What an amazing week! It was better than I expected and we went to places and met people that will go down as once in a life time experiences. – Jo Eady

So, today, I’m going to share some ways of gaining maximum return from an innovation tour like this or any well-designed training or development opportunity. In AusAg there is a lot of investment in international conferences, field visits and also study tours. This quick read will give you some insights into how to gain the most for yourself or for those you invest in.

Whether you’re visiting a farm, business, industry or community, the real value of a field trip isn’t what you see on the day. It’s what you do differently when you get home. It’s easy to be inspired by someone else’s ideas, impressed by their achievements or surprised by how they approach challenges. But inspiration without action rarely leads to change. So, how do you turn those observations into personal growth?

Here are five practical ways to make your next field trip count.

1. Be curious, not judgemental – Go with an open mind. Resist the temptation to compare everything with how you currently do things. Instead, ask questions, listen carefully and look for different perspectives. Ask yourself: What are they doing differently that I could learn from?

2. Identify your lightbulb moments – Pay attention to the ideas, conversations or experiences that make you stop and think. These are often the most valuable takeaways. Write them down before you forget them. Ask yourself: What surprised me? What challenged my thinking? What will I remember most?

3. Reflect on yourself – The best learning often comes from looking inward. Consider how the things you have observed relate to your own behaviours, leadership style, decisions and capabilities. Ask yourself: What does this experience tell me about myself? What could I do better?

4. Turn observations into actions – Don’t let your notes become a graveyard of good ideas! Choose one or two things you can realistically implement. They might be a new way of communicating, a different approach to problem-solving or a change in how you lead your team. Ask yourself: What is one thing I will start, stop or do differently?

5. Share your learning and stay accountable – Learning becomes more powerful when it is shared. Talk about your experience with colleagues, your team or a mentor. Explain what you discovered and what you intend to change. Ask someone to check in with you to see how you are progressing. Ask yourself: Who can help me turn this learning into lasting change?

A successful field trip isn’t measured by the kilometres travelled, the number of farms / businesses visited or how many photos you take. It’s measured by the new ideas you bring home, the assumptions you challenge and the changes you make as a result. Remember: You don’t have to change everything you do. Sometimes, one new idea, one different perspective or one small behavioural change can make a significant difference. The challenge is simple: Don’t just come home with a collection of observations. Come home with a commitment to do something differently.

Over to You

Do any of these resonate for you? Which ones are you likely to use? Can you schedule some time and work on some of these before you forget your last field trip or innovation tour? We have seen people leave field trips etc with friends for life, career progression they never thought possible, an amazing mentor, gratitude that they pushed themselves out of their comfort zone and even some that say it was a life changing experience. I want the same for you. Please take one or two or maybe even three things from this article and put them in place today. Good luck. And please feel free to reach out to me here if you think I can help in any way.

The post Turn What You See into What You Do appeared first on Ruralscope.

Leadership isn’t just about what you achieve — it’s about how you achieve it. For leaders, ethics can sometimes feel like a big, abstract concept. In reality, your ethics show up in everyday decisions: what you say when someone isn’t in the room, whether you speak up when something doesn’t feel right, how you treat and work with people with less power than you, and whether your actions match your values. As your leadership influence grows, people will watch what you do more closely than what you say. And this is where it gets interesting!

Your reputation is built through hundreds of small choices, particularly the difficult ones where there isn’t an obvious right answer. So your reputation is often based around what you do and how you behave rather than the position you hold or what you say.

“Ethical leadership means having the courage to act with integrity, even when doing so is inconvenient, slow, unpopular or even comes at a personal cost.” – Jo Eady

It also means recognising that you won’t always have all the answers or know what to do. Welcome to the world of leadership. In these situations, I encourage you to ask questions, seek different perspectives and stay open to changing your mind when new information emerges. This is definitely not the time to withdraw or close down.

Here are 5 ways you can become more aware of ethics in leadership and use these to develop yourself as well as those you lead.

1. Know what you stand for – Identify three or four values that genuinely guide your workplace / organisation leadership decisions. When things get complicated, your own values and that of your organisation and team become your compass.

2. Pause before making the easy / faster choice –  Ask yourself: Is this right, or is it simply easier / faster? That small pause can change the quality of a decision. This is really important and the pause may be a day or a week rather than just a moment. Ethical decisions can and should take time to make.

