b'During her journey from scientist to global peopleemployee development and feedback is not a one-leader, she had to learn to lead a team into the future. size-fits-all approach, she says. Be ready to activate My primary goal as a leader is to help all employeesyour active listening superpower and take the time to ignite their sparkwhat gets them out of bed andunderstand perspectives of others. excited to tackle the days challenges? she says.Its clear how Lewis impacts people around her. Employees who have activated the best version ofMagan challenges the status quo and is a strong themselves become drivers of their own work and takeadvocate for women and youth, says Ana Maria ownership for their output. Empowering this driveHeilman, NDAES senior big data pipeline manager at in employees has helped her develop teams, and hasNorth Dakota State University. She inspires our future been a driver for her own success.generation of leaders and is passionate about the Lewis says emotional intelligence plays a critical roleagriculture industry. She always tells us to be green and for those looking to obtain the skills to become a goodgrowing, and she motivates us to activate our sparkleader. Its also essential for leaders to recognize thatbut Im happy to see her own spark activated. JORDAN CREMERBorn and raised in a rural community of Macomb, Ill., Jordan Cremer credits his upbringing as the founda-tion of his interest in agriculture. But now, as channel marketing manager for U.S. Seeds at BASF, his passion has developed into a career as well. Receiving his undergraduate degree in Supply Chain and Finance from Western Illinois, Cremer also recently completed his MBA in Finance at UNC Chapel Hills Kenan-Flagler Business School. His career began at Monsanto in 2012, and hes spent his entire professional career in the seed industry. The tangible nature of the seed industry makes it unique, he says. The products we deliver to growers set the foundation for the success of their operations, and they rely heavily on the recommendations of indus-try experts. There is a significant amount of trust that must be built to help farmers make the right decisions and ultimately provide critical resources to consumers.The tangible nature of the seed industry Though, his experiences have been diverse.Ive spent time working in various functions, includ- makes it unique.ing global procurement, supply chain, operations, field sales and marketing, Cremer says. But one thing Cremer is most excited about is the future of the industry in the U.Sespecially when it comes to new products coming to market. the retail channel and ultimately to customers, he says. We have immense competition both on theOur industry faces an ever-evolving set of challenges research and the commercial side, with companiesand issues which creates a fast-paced environment for across the country striving to bring new innovations toproviding new innovative solutions. SEPTEMBER 2022SEEDWORLD.COM /17'