b'says. Its important to disagree with respect and civility, and not argue just to score points. NO SHORTCUTS TO LEADERSHIPGremel encourages leaders to keep an eye on the bigger picture.The focus of winning the war, versus every little battle is a tech- Developing strong leadership skills takes time and practice. There are no magic nique of de-escalation. Not keeping the bigger picture in mind willbeans, so-to-speak, that can sprout strong leaders overnight. inhibit your ability to de-escalate a situation, she says.Giving and receiving feedback more effectively is the numberTo help train farmer organization leaders to become effective managers of their one skill that can help organizations achieve greater results andorganizations, International Finance Corporation (IFC) developed the Agribusiness avoid the drama that comes with people working with each other. Leadership Program (ALP), which is implemented alongside other IFC Build strong relationships so people care enough to talk toinvestments, such as processing facilities or large-scale procurement programs.one another versus liking each other only enough to talk about one another, Hammett says. Because of the ALP focus on building business professionalism amongst Its also important to avoid generalities like always andfarmers and farmer organizations it improves and de-risks the other related never. And perhaps most important, good leaders must modelinvestments, says Alan Johnson, senior operations officer.this behavior so employees can grow their own communication skills. Positive feedback in particular is something many organiza- The program focuses on four key leadership actions: creating an inspiring vision tions need to practice more. of the future; motivating people to engage with that vision; coaching and Hammett coaches clients to use a four-to-one model wherebuilding a team to achieve the vision; and managing delivery of the vision. The they provide four instances of recognition or appreciation forprogram has been implemented in 29 projects in 23 countries in Africa, Latin each item of instruction or critique. On the receiving end, HulbertAmerica, and Asia with numerous local language versions. ranks active listening as the number-one skill for leaders.Effective leaders learn to let the people who report to themThe goal is to develop those leaders, at whatever level of the organization they speak first, to thank them for speaking up, to avoid shootingmay be.them down publicly, as thats the fastest way to make sure they never speak up again, and to give them full credit and publicUltimately ALP empowers famers and agri-enterprises to take greater agency praise for good ideas, Hulbert says. and make better, more informed, decisions, Johnson says. In addition, its important to ensure defensiveness is left out of the equation.Its easy to get caught up in listening to the other party inbuilding and nurturing that culture, well find ourselves in a frus-order to provide a defense instead of listening to hear what istrating situation and look around and wonder, how in the world being said, Gremel says.did we get here? he says. Business strategy always needs to be supported by a com-Family Businesspanys culture. Agriculture is largely built on family business, with farmingTrying to implement strategic change without understand-operations passed down from one generation to the next, oftening and working within an organizations culture is just a recipe with two or more generations working together. And while thisfor frustration, Hulbert says. You can change culture, but thats can be helpful and rewarding, families often struggle when itsomething that has to be done very carefully over a period of comes to communicating and resolving conflicts effectively.years, and to be honest, usually involves bringing in new people.Youd think families would be better at this, but they can be the worst when it comes to giving and receiving feedback,Flexible, Not FastHammett says. But we see brothers that cant talk to brothers,Because the agricultural industry is so heavily dependent on husbands that wont talk to wives, fathers and sons that fight. ItsMother Nature and other external factors, flexibility and grit are important to remember that venting and complaining is not theimportant qualities for any leader. same thing as giving and receiving feedback.A leaders ability to remain optimistic, persevere in the Hulbert says one way to fight this is to keep work-relatedunknown or tough seasons, and transfer confidence to those in discussions separate from family matters. which she or he leads is very important, Gremel says.The default can become taking family issues to work andIts about staying the course, even when times are tough. At work issues home. We need to operate more professionally atthe same time, Hulbert encourages leaders to slow down when work, to be more intentional with each other, he says. faced with a difficult decision. Dont allow yourself to be rushed into a decision. Sometimes Growing Culture you have to make snap decisions, but generally you have time Hammett says every organization, whether a big corporation orto think about it, and most importantly, run the numbers, he a family farm, needs to be intentional about defining and grow- says. Gut feel can get you to a certain point, but its numbers, ing their desired culture.especially the ones with dollar signs in front of them, that get you Every group has a culture, and if we arent intentional aboutall the way home.SW80/ SEEDWORLD.COMINTERNATIONAL EDITION 2022'