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Women are very effective at bringing people together and bringing out the best in individuals.
Guide Business, Management

Farm CEO: Women farm executives

“Women are showing up in business, and what they are doing is working. It should be seen as a model for all of us.”

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Reading Time: 3 minutes Women make great farm CEOs. Did you hear that, Dad? Studies are showing that women have a lot to offer as executive decision-makers, and the reason why has some lessons to teach agriculture about what are the most valuable professional competencies needed on the farm, and why. What does the research say? One global study […] Read more
Allowing an employee to decide how to complete a task is part of having autonomy.
Guide Business, Management

Farm CEO: Develop leaders, not labourers

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

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Reading Time: 3 minutes Part of having an executive mindset on the farm is developing others. Developing others might seem like a basic function of management, which it is, but I want to emphasize that I’m not just talking about teaching basic farm skills but actually developing people’s judgment and ability to make good decisions independently — to effectively […] Read more
Guide Business, Management

Farm CEO: The complete farm executive

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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
A business whose culture doesn’t support the values of its employees will ultimately struggle.
Guide Business, Management

Farm CEO: Culture matters

Are you paying attention to the culture of your farm or farm business?

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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
Developing a CEO mindset and the skills needed to serve that mindset are essential if Canadian farms are to succeed.
Guide Business, Management

Become a farm CEO: Why make the shift?

Executive-level behaviour is good for both the farm and farmer

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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
What action do you take when some people in your organization are underperforming, and those who can are leaving?
Guide Business, Management

Leader development versus the quick fix

Management without leadership is like tightening a nut with no wrench on the bolt head

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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
A successful partnership is one that shares in the achievements of whatever the individuals are jointly involved in.
Guide Business, Management

Leader effectiveness meets the leader

Good leadership points you in the direction of building a successful business

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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
Young farmers in soybean fields before harvest
Guide Business, Management

Characteristics of highly effective leadership

Part two in a series on leadership

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Reading Time: 4 minutes In my last article I described six characteristics of highly effective leaders. This article concludes this series and describes leader characteristics that can be expressed only by adequately possessing the previous six attributes. Here goes: Highly effective leaders are capable of making bold decisions and abandoning the past if necessary This is the next step […] Read more
Six traits of highly effective leadership
General

Six traits of highly effective leadership

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If we want to generate a higher return on investment (ROI) on our leadership, describing how leadership can be developed and characterizing why leadership is effective are all well and good, but what do highly effective leaders do? How do they behave? What fundamental abilities do they possess that enable them to achieve the kind[...]
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Successful leadership means not only managing day-to-day work on the farm, it’s also being accountable for long- and short-term business results as well.
Guide Business, Management

Leader effectiveness deconstructed

Leadership matters most in tough times ... Will we have what it takes when we need it most?

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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[...]
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