Agri-food Leadership Program

Leaders create a shared vision, implement change, take on risk and share in both successes and breakdowns of organizations. How do you become a leader? It takes a lot of work. The Agri-Food Leadership Program is an opportunity for emerging and seasoned leaders to learn and cultivate skills to further develop their style of leadership.

The Agriculture and Food Council of Alberta and the University of Alberta’s School of Business Executive Education are collaborating to offer a new Agri-Food Leadership program to the Alberta industry. The program is comprised of four modules, delivered over four months focusing upon leadership personal awareness, leading others, coaching and mentoring and influencing organizational performance. Through case studies, class discussion, exercises and an individual project, participants will develop skills and knowledge that they can transport and implement when returning to their organizations or businesses.

All sessions will take place at the University of Alberta’s Enterprise Square in Edmonton, 10230 Jasper Avenue.

Benefits of Attending

Participants will:

• Expand their knowledge and recognize and develop personal leadership habits

• Study and discuss business cases that provide insight to all aspects of leadership

• Network with other agri-food professionals from across the value chain

• Understand and implement tools that can facilitate successful organizational relationships

• Undertake a Personal Leadership Project

• Gain confidence to accept future leadership opportunities

• Provide constructive feedback to organizers to help form the next Agri-Food Leadership Program offering

Who should attend?

Participants from across the agri-food value chain from “field to fork” are welcome to apply. Some criteria are as follows:

• Applicants must have some supervisory capacity in their organization

• Primary producers owning their own business are eligible

• Available to participate and complete all 8 days of the program

• Commit to three follow up sessions at 3, 6 and 9 month intervals after the program

What does it cost?

$2000 (plus GST)

Program Information and Dates

Module #1 – December 16-17, 2009 – Leading from self: reflection on human behaviour

Leadership starts with an understanding of self. If you do not know your own personality type understand how adults learn, appreciate your own values and ethics or recognize what motivates people, your effectiveness as a leaders is compromised. This module will:

• Identify your Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI),

• Uncover your personal mission, goals, values and ethics,

• Understand your learning styles

• Teach motivation theories and practice

• Introduce reflective practice

• Discuss time management

• Introduce your Personal Learning Project

Module #2 – January 4-5, 2010 – Leading others: leading relationships and understanding others

This module focuses on building one-to-one relationships within the workforce, recognizing factors such as diversity, either generational or gender based, and the role of the leaders in managing those relationships. This module will:

• Uncover diversity in the workplace

• Discuss emotional and social intelligence

• Reveal the role of the supervisor

• Check-in on the Personal Learning Project

Module #3 – February 11-12, 2010 – Leading through coaching and mentoring

Change and transition is inevitable in every business. How do leaders embrace change and become the champion to lead and manage the transition? This module will look at giving constructive feedback to improve performance. This module will:

• Introduce coaching as a tool for performance

• Provide guidance on giving and receiving feedback

• Equip participants with skills for leading and managing change

• Discuss team building

• Check-in on the Personal Learning Project

Module #4 – March 1-2, 2010 – Leading the organization: leading work and influencing organizational performance

Alignment of personal value with an organization is an important step in the leader’s ability to transform the organization. Building a framework around performance management, and understanding stakeholder management is critical to effective leadership. This module will:

• Provoke organizational awareness through vision, mission, and planning

• Teach tools to developing and managing performance

• Challenge decision-making

• Highlight customer service

• Provide a forum to share Personal Learning Projects

Personal Learning Project

Participants should be prepared to bring a challenge or project that they can develop solutions for over the course of the program. Participants identify a challenge they are dealing with and then demonstrate through the project how the tools they are learning can be incorporated into solving the challenge. During each module, time will be on the agenda to check-in on the progress of the Personal Learning Project. Presentation of the Personal Learning Project will take place during the last module of the program.

Follow-Up Sessions

An opportunity to access follow-up sessions at 3, 6, and 9 month intervals will be provided to the program participants.

How do I apply?

Application forms are available on the Agriculture and Food Council website. (Click here)

Application deadline is OCTOBER 23, 2009.

Successful applicants will be contacted for in-person interviews during the week of November 2^nd. Final selection will take place the week of November 9^th.

Participants will be contacted and invoiced shortly thereafter for the program fees. Credit card payments will be accepted.

NOTE: If you are accepted and cancel after November 27^th, you will be subject to a $500 charge to cover costs of materials, catering etc.

Funding support for the leadership pilot is provided by the Agriculture and Food Council's Innovation in Agribusiness Management Fund, Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development, and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's Canadian Adaptation and Rural Development Fund.