Agricultural Leadership Foundation Scope of Training and Curriculum

Scope of Training & Curriculum

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Scope of Training and Curriculum

The Foundation provides a statewide multi-disciplinary Leadership Training Program for those working in agricultural and rural businesses and organizations as well as those in other sectors that impact and benefit agriculture. Admission into this program is competitive and selective. Applicants are interviewed by a panel to ensure their ability to commit to the significant investment of time - 42 days over 18 months, including a 2-week trip to the mainland. Class size is kept small (10-12 to provide maximum opportunities for one-to-one and small group learning with the facilitator, the presenters and each other. The cost of the program is $12,000 per participant with 65% of the costs underwritten by charitable contributions.

Program Content

One to two day skill building seminars:

Understanding Group Process and Finding Common Values
Collaborative Leadership
Strategic Planning
Legislative Seminar

Two days of shadowing a State Legislator at the State Capitol

Site visits including:

large and small farms, ranches and nurseries
university and research facilities
community centers and projects
processing plants, distribution centers and shipping facilities
ag tourism and cultural heritage venues
state and national legislatures
a week in a state the class chooses studying agricultural and rural community issues that can be related back to Hawaii

Presentations and extended dialogue by and with alumni and other specialists on the following topics:

Land and Water Issues
Agricultural Research
Organic and Biodynamic Farming
Cultural Heritage
Ag Tourism
Marketing
Transportation
Labor
Community Empowerment
Policy Making

Seminar on Improving Your Effectiveness as a Leader by Understanding Group Process

Think of all the times during the day you are interacting with others. Your success often depends upon your ability to work and communicate effectively with people in a group. Because so much of your work is done in groups, it is important that you understand how groups operate.

Understanding group process becomes even more critical when you take on leadership responsibilities.

As a result, this seminar will focus on group process and you will:

be exposed to conceptual frameworks that will enable you to analyze what is happening in a group and then make better decisions about how you can participate optimally
be able to identify personal values which influence your behavior and the behavior of others in groups
sharpen your personal awareness of communication behavior in groups and be provided with principles to improve your ability to contribute in group interactions
develop an understanding of some of the ways in which decisions are made in groups
be exposed to the importance of goal setting as groups develop, manage and maximize resources
be introduced to action plans and their importance in organizing the work of the group.
learn to apply conflict strategies and confront appropriately

While group process and leadership cover a broad range of possible areas or approaches, their combination in this seminar signifies a belief that effective leadership depends on an ability to understand and work well in groups. Some of the areas the leader needs to be skillful in are values clarification, communication, decision making, goal setting, conflict management and problem solving. Experiential learning will be utilized in this seminar where the participant will be able to fully participate in exercises and discussion.

Seminar on Learning to Lead Collaboratively

A meeting facilitator is like the conductor of a symphony orchestra. The facilitator doesn’t write the music or play the instruments. Rather, as the meeting "conductor," the facilitator is in charge of process–she helps the participants focus on the content and gives them directions about how they can participate appropriately in the meeting. She is responsible for making sure the group gets to the end of the piece with as much harmony as possible.

In this seminar, participants will be exposed to powerful facilitation tools:

The importance of developing a focus for the meeting
How to choose the process(es) to achieve success on the meeting's content
Exposure to powerful problem solving tools and practice in using them
The key roles which can be played by a group facilitator and recorder
Acknowledging and meeting differing expectations of participants
How to build a good agenda
The importance of being an active listener
Learning how to arrange your meeting room for maximum productivity

Finally, the seminar will conclude with a discussion on collaborative leadership. Skilled facilitators have greater potential of becoming collaborative leaders. These are leaders who have the ability to create synergy in groups. They can pull diverse people together to accomplish a common task or goal that none of them could have accomplished–at all or as well–individually.

Seminar on Facilitating Strategic Thinking and Planning

Strategic planning differs from day-to-day planning because it has a long-term view, which tends to be proactive and future-oriented. It involves an on-going commitment to think and plan strategically. This workshop focuses on how to get started using a facilitated two-day retreat.

Listed below are some of the topics covered in the workshop:

Important aspects of strategic thinking and planning
How to determine if your organization is ready to do strategic planning
Pre-retreat planning activities
The key roles played by the facilitator and group organizers
Explanation of both the process model and conceptual framework
Step by step discussion of each component of the process–from the introduction to action plans–with detailed instructions for key tasks and definitions of key terms
A follow-up section which outlines activities after the retreat
A complete case study of an organization that completed the retreat

Extensive appendices that include many useful tools (e.g., for assessing the organization, preparing participants for the retreat, developing an agenda, selecting an appropriate facilitation method, etc.)

Legislative Seminar

The Legislative Seminar is focused on several objectives:

1. Initially, class participants will be exposed to the legislative process so that they can develop an understanding about how a bill becomes a law.

2. The speakers on the first day of the seminar will also discuss the role of lobbyists and give participants strategies for becoming more effective advocates of the agricultural industry and rural communities.

3. Day 2 and 3 will be spent shadowing a legislator. Participants will get a firsthand experience of the kind of work being done by their elected officials.

4. Day 4 will be spent on field trips.

Program Participant Outcomes include:

Refreshes, reframes and expands leadership skills
Develops the ability to analyze complex contemporary issues
Increased knowledge and better understanding of the diverse agriculture issues and endeavors
Gain a broader perspective on their role within the agricultural industry throughout the state
Promotes strategic thinking and planning
Self-confidence to lead their companies and communities
Better able to turn vision into action
Inspired and equipped to be actively committed beyond their own endeavors
Enables and reinforces a personal culture for lifelong learning, leading and fostering results-oriented leadership
New and deepened relationships with colleagues, cohort and other industry leaders
Creates a long-term statewide network of community, industry and sector leaders