Category / Leadership is Language

by Lynne Strong

Leadership is Language – Emma Ayliffe co-Founder of Yacker sits down with Mandy McKeesick

We are excited to have our Youth Voices Leadership team chair Emma Ayliffe, co-founder of Summit Agriculture sits down with our wonderful journalist Mandy McKeesick to chat about the new conversation starting app Yacker, and why it is important to understand your audience.

Key Messages

  • Leadership is about understanding your client or customer
  • Being empathetic to the other person’s views
  • Never underestimating  who is watching or listening to you
  • Avoiding speaking in frustration or anger

Pull Quote

“It’s particularly important to be sympathetic and empathetic in difficult conversations. It’s important to do the work before you go into those conversations, so that you can see things through their eyes and prepare yourself for what the potential reactions could be, and think about the best way to craft the conversation.”

About Emma

Emma Ayliffe is an award-winning agronomist and successful businesswoman. She is co-founder of agricultural consultancy Summit Ag, co-owner of a 1700-acre cropping property and an in-demand public speaker. In 2018 she was runner-up in the Adama Young Agronomist of the Year awards and has taken the stage at PIEFA Conference, the Australia Cotton Conference and the Australian Summer Grains Conference

Emma believes in the importance of agricultural sustainability and the role that young people play in the industry. She has been a Young Farming Champion since 2015,  is the current chair for the Youth Voices Leadership Team and established Tulli Young Farmers to better support young people in her region.

Connect with Emma: LinkedIn and Twitter 

About Mandy

Mandy is an Australian writer and photographer who shares stories for, and about, the bush. She has worked with the Picture You in Agriculture team for five years, sharing stories of Young Farming Champions far and wide, and regularly contributes to R.M Williams Outback magazine.

Connect with Mandy: LinkedIn 

 

 About Summit Ag & Yacker

Summit Ag delivers interdependent agronomic and farming systems advice for irrigated cropping with a strong focus on cotton agronomy and research. It covers all areas in the Southern Valleys working with established and dryland growers with the aim of increasing productivity, profitability and overcoming challenges and soil constraints. www.summitag.com.au

Yacker was initially developed to assist Summit Ag clients connect and share information, and has now expanded to service the entire agricultural industry.

 

Want to know more?

Visit the Yacker website (www.yacker.com.au) and download the app for free on any iPhone or android device.

 

by Lynne Strong

Leadership is Language with best selling author and leadership coach Michael Bungay Stanier

In this episode of Leadership is Language internationally-acclaimed leadership coach Michael Bungay Stanier sits down with Young Farming Champion Lucy Collingridge to discuss drama triangles, sheep and the power of curiosity.

Key Messages

  • When you ask a question be genuinely interested in the answer
  • Beware of the dysfunctional Dreaded Drama Triangle
  • Narrow the problem down – you can’t boil the ocean

Pull Quote

“What happens with your expertise? It cloaks curiosity, ….. I know a whole bunch of stuff, but what if I didn’t, what if I was naĂŻve to this, if I had to start again?”

 About Michael

Michael Bungay Stanier is an internationally recognised leadership coach with his book The Coaching Habit selling over 700,000 copies and receiving over 1,000 five-star reviews on Amazon. In 2019, he was named the #1 thought leader in coaching, and was shortlisted for the coaching prize by Thinkers50, the “Oscars of management”.

Michael is also the founder of Box of Crayons, a learning and development company that helps organizations transform from advice-driven to curiosity-led. He left Australia nearly 30 years ago to be a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University.

His latest book is The Advice Trap: Be Humble, Stay Curious & Change the Way You Lead Forever. â €

Connect with Michael:           LinkedIn and Twitter 

About Lucy

Lucy Collingridge is a biosecurity officer with the North West Local Land Services, based in Narrabri. She is primarily focused on vertebrate pest animal management and is involved in the implementation of the North West Regional Strategic Pest Animal Management Plan, emergency management responses and assisting groups with funding applications.

Lucy is a passionate Young Farming Champion and has an extensive resume volunteering with community groups and agricultural shows.

Want to know more?

Box of Crayons: https://boxofcrayons.com

MBS Works:  https://www.mbs.works/

 

 

 

 

 

by Lynne Strong

Leadership is Language with CEO of Austral Fisheries David Carter

In this episode of Leadership is Language global fisheries champion David Carter sits down with Dione Howard to talk about the lessons agriculture can learn from the fishing industry – and it’s perceived adversaries.

