Reading Time: 3 minutes A leadership expert offers his advice to help answer the question “What’s at risk if I don’t help others on my farm develop their leadership skills?” – April Stewart, CG Associate Editor Part of having an executive mindset on the farm is developing others. Developing others might seem like a basic function of management, which it […] Read more
Summer Series: Develop leaders, not labourers
[Leadership] Allowing people to safely struggle is good. Let them know you are there for support, but they’re expected to figure it out and get it done
Summer Series: Characteristics of highly effective leaders
[Leadership] Part two in a series on leadership
Reading Time: 4 minutes “Solutions to the greatest challenges and opportunities are not found in strategy or quick fixes, they are found within the people who have problems.” These are the 12 characteristics effective leaders learn and practice to influence their farm’s ROI.– April Stewart, CG Associate Editor In my last article I described six characteristics of highly effective […] Read more
Summer Series: Farm CEO: Women farm executives
[Leadership] “Women are showing up in business, and what they are doing is working. It should be seen as a model for all of us.”
Reading Time: 3 minutes Studies show that women have a lot to offer in terms of executive decision-makers on the farm – and there are plenty of lessons agriculture can learn from them.– April Stewart, CG Associate Editor Women make great farm CEOs. Did you hear that, Dad? Studies are showing that women have a lot to offer as […] Read more
Summer Series: The difference maker: on-farm leadership
On-farm leadership is the X-factor that can be quantified and developed into competitive advantage
Reading Time: 4 minutes Can leadership skills impact your farm’s bottom line? Find out how this business x-factor can be developed to give your farm a competitive advantage.– April Stewart, CG Associate Editor Leadership is the overlooked skill set that can explain why some farms move forward and grow, overcoming difficult periods to successfully transition from one generation to […] Read more
Farm CEO: The complete farm executive
Reading Time: 3 minutes What does the basic mindset of a farm CEO look like? I’m currently using a three-factor model to describe what I think makes a highly effective farm executive. The first is business results. Obviously at the end of the day if we don’t define success and achieve objectives that keep us in business, never mind […] Read more
Farm CEO: Culture matters
Are you paying attention to the culture of your farm or farm business?
Reading Time: 3 minutes Why should we care about the culture of our business? Culture captures the essence of what makes a business tick, yet it is poorly understood. Culture has reached cliché status as a management concept, and that’s regrettable because understanding what culture really is, its connection to leadership, how it is created and how it has […] Read more
Become a farm CEO: Why make the shift?
Executive-level behaviour is good for both the farm and farmer
Reading Time: 3 minutes It’s time that farmers develop beyond being the world-class farm managers they are today. That’s the vibe I’m getting from clients, program participants and industry professionals. The conversation around what abilities Canadian farmers need to develop, and how they should acquire them, is already underway. If a farmer is successfully operating his or her business, […] Read more
Leader development versus the quick fix
Management without leadership is like tightening a nut with no wrench on the bolt head
Reading Time: 4 minutes Every once in awhile I have a casual conversation that goes like this: “Leadership is nice (guess what comes next), but I have real problems right now, and I have to do something; I don’t have time for leader development, I’m busy.” In my view, we are all busy, but this sentiment is the verbal […] Read more
Leader effectiveness meets the leader
Good leadership points you in the direction of building a successful business
Reading Time: 3 minutes I want to share what I’m noticing in small business these days in terms of leadership, and what I say to those who ask about leader effectiveness. First, I also want to say that I do not share client stories even with the names redacted. Agriculture is just too small, and my work with leaders […] Read more
Leader effectiveness deconstructed
Leadership matters most in tough times ... Will we have what it takes when we need it most?
Reading Time: 3 minutes In my last article I explored the important components of leader development that can improve leader effectiveness. Some who read that article might have thought, “I’m already a good leader.” Or, “I don’t have many employees — it’s mostly family, so leadership doesn’t really apply.” Wrong. Studies have consistently found that leaders who think they […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
