b'PEOPLE-POWERED LEADERSHIPI THOUGHT COVID WAS OVER.THEN I LOOKED AROUND MERECOGNIZING WHEN OTHERSare strugglingand showingfather, brother, son, friend and com-them that youre in the battle right alongside themis key tomunity member. These are roles I wear being an effective leader. with pride, but I realized I wasnt always As I reflect on the past few years, Ive come to realize justproactive enough in thinking about how how crucial self-awareness is to effective leadership. Its notI could improve on them. something I figured out early on. Far from it. In fact, its takenIts not always easy to face the fact me a lot of time and a fair share of mistakes to understand thatthat youre falling short in some areas, being a leader isnt about being bulletproof. Its about beingbut the only way to fix it is to make a real. change. Theres an old saying: the best By Shawn BrookIn the early days of my career, I thought I had to betime to plant a tree was 20 years ago, but President, Seedinvincible, that everyone around me needed to see me as athe second-best time is today. We cant go World Group rockunshakable and flawless. The truth is, none of us areback and fix what wasnt addressed in the bulletproof, and pretending to be only sets us up for failure.past, but we can start working on it now.The people around us can see through that faade, and it does more harm than good. What Ive learned is that by sharing my strengths and weaknesses openly, Ive built stronger relationships with my team. They step up, they help out, and theyre willing to fight alongside me because they see Im in the trenches with them.WE ALL HAVE ROOM TO GROW, Its this transparency that creates a space where everyone feels safe to do the same. AND BY BEING OPEN ABOUT OUR Its not just about allowing people to fail; its about helpingOWN JOURNEYS, WE CAN HELP them understand that failure is a necessary part of success. If were not failing, were not pushing ourselves hard enough. AndTHOSE AROUND US GROW, TOO."when the person at the wheelthe leadermesses up, its a powerful reminder that failure is not the end. Its a step on the path to growth.I wish I could say I figured this out when I was in my 20s, but I didnt. What brought it to the forefront now is seeing many of my team members, and others in the industry, stillSelf-awareness requires time for struggling to shake off the COVID funk. I went through itreflectiontime without distractions. tooI had to pull myself out, regain my groove, and find myFor me, that often comes during driving mojo again.time or on a plane. Its in those quiet Someone once told me that those who can pull themselvesmoments that I can really think about up by their bootstraps have a responsibility to help others dowhere Im at, where Im falling short, the same. That advice stuck with me, and it got me thinking:and what I need to do to improve. Its how do you get someone to develop self-awareness, to recognizenot about being perfect; its about being their strengths and weaknesses? better than I was yesterday.Thats what led us to recently launch our personal growthNow, I challenge you to think about plans (PGPs). These plans arent just about improving job per- why these outcomes matter to you. We formance; theyre about helping our employees grow in everyall have room to grow, and by being open aspect of their lives. I believe that success leads to happiness,about our own journeys, we can help and a happy team is worth its weight in gold. In my mind, athose around us grow, too.successful team and a happy team are almost interchangeable. IAt the end of the day, leadership isnt dont know any unsuccessful teams that are genuinely happy about being invincible. Its about being those two things just dont coexist. human, being real, and being willing to When I laid out my PGP, I didnt just focus on profes- grow alongside your team. Thats where sional goals. I also mapped out a path for myself as a husband,true strength lies. 40 SEEDWORLD.COM/CANADANOVEMBER 2024'