Key Messages

  • You can find common ground with perceived adversaries
  • In the next 30 years agriculture has got to step up – and that’s an exciting opportunity
  • Relentless curiosity will be one of the great gifts
  • Have courage to pursue goals, which might not necessarily be the norm for your industry.

 Pull Quote

“In the fiery furnace of that journey [transitioning fisheries], you learn the art of compromise, of respect for the other party, and a listening for their concerns; and then a capacity to recognize that it was all about progress and a shared vision.”

About David

David Carter has worked his entire career at Austral Fisheries and its predecessors. Graduating from Melbourne University in 1978 with a degree in Marine Science, David saw an opportunity to enter the fishing industry and began working as a deckhand on a prawn trawler off the coast of Darwin. This was the beginning of what has been a 40-year career in the fishing industry.

 

In 2016, David led Austral in taking the next step along its sustainability journey, with Austral Fisheries becoming the first seafood company in the world to achieve carbon neutral certification under the Australian Government Carbon Neutral Program.

 

David was inducted into the National Seafood Industry Hall of Fame in 2012 in recognition of his significant contribution to the Australian seafood industry, and in 2020 David received the Marine Stewardship Council’s Lifetime Achievement award.

Connect with David:   LinkedIn  and Twitter 

Connect with Austral Fisheries on the web on Twitter  On Instagram On  Facebook 

About Dione

Dione is a District Veterinarian with Riverina Local Land Services based in Wagga Wagga, NSW. She has been an active member of the Youth Voices Leadership Team since its inception in 2018; holding the position of Mentor Leader and Innovation Leader.  In 2020 she took the step in her leadership journey on the Executive of YVLT as Vice Chair.

Dione’s seat on the YVLT Executive and the Picture You in Agriculture Board is enhanced by her completion of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) Company Directors Course, which she undertook in conjunction with her role as Wool Producer’s Youth Ambassador in 2019.

Connect with Dione:   LinkedIn  and   Twitter 

Want to know more?

Read about the Sea Shepherd’s encounter with Thunder, a known illegal fishing vessel, on Dec. 17, 2014, in the Southern Ocean. The Thunder’s crew was using gill nets to catch Patagonian Toothfish in a protected marine area regulated by the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources.

 

 

by Lynne Strong

Leadership is Language with Monique White sharing how farmers can share the water story with the wider community

In this episode of Leadership is Language  the Murray-Darling Basin Authority’s Monique White sits down with Young Farming Champion Dione Howard to discuss how best to share the water story.

Key Messages

  • Do your research before engaging, and then listen to your audience
  • Identify common ground and explain why there may be differences
  • Connect with hearts and minds, not just facts

 Pull Quote

“We have to try and identify our common ground, but also explain why there’s difference, and, particularly for the Murray-Darling Basin authority, that’s often about the greater good of the whole basin, and at times that means some areas of the community will have negative impacts. We need to acknowledge that.”

 

About Monique

Monique White is an agricultural scientist and consultant who has specialised in the implementation of change and environmental management and sustainability programs on farm, within industry and in the community. Monique works with people who want to make a profitable income from the land while also leaving it in a better condition for future generations. Monique is currently an assistant director in the Murray-Darling Basin Authority’s engagement team based in Murray Bridge in South Australia.

Prior to MBDA Monique worked with the South Australian dairy industry as a NRM (natural resource management) technical specialist and was the project manager for Dairy Australia’s Smarter Irrigation for Profit program.

Connect with Monique:          LinkedIn and  Twitter 

About Dione

Dione is a District Veterinarian with Riverina Local Land Services based in Wagga Wagga, NSW. She has been an active member of the Youth Voices Leadership Team since its inception in 2018; holding the position of Mentor Leader and Innovation Leader.  In 2020 she took the step in her leadership journey on the Executive of YVLT as Vice Chair.

Dione’s seat on the YVLT Executive and the Picture You in Agriculture Board is enhanced by her completion of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) Company Directors Course, which she undertook in conjunction with her role as Wool Producer’s Youth Ambassador in 2019.

Connect with Dione:   LinkedIn   and  Twitter 

Want to know more?

