What is good leadership?

CEOs should create a leadership-led culture which invests in your people. Have a clear vision and keep your staff focused. A good leader needs to trust people to do their job. Don’t ask them to do anything that you wouldn’t do yourself and give your team regular constructive feedback. Have the tough battles and let them learn by shadowing you, but maintain your calm under pressure.

What leadership strengths do Irish people have?

Irish people are very good with soft leadership skills which have become increasingly important in an automated world, such as empathy and emotional intelligence. These skills should not be underestimated. They often make the difference between success and failure. Irish people are also particularly good at combining creativity and confidence with negotiating skills.

What are the key leadership weaknesses you come across?

With daily stresses, even highly functioning leaders react to situations as they happen, but may not know how to find the time to reflect and analyse situations under pressure. Leaders need to create mental space in their working day, not only to make the most of their own potential, but to facilitate their teams to reach their joint potential also.

What is the biggest issue people struggle with when it comes to leadership?

Many leaders find managing poor performance and giving developmental feedback difficult. Their teams are often unaware of what they are doing wrong. Coaching in how to give and receive feedback can be very effective. Good leaders seldom allow themselves the space to build strategies to develop productive relationships while still being the boss. The challenge for experienced leaders is to demonstrate leadership effectiveness.

If you had one key message for agribusiness leaders what would it be?

When you develop your own personalised leadership plan, it provides you with a practical strategy to ensure that you will thrive in your leadership role. Tackling and dealing with a leader’s own pertinent issues is essential before tackling those of their team or organisation.

At what level are you aiming your training course?

The Leadership Rooms is aimed at executives and managers. The format is based on four essential pillars of leadership and how they interact with each other: you, your career, your team and your work environment.

The process involves a journey of progression through a virtual series of room concepts where people learn how best to tackle the issues relevant to each room. Once they have dealt with the tasks and challenges in one section, they move on to the next virtual room.