Many of us take advantage of the relatively quieter winter months to plan and make goals for the year. For some, this may mean making purchasing decisions and planting plans, and for others, this might mean making new plans involving personal goals and
professional development.
At ARA, we are here to support the ag retail industry as those plans are being made. Our board of directors and committees met in early February to work on forming public policy positions to set the path forward for the team in Washington, D.C., as well as to chart the member services and professional development opportunities to be offered in the coming months.
The past year has put a lot of activities on hold or changed them dramatically, and we know the changes have impacted everyone in various ways. Many educational opportunities were canceled or converted to virtual events such as the recent ARA Management Academy, and this led to a pause or shift in priorities when it came to professional development for some companies.
ARA recognized that opportunities and needs for leadership and professional development were going to be different with the lack of in-person training seminars. As a result, the ARA member services team realized quickly that the development of employees was still a priority, and the search began for a new type of development program with a unique delivery system.
Path Forward
As we look forward to brighter days ahead, ARA is making plans to assist ag retailers as they work with their employees and leaders to chart a path forward for professional development this year—including virtual and in-person options. ARA’s Professional Development Pathway was developed to guide members to the ARA programs that will be the most beneficial to them at various steps of their careers— whether they be young professionals or C-suite decision-makers.
In the early stages of the pandemic, ARA recognized leadership and professional development opportunities were being put on the back burner with the lack of in-person opportunities. That is when ARA and its partner NuVue Business Solutions came together to offer ARA Navigator 360°, a new first-of-its-kind leadership assessment built specifically for the agriculture industry.
This leadership tool is the only assessment available that evaluates a leader’s effectiveness in two ways: a leader’s skill levels and the ability to use those skills appropriately when needed. The interactive report generated after completing the online assessments shows leaders which skills they use effectively as well as the skills they need to develop, and it is all done online.
What They’re Saying
“Leadership is a great need in agriculture, and the ARA Navigator 360° is a great way to assess needs and start building leaders in the agricultural industry,” says Adriano Santos, vice president, regional business lead for Illinois at Bayer.
“We used the ARA Navigator 360° for several of our key leaders, and the individual coaching sessions with NuVue Business Solutions really helped our leaders craft an individual leadership development plan,” says Clay Houchin from Buttonwillow Warehouse Company.
“The one-on-one coaching provided by NuVue was very beneficial for me to understand my ARA Navigator 360° results. The leadership development recommendations PDF was a great resource to help me build a personal leadership development plan,” says Christopher Henney, president and CEO at Ohio AgriBusiness Association.
Real Results
The ARA Navigator 360° is an online tool that collects and interprets feedback through self-assessment and evaluations completed by managers, direct reports or peers. Once leaders have examined their uniquely generated interactive report, they can discuss the results with their supervisors or teams. Then, they can work with ARA and NuVue to identify the right educational programs to tackle next in order to develop and hone specific skill areas.
You can order one ARA Navigator 360° or have all of your firm’s current and future leaders participate. It assesses employees at three levels: Emerging Leader 360 designed for individual contributors and high potentials; Performance Leader 360 meant for frontline people managers, branch managers and supervisors; and Strategic Leader 360 intended for presidents, CEOs, COOs, CFOs, vice presidents and managers of managers.
For individual leaders, learning strengths and weaknesses is a foundation to developing into better leaders. When ag retailers take this a step further to assess the entire company, it will only strengthen the company and help chart a path for the overall effectiveness of the leadership development investment. The ARA Navigator 360° doesn’t stop with the assessment. The final reports offer development activities and resources to help employers guide their leaders based on their needs. It’s the complete leadership development tool for retailers, distributors and suppliers.
Organizations can change their future by investing in developing their individual leadership talent to meet current and future needs while increasing employee engagement and retention.
More To Come
We are optimistically planning for several of our professional development events to be held in-person in fall and winter 2021. You can learn more about all of ARA’s professional development opportunities at www.aradc.org/pathway, or you can email Donnie Taylor, ARA vice president of membership and corporate relations, at dtaylor@aradc.org.