Read more about how the Murray-Darling Basin Authority is working towards healthy waterways here: 

 

 

 

by Lynne Strong

Leadership is Language with your host Meg Rice interviewing OzHarvest FEAST Education Manager Amelia Berner

Kicking off the second series of our Leadership is Language conversations is Amelia Berner from OzHarvest who sits down with Young Farming Champion Meg Rice to discuss the importance of valuing food – because wasting food wastes everything.

Key Messages

  • In Australia over 7.3 million tonnes of food ends up in landfill each year. One third of this food waste comes from the home.
  • Lessons given to students in the classroom will make big differences in the home and community.
  • Changemakers find joy in finding and following their purpose

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Pull Quote

“It’s important to teach kids how the food gets to their plate and all the resources used to produce that food from water to land to the farmers love and care …… We need to change the way we look at food.”

 About Amelia

Amelia Berner is the Food Education and Sustainability Training (FEAST) Program National Manager at OzHarvest, Australia’s leading food rescue organisation. Amelia’s passion for nutrition and environmental education stems from a decade of experience as a Food Technology teacher and working as a practicing nutritionist. This wealth of experience has enabled her to develop the FEAST education program, which combines nutrition, food waste, and sustainability in a curriculum-ready package for Australian schools. Amelia believes education and access to healthy food choices bring a connection to our community, affects our short and long term physical health and contributes to a sustainable future.

Connect with Amelia:    LinkedIn 

Follow OzHarvest: Twitter and Instagram and Facebook 

About Meg

Meg Rice is a Graduate Policy Officer at the Australian Government Department of Agriculture and Water Resources in Canberra. She is also a passionate Young Farming Champion and credits the program with giving her the skills to have insightful conversations with current and future leaders within the agricultural industry. Meg further employs these skills as the Innovation Hub Representative for the PYiA Youth Voices Leadership Team.

Connect with Meg:     LinkedIn    and     Twitter

About OzHarvest

OzHarvest is Australia’s leading food rescue organisation, collecting quality excess food from commercial outlets and delivering it directly to more than 1300 charities supporting people in need across the country.

Want to know more about FEAST?

Read all about FEAST and register your school here

Follow the OzHarvest Education on Twitter

 

 

 

 

by Lynne Strong

Leadership is Language with host Hannah Hawker and Guest Graham Smith

In today’s review of our Leadership is Language webinar interviews Graham Smith, Australian Rural Leadership Program Manager, sits down with Young Farming Champion Hannah Hawker to discuss the importance of throwing out stereotypes and misconceptions when it comes to leadership and language.

Key Messages

  • Language is spoken language, body language and listening
  • Pay attention to how you feel when communicating
  • Think positively, think strategically and act in an adaptive, authentic way

 Pull Quote

“….leadership really is a series of processes. It’s not a product or an output or an outcome .. and if you dig down into that, more often than not, communication will come up as the most important process in leadership.”

 out Graham

Graham Smith coordinates the Australian Rural Leadership Program and his deep roots in the non-urban landscape of Australia stem from an upbringing in Barraba in northern NSW.

He has career has included positions with the Australian Public Service and CSIRO, General Manager of Questacon and secondary teaching. His public sector work has been recognised by an Australia Day Medallion and Australian Public Service departmental award for leadership.

Graham has a committed professional interest in Indonesia and its fast developing economic and cultural relationships with Australia. These relationships extend to his leadership development with ARLP.

Connect with Graham:  LinkedIn and Twitter

About Hannah

Hannah is an enthusiastic farmer’s daughter from Central West NSW where she has returned to continue her teaching career, delighting in the opportunity to share knowledge with secondary students. These two passions are consolidated through her involvement in local and state level agricultural shows; behind the scenes organisation, as a competitor and on the microphone as an MC and ring announcer. Completing her term as President, Hannah is now sitting on the board as Executive Advisor for ASC of NSW Next Generation where she assists in the continuation of skill development opportunities for young agriculturalists. Hannah is a 2013 Young Farming Champion Alumni, who represented the red meat industry

Connect with Hannah:    LinkedIn and  Twitter

About Australian Rural Leadership Foundation

The Australian Rural Leadership Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation established in 1992 with the aim to develop leaders for rural, regional and remote Australia. The Foundation runs a series of leadership courses including the flagship Australian Rural Leadership Program (ARLP).

