As a member of PAL's Class 9, I’ve been working to honing my advocacy skills to benefit current and future agriculturalists, as well as the public.
Here is a pitch to you, my fellow farmers and ranchers, on why YOU should apply for P.A.L.' s.
In March of 2018 PAL Class 9 travelled to London, England and Brussels, Belgium to focus on Brexit politics and economics. Here are some pictures from the trip:
Participating in PAL has us studying our skills with a program called CliftonStrengths. Here is a link to there site if it grabs your curiosity: http://strengths.gallup.com/110440/About-StrengthsFinder-20.aspx
Here is my take on using my predisposition to seeking harmony in accomplishing the task at hand...
My top five themes from the CliftonStrengths analysis are consistency, harmony, responsibility, self-assurance and activator. Though I find all five to be accurate, I will focus on harmony for the purpose of this exercise.
The reason I chose to focus on Harmony is simple. The efforts we undertake collectively, as well as individually, to advocate for agriculture are tasks where we represent tens of thousands and millions of farmers across our states or country, as well as tens of millions around the world. I find the idea of attempting to represent their perspectives and asking for the wants and needs of such a large, capable and diverse group of people to be a bit daunting. However, while pursuing those efforts with an outstretched friendly hand and a listening ear to as many farmers and ranchers as I can collaborate with, eases my mind to know that I'm on the right path. I believe firmly that through these harmonious collaborations together we will foster a brighter future for agriculture.
It's also interesting as a sidebar to having a strength of harmony, CliftonStrengths states that “your insights into what is factual probably enable individuals to view things matter-of-factly. This is one way you help people agree on how to deal with unpleasant circumstances and overcome obstacles." This is very true in my case, and often times in the interest of sticking to those facts I find that people will find reassurance in the facts presented and often times spend less time dwelling on personal differences and feelings that sometimes can overwhelm or divide an otherwise harmonious group. I find this to be an essential tactic in collaborating with others to an end we all agree on.
Ultimately, keeping our eye on the prize as we harmoniously work together, Farm Bureau advocates will accomplish great things. I also plan to use that harmonious manner to stay focused on our scientifically-based facts and points to win the day with those we are advocating with, whether it be the public, journalist or policymakers.
Thanks for reading everyone!
Here is my take on using my predisposition to seeking harmony in accomplishing the task at hand...
My top five themes from the CliftonStrengths analysis are consistency, harmony, responsibility, self-assurance and activator. Though I find all five to be accurate, I will focus on harmony for the purpose of this exercise.
The reason I chose to focus on Harmony is simple. The efforts we undertake collectively, as well as individually, to advocate for agriculture are tasks where we represent tens of thousands and millions of farmers across our states or country, as well as tens of millions around the world. I find the idea of attempting to represent their perspectives and asking for the wants and needs of such a large, capable and diverse group of people to be a bit daunting. However, while pursuing those efforts with an outstretched friendly hand and a listening ear to as many farmers and ranchers as I can collaborate with, eases my mind to know that I'm on the right path. I believe firmly that through these harmonious collaborations together we will foster a brighter future for agriculture.
It's also interesting as a sidebar to having a strength of harmony, CliftonStrengths states that “your insights into what is factual probably enable individuals to view things matter-of-factly. This is one way you help people agree on how to deal with unpleasant circumstances and overcome obstacles." This is very true in my case, and often times in the interest of sticking to those facts I find that people will find reassurance in the facts presented and often times spend less time dwelling on personal differences and feelings that sometimes can overwhelm or divide an otherwise harmonious group. I find this to be an essential tactic in collaborating with others to an end we all agree on.
Ultimately, keeping our eye on the prize as we harmoniously work together, Farm Bureau advocates will accomplish great things. I also plan to use that harmonious manner to stay focused on our scientifically-based facts and points to win the day with those we are advocating with, whether it be the public, journalist or policymakers.
Thanks for reading everyone!