3. Consider who isn’t at the table – Before making an important decision, think about who will be affected but may not have a voice. Seek their perspective where possible. Or at least take time to think about how this will impact them and what this means for them, the team and or organisation.

4. Make your actions match your words – Trust is built through consistency. If you expect accountability, demonstrate it yourself. If you value respect, show it — especially when you disagree. Truth and trust are connected at the hip, you can’t have one without the other.

5. Have the courage to speak up –  Ethical leadership isn’t about being perfect. It’s about being willing to ask the uncomfortable questions, challenge poor behaviours and acknowledge when something isn’t right. It’s about doing hard things and not taking the easy way through or bowing to a colleague / friend or family member. Many of you will already know that I often use language around what’s OK and what’s not OK. In fact this is how I first learned to be able to question things that I didn’t find ethical.

Leadership in Australian agriculture is built on trust. Every decision you make as a leader affects others. Responding to competing interests is when ethical leadership is required the most. It all starts when you know or are privy to something you know is not OK. It’s incumbent on you and all of us to have the courage to see beyond how something is being presented to what is being presented.

Over To You

Do any of these resonate for you? Could any be helpful to support your leadership ethics as well as those you lead?

The post Lead with Ethics or Don’t Lead at All appeared first on Ruralscope.

Boundaries are often misunderstood as saying no, being difficult or putting up barriers between ourselves and others. In reality, healthy boundaries are about being clear about what we can give, what we need, and what we will—and won’t—accept. I reckon boundaries are important for everyone and particularly so for leaders. Without them, it’s just too easy to become the person who fixes everything, answers every request, carries everyone else’s problems and slowly runs out of time and energy. Good boundaries create clarity. They help you and others understand what’s expected, reduce unnecessary conflict and allow you to focus on what really matters most. The bit I like is that they help you to keep out of stuff / issues etc you don’t need to get involved with and as a result you have more time for your own work etc.

“When leaders have healthy boundaries, they have more capacity to listen, think strategically, make good decisions and support others without taking everything on themselves. Sometimes the most powerful leadership statement is simply: “This is what I can do. This is what I can’t do. And this is what needs to happen next.” Healthy boundaries don’t make life smaller. They create the space to spend your time, energy and attention on the things that matter most” – Jo Eady.

Here are some practical ways of leading with boundaries.

1. Know what matters to you – Before you can establish a boundary, you need to understand what you are protecting. Is it your time, family, wellbeing, focus, values or quality of work? Clear priorities make boundaries much easier to define.

2. Say it clearly and simply – You don’t need a long explanation. Try: “I can’t take that on right now,” or “I’m available until 4pm.” Clear is kinder than vague.

3. Don’t confuse guilt with doing something wrong – Setting a boundary can feel uncomfortable, particularly if you are used to being helpful. Feeling guilty doesn’t necessarily mean your boundary is unreasonable. Sometimes it simply means you’re doing something differently.  You will often experience push back when you implement a new boundary.

4. Be consistent – A boundary isn’t really a boundary if you make exceptions every time someone pushes back. Consistency teaches others what they can expect from you—and teaches you to trust yourself.

5. Let others manage their response – This can be the hardest part. You can communicate respectfully and still have someone be disappointed, frustrated or unhappy. Their reaction belongs to them (not YOU). Your responsibility is to communicate your boundary clearly and respectfully.

Over To You

Do any of these resonate for you? Could any be helpful in your work / relationships today?

The post Lead with Boundaries Every Time appeared first on Ruralscope.

Today, I’m asking you to dial up your visibility and I want to share some quick and simple ways to do this that cost nothing and won’t take too much time. But first, here’s why I think dialing up your visibility is so important. It;

1. Gets you known for what you want to be known for
2. Builds trust and familiarity
3. Attracts people to you that matter
4. Attracts new opportunities
5. Ensures your work is recognised and
6. Increases your credibility

When you take a look at this list, these are all things that can benefit you.

“Your visibility – how you show up, what you say and how your present yourself and represent yourself to others is all within your control. From your energy, to what you wear and what you say and how you say it, all rests with you. I encourage all leaders to look at how you are currently managing your brand through visibility and ensure it’s reflecting your authentic self and values.”
– Jo Eady, Leadership Specialist

Here are some practical tips for dialling up your visibility…….