 

 

 

 

by Lynne Strong

Leadership is Language with Host Kirsty White and Guest Rebel Black

In this week’s Leadership is Language review human agronomist Rebel Black sits down with Kirsty White to discuss what leadership means to her and why she thinks, at the end of the day, life is a game to be played.

Key Messages

  • Leadership is being my best, blooming where I am
  • We’re all leaders but great leadership requires a high level of personal responsibility.
  • Inspiration and leadership education is right there in front of us, we just need to open our eyes to see it.
  • Leadership and learning is a lifelong journey

 Pull Quote

“…..I think leadership, great leadership requires a high level of personal responsibility, and that’s a very challenging thing to do. It’s much easier for us to blame the outside world for the things that are going on in our lives or in the lives of the people that we care about. True leadership, I believe is a hundred percent self-responsibility, which then enables you to navigate through life in a more easeful way,….”

 About Rebel

Rebel describes herself as a human agronomist with a mission to bloom where she is planted. She is passionate about connecting rural women and is both inspiring to, and inspired by, them. In 2015 Rebel launched THE Rural Woman – an online community offering programs, training and support.

In 2018 THE Seed Scheme was introduced, a project to enable 700 women-led online micro-enterprises in rural and regional Australia through strategic and aligned partnerships with business, government and philanthropists.

Rebel is many things – mentor, speaker, coach, consultant; all borne from her natural gift of communication and her belief in personal responsibility.

Connect with Rebel:   LinkedIn  and  Twitter

About Kirsty

Kirsty is a dynamic farmer, mother and business operator from Bald Blair Angus Stud in northern NSW, with a passion for connecting and empowering the rural women in her community. With a background in business, office management and politics she brings a suite of varied skills to all she undertakes.

Connect with Kirsty: LinkedIn  and   Twitter 

 Want to know more?

THE Rural Woman     www.theruralwoman.com

THE Seed Scheme            www.theseedscheme.com.au

 

by Lynne Strong

Leadership is Language – with Host Emma Ayliffe and Guest Sally Murfett

In this episode of Leadership is Language Sally Murfet sits down with Emma Ayliffe to discuss succession planning and the communication styles, generational drivers and relationship dynamics that can make succession a smoother and more productive process.

Key Messages

  • some of the hardest conversations are the most important conversations to have
  • ask yourself what is the pay-off for not having the difficult conversations
  • understand communication styles, relationship dynamics and generational drivers
  • PART – people, approach, relationships and timing

Pull Quote

“…. nothing happens without relationship and communication. If you can’t get this part right, nothing else is going to happen along the way. So invest in this process. Invest in yourself so that you can sit at the table and have these conversations that are going to get great outcomes for yourself and great outcomes for the family.”

 About Sally

Born onto a farm on the northwest coast of Tasmania, Sally Murfet has a life-time of agricultural and people management skills. She has worked on dairy farms and in rural service businesses, managed Cattle Country magazine, been a rural property specialist and auctioneer with Elders and a project officer for industry groups. Sally brings these skills to the fore in her business Inspire AG as a human resources strategist, project manager, facilitator and thought leader.

Sally was recognised for her commitment to agriculture as the 2019 Rural Consultant of the Year. She believes “a good boss lights a fire inside people, not under them!”

Connect with Sally:    LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/sallymurfet/

Twitter @inspireAgAus

About Emma

Young Farming Champion and chair of the Youth Voices Leadership Team, Emma Ayliffe is a passionate and committed agronomist. She is co-owner of agricultural consultancy Summit Ag and this year launched the app Yacker in order to create real conversations amongst farmers.

Connect with Emma: LinkedIn  and  Twitter @em_ayliffe

About Inspire AG

Inspire AG was established to support the agri sector to embrace the power of people and culture. Inspire AG works with clients to identify how people can be the driving force to improve business productivity, performance and profit through human capital.

#LeadershipisLanguage #YouthinAg #SuccessionPlanning

 

 

 

by Lynne Strong

Leadership is Language – Dr Anika Molesworth interviews Francesca Earp

Francesa Earp talks to Dr Anika Molesworth about her research work in Laos and why actively listening to your people it the most important tool to understanding them.

Key Messages

  • Social and cultural factors of a community are important to leadership – understand your people
  • Learn from people and their situation before trying to change things
  • Laugh when things don’t go to plan, and understand a sense of humour can help build relationships and connections
  • Actively listen to people around you, hear what is said, act on it

Pull Quote

“…..have proper conversations with farmers about why they’re doing things and what’s influencing those decisions … tailor ag extensions to why farmers are making those decisions.”

