, we believe this is not an either-or proposition. A people-focused culture doesn’t have to disregard performance. A performance-focused culture doesn't have to treat its employees like sawdust in the barn, to be tossed around and covered in…you get the idea. The most effective cultures we see, both inside and outside the animal health industry, skilfully blend performance expectations and a people-first approach.

For a business to flourish, it needs engaged, talented people working intelligently and efficiently, striving to reach their professional and company goals. This dual emphasis involves recognizing each person’s innate talents and challenging them in ways that help them grow professionally, through personalized development plans. ‘One size fits all’ leadership programs simply fall short. Simultaneously, employees need clear, SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) objectives that give them clear targets.⁷

In our experience, companies that position themselves in this sweet spot naturally demonstrate high levels of accountability. Teams develop deep trust in themselves and their managers, allowing transparent and honest discussions about performance, whether positive or negative. Goals can be set for what employees accomplish (e.g. sales or production metrics) and how they accomplish it (e.g. collaboration or communication goals).³ Team members hold themselves and one another accountable for meeting goals while working together to overcome obstacles. Because managers know their team members as individuals, they can coach them effectively for improved performance against both sets of measures.

Leading your herd to success

Asking an animal health company to choose between performance and people as the basis of its culture presents a false and ultimately counterproductive challenge. Striking the right balance allows the company to adapt to a changing competitive environment, knowing when to adhere to a strategy and when to pivot.² And that, we believe, is the secret to a truly successful and sustainable culture.

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Are you hiring for a job in animal health? You need the industry’s top talent, with the skills and attitudes to deliver on your goals while fitting into your company culture. Animal Health Jobs has the experienced animal health insiders who will keep your business running smoothly. For senior and pivotal roles, our partners at Brakke Executive Search will find the right candidates to fit your needs. Post your open roles now to find the top candidates in animal health and animal nutrition.

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References

1. Animal Health Jobs. ‘Cultural challenges: Results of the Animal Health Jobs Spring 2024 Attitudinal Survey. Published 20 December 2024. Accessed 22 June 2025. Available online: https://animalhealthjobs.com/blog/whitepapers
2. Kriegel, J. ERE Brands website. ‘People-Oriented Cultures Don’t Win – And Here’s Why.’ Published 21 March 2025. Accessed 22 June 2025. Available online https://www.ere.net/articles/people-oriented-cultures-dont-win-and-heres-why
3. Lasa A N, Pedroni A, Komm A. McKinsey & Company website. ‘In the spotlight: Performance management that puts people first. Published 15 May 2024. Accessed 21 June 2025. Available online: https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/in-the-spotlight-performance-management-that-puts-people-first
4. Sai L., Gao G., Mandalaki E., Zhang, L.E. Williams, J. Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business Website. ‘The problem with performance-based work cultures.’ Published 5 August 2024. Accessed 22 June 2025. Available online: https://www.aacsb.edu/insights/articles/2024/08/the-problem-with-performance-based-work-cultures
5. Kenton, W. Investopedia.com. ‘Presenteeism: What It Is and How It Works.’ Updated 6 January 2025. Accessed 23 June 2025. Available online https://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/presenteeism.asp
6. Advantages and disadvantages of people-oriented leadership. Updated 28 March 2025. Accessed 22 June 2025. Available online: https://ca.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/people-oriented-leadership