1. Let’s Talk Energy – It’s the big new leadership “thing.” Others pick up on your energy when you walk into a room or sit down at a meeting. Keep it clear and positive.

2. Eye Contact – Look around at others (not down). Eyes are one of the first ways we connect.  Looking at others means you acknowledge they are there and they feel seen and so are you.

3. Your Style – Do you know what your signature style is? Do you know what it says about you before people meet you? Is it time for you to review your style and ensure it’s consistent with your authenticity and values?

4. Be Consistent – Show up the same, with digital, in person and in writing communications, it’s important that your visibility is consistent in all forms. In fact, consistency across these helps build your “brand” with transparency, credibility as well as trust.

5. Build Trust – Build your reliability reputation – this means do what you say you’ll do and show up with integrity. Trust is built in moments and how you show up with others is trust building. 

Over to You

Do any of these resonate for you? Could any be helpful for you to put in place the next time you step out for work or into a meeting?

The post Dial Up Your Visibility appeared first on Ruralscope.

I facilitate so many forums where I ask people to take a seat and they stand and lean against the wall OR where I ask them to take a seat (and there are seats available) and they wave back at me and say it’s OK I’m fine here thanks! At that moment my heart always sinks as more often than not, their presence (or lack of) is showing up as self doubt, not confident and feeling like they don’t deserve a place like everyone else in the room. Whether the person knows that or not when they wave back at me, but that’s the perception people will have of them. In fact, their presence in the room will not be seen, felt or heard as by sitting apart from or standing around the wall of the room, you actually make yourself invisible to the discussion / meeting.

So many books have been written about this, a key one being Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg who was then the CEO of Facebook.

I’m not suggesting you go off and read this book, what I am suggesting is that you value yourself enough to confidently take your seat at the table. Afterall, you have been invited (because of your knowledge, skills and competence) to the meeting to participate and not just stand around or sit on the outer.

“It’s kind of laughable that people will go to the extent of getting themselves to a meeting and then disqualify themselves from the discussion based on where they stand or sit – but they do.” – Jo Eady

So please, the next time you are in this situation, choose to sit at the table with everyone else.

Here are some practical tips to help you and to show up with leadership presence.

1. Sit at the Table – Sit with everyone else, this is your meeting too. Own your space by getting comfortable and introduce yourself to those sitting around you. Offer a hand shake.

2. Make your Body Language Work for You – This is all about sitting forward, no crossed arms, watching as people speak and making eye contact with them if you wish to show support.

3. Speak up – Now, you’ve shown up and are sitting at the table, it’s time for you to speak up. Ask a question, offer support by saying yes or offer up your opinion about the topic that’s being discussed.

4. Offer Warmth – We size each other up very quickly – in a matter of seconds. If you come across as warm and willing to connect, then people will think you are confident and competent. This is how we want to show up, so get to it.

5. Imposter Be Gone! – Imposter Syndrome isn’t a disease but it is something that may pop up each time you take something on or are challenged outside your comfort zone. Normalise it. And accept, it’s another leadership tool. Something to use and not something to fear or run away from especially when invited to meetings / forums.

Over to You

Do any of these resonate for you? Could any inspire you to show up more purposefully the next time you step into a meeting or forum?

The post Show Up Sit Down and Smile appeared first on Ruralscope.

My challenge, as trusted coach, is to make the time in our coaching sessions useful and most of all transformative. To act as a resource and introduce just in time information, constructs, stories, questions and of course some theory too to generate enough interest to support you to “do” leadership and to act, implement, try, stumble and put in place a change – no matter how small – to grow and enhance your leadership. No amount of leadership theory on its own is going to get you to this point but some carefully crafted questions that generate an understanding of leadership and how it plays out in your everyday life and work will. I can say this with confidence as it’s played out to be true time and time again in the leadership and coaching programs I and many of my colleagues facilitate.

Making leadership relevant to the everyday is the focus of these newsies. This issue is all about how to lead with heart. And here are some ways to do just that. No Uni degree needed, no 3 day workshop, no 40 page workbook, just some things that you can consciously do with commitment that  are certain to make a change. You’ll know as people will relate to you in a different way. Watch out for it. Would love to know which of these make sense for you right now (if any) too.

Be 100% present – show up with focus on others.

Bring 100% focus to conversations – listen, listen, listen and then talk.

