Leadership Archives - Carolyn CAREs

Finding my Voice

I’ve had many ideas about blog posts I should write, but I seemed to have lost my voice. I had forgotten how to write authentically. With a little work, I am finding my voice…and it feels good.

Over the last 18 months, I’ve been working on understanding who I am and what makes me tick. It started with an opportunity to attend a spiritual gifts workshop at church, as well as taking a personality test based on the four temperaments. That got me interested in diving a little deeper by going through some Life Purpose coaching. The original idea behind this was to feel a lot better about life when turning 50 than I did when I hit 40.

The three assessments I completed were the spiritual gifts assessment, Wired That Way, and Strengths Finder 2.0. I was quite surprised when they all basically said the same thing. There were many a-ha moments in there that made me say aloud “now I get why I do that!”

The secondary reason that I wanted to go through the Life Purpose coaching was to reassess whether or not I should continue to pursue leadership positions in organizations or my community. If that answer was yes, then I wanted to know how could I use my personality and strengths to be the best leader I could be wherever I am. That answer was yes, and I was re-elected to the Minnesota Farm Bureau Board of Directors in November. Woo!

I turned 50 last October, and felt a heck of a lot more confident than when I turned 40, so that was good! There still seemed to be a lot of work to do on myself though, so I sought out leadership books and looked at applying for the next Minnesota Agriculture & Rural Leadership (MARL) class. This is a competitive application, where not everyone who applies gets selected. I made it in! My 18 month MARL journey will start in November, and I’m super excited AND nervous about the whole thing. You will hear more about my experiences once our class begins!

So, all this to say…I have looked at my style of communication from the beginning of this blog, and, I have to admit, a lot of posts sounded a lot like a mom lecture. Uff da! I’ve learned that mothering people is part of my personality…and that I need to tone it down a bit.

Finding my voice and learning how to communicate authentically is a journey…one that won’t end. My hope is to be more authentic, to let the fun side take over, and to let the mom side rest unless needed. There will be more posts about what is happening here farming-wise, some family stuff, as well as the leadership seminars I’ll be attending. I’m looking forward to writing once again…this time, with more exclamation points!

Thanks for hanging in there until the end!

What Kind of Impact are You Leaving on Others?

The impact we have on others, whether through a brief chat in a checkout line, or serving on a committee together is something I’ve been reflecting on a lot lately.

This past summer, I took the opportunity to participate in some Life Coaching. I’m approaching a milestone birthday at a rapid pace, and I want to go into this next decade feeling better about life than I did when I entered the current decade.

A couple of things really stood out to me when I looked at the results of the various assessments I took. Leadership is a pretty strong theme. Along with leadership, the threads of communication, empathy, fun, extroversion, harmony, and passion (to name a few) helped me to see how uniquely I am made. They have also been a source of contemplation…how can I use this information to be the best me?

Following my coaching sessions, I have focused on the impact that I have had on others…good and bad. As part of the leadership focus, I have also been observing the behavior of others as mental note taking on how actions directly affect those we encounter every day. I have witnessed some pretty awesome encounters in the checkout lines at Walmart, where people have been kind to strangers, and patient when the process is taking a bit. There have also been some pretty negative experiences where I wonder why I am volunteering for certain groups, or why I try to share my farm story online.

This leaves me with the question: What kind of an impact are you leaving on others? Are you making sure that those you encounter leave with a positive impression of you…or are you making sure you win the argument at all costs? With all of the division, hatred, and violence in the world today, my challenge to you is to make sure you are leaving a positive impact on those you encounter every day. Doesn’t matter if it is in person, or online. You don’t have to agree with everything a person does or stands for to have a positive impact. If nothing else, be kind. Always.

30 Things I Love: Agriculture Organizations

I love all the opportunities we have to become involved with various agriculture organizations. We are currently members of the Minnesota Farm Bureau, Minnesota Corn Growers, Minnesota Soybean Growers, and the Minnesota Pork Producers. All of these organizations have a direct connection to what we raise on our farm.

You may wonder what the point is in being a member of an ag organization. After all, you’re just an average farmer with the nose to the grindstone, and no time to be on a board. That’s the beauty of these organizations. You can be as active as you like. If you don’t have time to sit on a board, you don’t have to. Your membership is still important.

The Minnesota Farm Bureau President, Kevin Paap, often says, “If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu.” Being a member of an agriculture organization helps to keep us at the table, and not on it. Your membership dollars are used to help us know how and what to say to our legislators when we visit them at the State Capitol, or in Washington DC. We are strong when we speak with a unified voice! Those that wish to become more vocal have opportunities to learn communication and leadership skills by attending various events. You don’t have to be a board member to participate in those opportunities. That said, if you choose to become a board member of any county or regional agriculture organization, you will be welcomed!

I am amazed at how much my leadership and speaking skills have developed over the last 14 years. Jonathan and I joined Farm Bureau in July 2000. We were encouraged to compete in the Young Farmer and Rancher Achievement Award contest, which we did. The third time was the charm, when Jonathan won in 2004. The American Farm Bureau Annual Convention was in Hawaii that year, so I had to get on my very first airplane when Jonathan went to compete nationally. We didn’t make it into the top 10, but I remember thinking about how cool the convention was, and that I wanted to go to another one. I joined the county Farm Bureau board around that time, and for the past 6 years, I served as President. In that time, I had other opportunities to serve on state committees, and I became a member of the Speak for Yourself program, where we were taught how to tell our farming story to the general public and continue to learn how to engage the non-farm consumers. I was also encouraged to apply for the position of representing a general farm organization on the Organic Advisory Task Force, which has lead to being appointed chair this term. Last winter, I felt the nudge to run for our district’s seat on the MN Farm Bureau Board of Directors, and was elected at our November annual meeting. 26 years ago, when I first moved to the farm from my home in the Twin Cities, I never dreamed I would have the passion for agriculture that I do…or that I would have the voice that I do. I am so thankful that I swallowed the nervousness and went to my first county board meeting.

If you are on the fence, I encourage you to join a county organization. The grassroots nature of many of these organizations really does give the power to the farmer, and gives you a voice even when you cannot physically be at your state capitol or in Washington DC. That is why I love agriculture organizations!

Day 1: Pizza

Day 2: Shoes

Day 3: Shout Stain Remover

Day 4: The Ability to Vote

Day 5: My Heritage

Day 6: NASCAR

Day 7: Black Velvet for Photography

Day 8: Strong Coffee and Strong Hairspray

Day 9: Peacefulness

Day 10: Winter’s First Snow

Day 11: Freedom

Day 12: Dairy