b'ple. Stockbrugger is a chartered professional accountant whovalues aligned with what the team wants to accomplish?also owns and operates a 4,000-acre cereal and oilseed farm How do you make decisions? Are you able to make decisions near Englefeld, Saskatchewan, with his brother and their families.and see the work that needs to be done? Can you learn and Delegation is important, he says, but leadership also depends ontrain quickly? an everyone participates attitude. Weve had many employees over the years, and it really No task is below anyone working in the business, he says.comes down to character and conflict resolution, she says. To When employees see that everyone contributes to the opera- be a good manager in the agribusiness industry I think circulates tion, they will be more willing to share in the tasks.around culture, attitude, character, and behavior.He stresses that an attitude of pitching in needs to stay within reason, as a leader needs to focus primarily on decision-making and strategy over menial tasks. However, showing that they understand every part of the business and are willing to contrib-ute to its successno matter how dirty the jobshould and typically does motivate employees and build team.No task is below anyone working in the business.He reiterates the importance of clear communication.When employees see that everyone contributesBe very clear on instructions of what task you are requesting them to do. Sometimes written instructions can help make sureto the operation, they will be more willing to sharethey are clear, Stockbrugger says. For example, a text message followed up with a verbal instruction gives them something toin the tasks.refer back to. Lance StockbruggerEven a low-tech solution like a whiteboard list posted where every employee can see it can clarify expectations and provide guidance.Have tasks on there so that if someone has free time, they know there are tasks that can be completed, he says. Its also just a good reminder of things that need to be done. 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, Ian,stresses. Those staff need to be selected, trained and trusted to owns Boissevain Select Seeds, a family-owned seed condition- handle work as independently as possible, both for the good of ing and retail operation in Boissevain, Manitoba that was formedthe company and the satisfaction of team members. in 1971. Higher management tasks and attention to details are Froese Family Farms mission is to provide the highest qualitybecoming ever more important as costs escalate. We need seed and expertise to farmers, both in the local area and beyond.to make sure that upper management can spend the proper Froese credits her husbands collaborative management styleamount of time running the business and have the staff mem-and her sons strong marketing skills with the continued successbers working independently with minimal supervision, he says. of the business. However, all five team members who run theThis takes time to achieve, but once everyone understands that operationtwo family members, two full-time employees andthe contribution they make leads to the success of the business, one part-time employeeare involved in decision making. the business will be more profitable, safer, and more enjoyable to Decisions are made collaboratively, she says. One of thebe a part of.triggers for many in farm culture is micromanagement, whichLeadership is mostly what many call tacit knowledgea we dont like. We believe in teamwork and innovation, so wereskill that is difficult to learn from a book or video, Lemoine says. always creating new growth and products. While watching great leaders can be a solid way to learn how to Alongside running the farm, Froese is also a farm familysuccessfully manage teams and organizations, the best way to coach who strongly believes in the management style of Peterlearn is acting as a leader yourself. That allows new leaders the Drucker, an Austrian-American management consultant, educa- chance to try to motivate and inspire teammates, develop others tor, and author whose writings contributed to the philosophicaland facilitate important projects and decisions. and practical foundations of modern management theory. SheDelegation is a way to ease your employees into leadership says there are three key factors Drucker outlined that she needsroles, to give them experience through which you can coach or to know of her own team membersand herself - and coachesmentor them, Lemoine says. clients to consider too: Theres a reason, for instance, that the transition from SteveWho are you: How do you behave? Are you coachable? AreJobs to Tim Cook at Apple was so successful. In large part it wasyou a lifelong learner? Do you have good character? Are youbecause Jobs was willing to delegate responsibility to Cook and honest? work with him to build the skills he needed to eventually take theWhat do you stand for? What do you value and are yourreins.SWSEPTEMBER 2023 SEEDWORLD.COM /9'