b'When employees see that everyone contributes to the opera- Who are you: How do you behave? Are you coachable? Are tion, they will be more willing to share in the tasks.you a lifelong learner? Do you have good character? Are He stresses that an attitude of pitching in needs to stayyou honest?within reason, as a leader needs to focus primarily on decision- What do you stand for? What do you value and are your making and strategy over menial tasks. However, showing thatvalues aligned with what the team wants to accomplish?they understand every part of the business and are willing to How do you make decisions? Are you able to make deci-contribute to its successno matter how dirty the job sions and see the work that needs to be done? Can you should and typically does motivate employees and builds teams.learn and train quickly? He reiterates the importance of clear communication.Weve had many employees over the years, and it really Be very clear on instructions of what task you are request- comes down to character and conflict resolution, she says. To ing them to do. Sometimes written instructions can help makebe a good manager in the agribusiness industry I think circu-sure they are clear, Stockbrugger says. For example, a textlates around culture, attitude, character and behaviour.message followed up with a verbal instruction gives them some-thing to refer back to. Empowering New LeadersIts important to ensure that your company has staff who are Shared Decision Making motivated and want to come to work every day, Stockbrugger Elaine Froese is co-owner of Froese Family Farms. Her son,stresses. Those staff need to be selected, trained and trusted to Ian, owns Boissevain Select Seeds, a family-owned seed con- handle work as independently as possible, both for the good of ditioning and retail operation in Boissevain, Man., that wasthe company and the satisfaction of team members. formed in 1971. Higher management tasks and attention to details are Froese Family Farms mission is to provide the highestbecoming ever more important as costs escalate. We need quality seed and expertise to farmers, both in the local area andto make sure that upper management can spend the proper beyond. Froese credits her husbands collaborative managementamount of time running the business and have the staff mem-style and her sons strong marketing skills with the contin- bers working independently with minimal supervision, he says. ued success of the business. However, all five team membersThis takes time to achieve, but once everyone understands that who run the operationtwo family members, two full-timethe contribution they make leads to the success of the business, employees and one part-time employeeare involved in deci- the business will be more profitable, safer, and more enjoyable sion making. to be a part of.Decisions are made collaboratively, she says. One of theLeadership is mostly what many call tacit knowledgea triggers for many in farm culture is micromanagement, whichskill that is difficult to learn from a book or video, Lemoine we dont like. We believe in teamwork and innovation, so weresays. While watching great leaders can be a solid way to learn always creating new growth and products. how to successfully manage teams and organizations, the best Alongside running the farm, Froese is also a farm familyway to learn is acting as a leader yourself. That allows new lead-coach who strongly believes in the management style of Peterers the chance to facilitate important projects and decisions. Drucker, an Austrian-American management consultant, edu- Delegation is a way to ease your employees into leadership cator, and author whose writings contributed to the philosophi- roles, to give them experience through which you can coach or cal and practical foundations of modern management theory.mentor them, Lemoine says. She says there are three key factors Drucker outlined that sheTheres a reason, for instance, that the transition from Steve needs to know of her own team membersand herselfandJobs to Tim Cook at Apple was so successful. In large part it coaches clients to consider too: was because Jobs was willing to delegate responsibility to Cook and work with him to build the skills he needed to eventually take the reins. 36GERMINATION.CANOVEMBER 2023'