"Be Your Brand"

I’m Lacy Gray with Washington Ag Today.

Like any other business owner agricultural business owners need to learn about and incorporate the techniques and tools that will help them and their employees act with integrity, align actions with personal values, and communicate consciously with internal stakeholders and customers. Far West Agribusiness Association is there to help with that. On November 12 and 13 Far West will be hosting its 3rd Annual Agribusiness Academy in Spokane. Far West’s Jim Fitzgerald, explains.

FITZGERALD: The Academy covers leadership skills - answers some of the questions that owners and general managers may want to know about people they’ve delegated authority to within their business, and what’s going to make them follow the priorities of the company when they’re out of sight, out of mind out in the field. I often think when I was a young man I would watch the old westerns and you’d see the cowboy on the horse that would make a statement, “I ride for the brand” - what that meant was, I work for the guy that owns these cattle, and that’s very important in today’s business. Whether you work for a larger corporation or a small independent retailer, you are a representative of that company.

With that in mind Fitzgerald says the “Be Your Brand” workshop is appropriate for new employees, mid-level managers and corporate leadership.

FITZGERALD: It speaks to the leadership within the various businesses and also speaks to what is it that makes someone generate loyalty to a company and want to stay with them on the long term.

For more information and to register for the event visit fwaa.org.

That’s Washington Ag Today.

I’m Lacy Gray on the Ag Information Network.