About Francesca

Francesca Earp is a researcher for global development, student and New Colombo Plan Scholarship recipient. She completed her honours project (University of Sydney, 2018) on the cost of foot and mouth disease control in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. In 2019 she returned to Laos to become the In-Country Implementation Officer for two agricultural development programs conducted by Sydney University in collaboration with The Department of Livestock and Fisheries and funded by The Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research. She worked in this role until project completion in April 2020 and also worked as a gender consultant for a Business Partnership Platform Project based in Laos funded by The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Francesca began a PhD in 2019 investigating the inclusion of female farmers in agricultural development programs in Laos but, due to covid travel restrictions, has put that on hold to study a Master of Global Development at James Cook University.

Connect with Francesca:  LinkedIn and on Twitter 

About Anika

Dr Anika Molesworth is the founder of Climate Wise Agriculture. She lives in the Far West of NSW Australia, where her family raises sheep and goats. It was the decade-long Millennium drought that spurred Anika’s interest in climate change, and how to ensure sustainable and vibrant farming landscapes into the future. Anika is a recognised thought-leader of agro-ecological systems resilience, she is an agricultural science researcher, communicator and works in international agricultural development.

Connect with Anika:  LinkedIn  and on Twitter 

Want to know more?

Read more about Franny’s experiences in the Mekong Delta here

by Lynne Strong

Leadership is Language – Picking your fight “The ally fight” – who we are helping

Dave and Dione

Todays Leaderrship is Language offering sees Young Farming Champion Dione Howard interview global leadership guru Dave Stachowiak

Dave is the host and founder of the internationally acclaimed podcast Coaching for Leaders, which has been downloaded 15 million times. Here he sits down with Dione Howard to discuss how to build ally relationships between consumers and farmers.

Key Messages

  • Identify the big picture; the nobler motive
  • Find your allies – start from a place of looking to serve the other party and build mutually beneficial relationships. Use these relationships in your “ally fights”.
  • Find what’s important to a potential ally and where you may have common alignment. Be curious, ask questions, learn where an ally invests time and resources.
  • For leaders developing an ally relationship – get to know members of your own team and find out what’s important to them to bring them on the journey
  • When inevitable disagreements arise position the conversation in the context of the nobler motive.

“…..we can come back at look at ourselves and say, “Okay, now that we’ve figured out what’s important, or at least some indicators of what may be important, where do we have some common alignment?” That’s a great starting point then for that relationship.”

About Dave

Dave Stachowiak has led training programs for top organizations like the Northrop Grumman Corporation, the United States Air Force, the Boeing Company, and the University of California. He has served as Senior Vice President with Dale Carnegie of Southern Los Angeles and in 2011 launched Coaching for Leaders.

His credentials include a doctoral degree in organizational leadership from Pepperdine University, certificated facilitator with Dale Carnegie, and a Coach U graduate. He serves on the board of the Global Center for Women & Justice and co-hosts the Ending Human Trafficking podcast with Sandie Morgan.

Dave helps leaders discover practical wisdom, build meaningful relationships, and create movement for genuine results.

Connect with Dave:

LinkedIn

Twitter 

About Dione

Dione is a District Veterinarian with Riverina Local Land Services based in Wagga Wagga, NSW. She has been an active member of the Youth Voices Leadership Team(YVLT) since its inception in 2018; holding the position of Mentor Leader and Innovation Leader. 2020 has seen Dione step into the role of YVLT Vice Chair.

Dione’s seat on the YVLT Executive and the Picture You in Agriculture Board is enhanced by her completion of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) Company Directors Course, which she undertook in conjunction with her role as Wool Producer’s Youth Ambassador in 2019.

Connect with Dione:

LinkedIn 

Twitter 

About Coaching for Leaders

Leaders aren’t born. They’re made. Coaching for Leaders has attracted 15 million downloads of conversations with bestselling authors, expert researchers, and everyday leaders — and is the #1 search result for coaching on Apple Podcasts.

 Want to know more?

www.coachingforleaders.com

Coaching for Leaders Episode 481: How Great Teams Find Purpose with David Burkus 

Coaching for Leaders Episode 192: How To Create Team Guidelines witb Susan Gerke