Future Leaders Development led by the Rural Ontario Institute
Contributed by By Rural Ontario Institute
A group of 17 current and emerging leaders in the dairy industry took part in the Future Leaders Development Program led by the Rural Ontario Institute on February 2 to 4, 2016 in Toronto, Ontario.
The course consisted of three days of guest speaker presentations and workshops. Topics discussed include leadership styles, governance challenges, personality profiles and strategic planning.
“Personally the program helped me gain a better understanding of how a well-functioning board should run,” says participant Dave McDiarmid of Midlee Farms Ltd. “The overall experience and the contacts gained by participants will positively impact our futures in agriculture.”
Participants from Ontario and Saskatchewan at the
Future Leaders Development Program
Facilitators included David Hartley of Hartley Consulting, Neil Petreny of CanWest DHI, Nellie Endeman of EastGen, Kelly Ann McKnight of Stoneridge Consulting and Lyndon Stewart of L. Stewart & Associates.
“We all learn leadership in different ways and this program is a good fit and timely to the stage that many of the participants are at in looking towards a future board position,” says facilitator Janet Horner of Whitfield Farms.
Participants record their ideas in a brainstorming session on
leadership opportunities in the dairy industry
Participants will take their learnings back to organizations that they are currently involved in such as county milk committees, church groups, municipalities and industry associations. Many participants are looking forward to getting involved in new organizations as a result of their development training.
The Future Leaders Development Program is supported by CanWest DHI, Dairy Farmers of Ontario, EastGen and Holstein Canada.
For more information on leadership programming, please contact Rob Black, Chief Executive Officer, Rural Ontario Institute at 519-826-4204.