AHDB's AgriLeader Forum inspires farmers to become better leaders

Delegates were given tools and techniques to help drive their businesses forward and encouraged to tap into mentors, develop a plan and to take their teams on the journey with them.

Held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Stratford-upon-Avon, the event attracted around 100 levy payers from all four sectors. Delegates were told to expect rapid change and were given advice on how to navigate their businesses through it successfully.

As part of the opening session, panellists Matt Phelan (founder of The Happiness Index and part-time beef farmer), Elizabeth Buchanan (an organic beef farmer from East Sussex, as well as a non-executive board member of Defra and Special Adviser to Waitrose, Saputo UK and McDonald’s) and James Rutter (the Chief Creative Officer at frozen ready meals company COOK) discussed the benefits of finding a mentor, surrounding yourself with people who make you a better person and having a long-term plan to focus on and, importantly, making the plan happen.

Enjoying what you do was also highlighted as playing an important role in the success of any business.

“If your employees feel happier, they perform better at work,” enthused Matt.

He also highlighted the value of getting off the farm and speaking to different people, whether it’s at events such as the AgriLeader Forum right through to visiting businesses outside of your sector.

The panel discussed how to find the right mentor for your business with key advice focused on seeking out people you really admire. And they talked about ways to ensure you have the right type of people working in your team.

The future of work and artificial intelligence

Delegates then heard from Dan Sodergren, a renowned speaker and regular on TV and radio, who shared his views on the future of work. He said we should all be focused on digital change and transformation, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), whether we like it or not.

He also echoed the thoughts of the panellists, highlighting the importance of employees being engaged in their workplace and the importance of good leadership. Dan added that businesses can often underestimate technology and the benefits it can bring. He explained how AI provides a huge opportunity for agriculture, which he expects will completely change the way people work.

In the evening, delegates heard from former England World Cup-winning rugby captain Katy Daley-Mclean, who spoke about her illustrious career as well as re-emphasising the importance of having a love of what you do in your business and having emotional intelligence to understand the people you work with and what they need.

Building networks and nurturing your team

Day two of the conference saw internationally acclaimed performance coach Jamil Qureshi captivate the audience. Jamil talked about making connections, developing networks and building alliances, highlighting how communities will outperform an individual or bureaucracy time after time.

He told the audience to acknowledge and praise their team’s activities, rather than the outcomes.

“Yes, the result might be great, but what’s important is how the outcome has been achieved and how you can tap into this for future success.”

Another theme that ran through the conference was the importance and value of people – your teams, colleagues, staff and managers – and the benefit diversity can bring to your business. All speakers stressed the need to listen to your people, provide feedback to them, engage them in the business and to bring them along the journey with you.

Jamil told delegates to “Be a winner who creates other winners. Think about that in your next meeting, whether it’s with your team, your bank manager or your family.” He stressed how enabling and helping other people makes us happier and feel more alive, which is surely something that everyone wants.

Summing up, he added:

“I sometimes think that the issues a business or sector will face are pretty unimportant, because you can’t predict the future. But the ability to form teams and have leaders who are open minded enough to deal with those issues, no matter what they are, is essential.”

Over the course of the two-day event, delegates also benefited from free health checks (physical and mental wellbeing) and massages provided by nurses and a masseur, funded and organised through the Warwickshire Rural Hub.

Encouraged by the diverse audience and positivity of both speakers and delegates, Tim Rycroft, AHDB Chief Executive Officer, calls for everyone who attended the AgriLeader Forum to be an ambassador for it and an agent of change within others. He also recognised the work of his colleagues in delivering such a successful and motivating event, picking up on one of the conference’s messages: “One of the big themes has been how leadership is about celebrating people’s success, thanking them and acknowledging them.”