Fifteen nursery industry participants have successfully completed the 2019 Growing Green Leaders program, a professional development course that equips young people with the skills and knowledge to accelerate their careers and businesses.
Run by management consultancy firm, The Right Mind, the 2019 program concluded on 1-2 August in Brisbane. Together with their turf colleagues, the nursery cohort conducted a four-month study program to boost their management and communication skills, while undertaking a chosen workplace project.
There were some common themes in this year’s workplace projects, with many participants focusing their goals on the adoption of more productive behaviours in the workplace, in order to reflect their business’s values or the development of a new initiative or activity to boost overall performance.
At the concluding Leadership Forum in August, each participant presented their projects to the group; discussing their progress, key learnings, and future areas for development. Annette Thompson, Production Manager at Cameron’s Nursery, shared her experiences and key insights from the 2019 program.
“The Green Leaders program has provided me with practical tools and frameworks that I can utilise within the business, to further enhance my leadership capabilities and support business growth,” Annette said.
“My workplace project was based on improving team leadership and accountability within the business, and encouraging better communication of company standards and values, to improve efficiency and uniformity within the workplace.
“I worked with team leaders to follow established standards and success indicators in all areas of the business, by hosting weekly toolbox meetings, where our staff recorded their KPI’s on a whiteboard. The process aims to improve quality of work and job satisfaction, as well as reduce costs, crop losses and help the business reach its goals.
“The program run by the Right Mind was very professional. It enhanced my self-awareness and gave me more confidence to adapt my management style for employees and certain situations. Through new learnings, I’ve built on existing skills and fine-tuned my coaching skills, and achieved better results for the business.”
“My overall experience at the final Leadership Forum was very positive. Presenting my project provided me with a great opportunity to share my experience and insights in a professional, productive and cooperative way. It also allowed participants to share constructive feedback and to further develop their workplace initiatives.
“I gained many valuable emotional and behavioural management tools throughout the program and will continue to implement these both professionally and personally,” Annette said.
Though the program is over, the 2019 Green Leaders still have one more task to complete between now and November, with each participant undertaking an initiative that promotes the value and has a direct return-on-investment for their industry.
Source: Your Levy at Work