By Tristan J. Zuber, Dairy Foods Specialist
When you think about leading organizations in the food industry, what companies come to mind? Starbucks? Chipotle? Nestle? Traditionally, companies that are seen as leading the way, do so as a result of developing, communicating and executing an extremely focused vision and mission statement that has been carried throughout the entire culture of their organization and through to their customers.
What about the person that comes to mind who is a leader within your organization? Your CEO? President? Plant Manager? How about the lab technician who thought of a new way of streamlining real time sample analysis or the line operator who noticed an issue during manufacturing, stopped the process and worked with other departments, which saved the company thousands of dollars? All employees have the ability to become leaders – titles aside.
Your lab technician or your line operator are those that you want to further develop and become an integral part of your companies vision and mission because they will be the future of your organization. Those that feel empowered to make changes for the better within your organization or within your people are the type you want to retain on your team. Bill Gates said, “As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others.”
What are those characteristics and qualities that enable someone to be an effective leader? The list may be endless, but self-awareness, ability to delegate, communication skills, adaptability, integrity, and visionary are all key attributes necessary to drive and inspire change within an organization. Building these characteristics is the goal of leadership development programs that are available.
Cornell offers different types of leadership training opportunities for those in the dairy foods industry. One program is known as NextGEN and is held at Cornell University in collaboration with the International Dairy Foods Association. Within this program, cultivating leaders is done through personality profile assessment tools to increase self-awareness, networking opportunities and exposure to other aspects of the dairy industry that can influence an overall vision. The upcoming NextGEN symposium will be held October 6-8th on Cornell University’s campus and is designed for those that have less than 15 years of experience in the dairy industry and for those looking to enhance their careers through networking, collaboration, and problem solving.
Another program designed for the broader agriculture and food industry is LEAD NY Fellowship Program. This program is a competitive application program that lasts 18 months and brings together a class of producers, processors and suppliers to the food and agriculture industry in the Northeast area. Throughout this time, classmates spend 2-4 days per month for 14 different sessions. During the first half of the program, the sessions are held in various areas in New York State with the focus largely on self-awareness and skill development. The second half involves learning about food and agriculture on a broader scale and involves an international study tour.
As a LEAD Class-15 graduate, I had the opportunity to travel to South Africa and experience how the leadership of Nelson Mandela has helped shape the existing state of South Africa and how lack of leadership can severely impact the future of a country. We toured different agriculture sectors to learn how their climate and political nature affects how they conduct business and spent some time in different townships learning about social issues that still remain in existence today after the fall of apartheid. This trip was a culmination of everything we learned regarding food and agriculture policy and how leadership is necessary to drive changes. Throughout the program, I have learned more about how I interact with my work colleagues and how I can influence others to make a positive change.
As busy dairy food manufacturers, we are constantly focused on getting product out the door in a safe manner to fill orders. Developing leadership can often be overlooked, but should still be an integral part of a company’s culture. Investing in professional and leadership development programs for your employees enables them to feel more valued, which encourages employee retention and improves the overall culture of your company. This ultimately will cultivate positive change within your organization to develop greater and more sustainable success of your business.
