If you ask 20 people to describe what leadership means, you’ll likely get 20 different answers. For farm owners and operators, this creates the difficult task of developing new managers by cultivating a common set of leadership skills. It’s especially important if new managers are now responsible for former peers.
“One of the first steps of great leadership is understanding what your people need,” says Alex Andrews, manager of organizational development for Alberta-based Rocky Mountain Equipment, AGCO’s largest dealer in Canada. “Generation X has Baby Boomers on one side and Millennials on the other side. They have different needs. Leaders need to have a fluid, flexible management style.”
This advice can help ease new managers’ transition process.