Listen deeply – listen first to understand and only then to be understood. 

Speak with integrity – say what you mean and be clear about it. Luv the quote from Brene Brown. “Clear is kind, unclear is unkind.”

Work ‘with’ people – talk and work ‘with’ people rather than doing things ‘to’ or ‘for’ people. This one is about respect and shared power.

Be a role model – walk the talk.

Ask of yourself what you ask of others – this gives we are in this together vibe.

Be kind – acts of kindness are easily noticed. It can be as simple as saying “you did a great job today” as you walk past a team member.

Tell the truth – say no more – there is no room for lies in leadership.

Show empathy – this is about connecting with emotions. A great place to start is to show you recognise the emotions of others.

Over to You

Do any of these resonate for you? Could any be helpful in your work / relationships today?

The post Lead With Heart Everyday appeared first on Ruralscope.

During this time, I played with a beautiful wood Martina racquet (tucked a few tournament and Saturday championships in my pocket) And when I wasn’t playing tennis, I raced around our concrete tennis court, over the cracks and under the net like I was speed skating at the Olympics on my trusty bright yellow skateboard. As I look back, and my family will attest, I’m lucky there were no emergency trips to the hospital with all my skateboarding antics. A couple of skinned knees and elbows for sure.

There were lessons I learned then that I’m sure have contributed to my leadership. Here’s a round up.

1. Persistence – Keep your eye on the target. I spent hours hitting balls (volleys) against the 10th board of our weatherboard house. And weeks perfecting a fast corner turn on my skateboard.

2. Go for Better and Best – Erase expectations from your thinking. Improvement comes from striving to do better, not expecting or going for the win, but doing your best. The wins follow.

3. Technique Matters – Being coached is the way to go. We went to a tennis coaching clinic for country kids in the Summer holidays. I learned a technique for a slice backhand – awkward to start but pretty fast and effective once I got my eye in. Be open to change.

4. Capability – Know you’re enough just the way you are. Know what you’re capable of. How hard can you push yourself, how close to the line can you serve that ball and how close to the corner can you skate before having to turn it hit the grass.

5. Conditions – Know when the conditions are favourable and know when they aren’t. Have patience, your turn will come again. Sometimes you get one chance to make that shot – make it, even if it spins in off the edge of the racket.

Over to You

Do any of these lessons resonate for you and your job, business, leadership role today? Have you leadership lessons from when you were younger? How do they play out in your work and life today?

The post Leadership Lessons from When I was 10 appeared first on Ruralscope.

I’m prompted to share this with you today because it’s the beginning of the year and I want to encourage you to reflect on who you are and how you’re going to lead this year. Take a minute to stop and ask yourself these three questions about your leadership;

1. What are you going to continue doing?
2. What are you going to stop doing? and most importantly
3. What are you going to start doing?

Go on, stop reading and answer these questions, just one thing for each is enough for now! This will help you sit with your leadership more comfortably for yourself and those you lead. You know when you’re in the presence of a leader – you feel comfortable, at ease, respected, connected and valued. This is what I want for you. Leadership is an everyday thing for all of us, so it makes sense to become as consciously aware of yourself as you can. And everyone benefits.

More to come in a future blog post, but here’s a heads up for you. Two books have got my hear t racing in recent times. The first is Ben Crowe’s new release, Where the light gets in and the other is Neale Daniher’s The power of choice. I hear from others they are both life changers so check them out if this resonates.

Here are 5 ways we know work for those of you wanting to lead yourself better.

1. Become more self aware. Identify what your strengths are – what are you really good at? What are your strengths? And with this comes the opposite, what are you not so good at? Start reflecting on who you are, what your default style is and how you show up.

2. Deepen connection. This is with yourself and with others. Take time to really connect and get to know yourself and others. Connect with others via heart and then head – feeling and then thinking.

3. Be kind. Speak as kindly to yourself as you do to others. Go with strengths and positives first every time.

4. Know your values. Really get to know your values and lean into and live them. They are your guideposts for life and will help you stay on track to being your best self.

5. Take note of others. Other people give insights into who we are and how we lead everyday. Watch how they connect (or don’t) with you. Listen to what they share and say to you (or don’t). As leaders, how we think of ourselves matters and so does how others see and think of us.

Over to You

Take some time to think about what you’re going to do in the next couple of weeks and get cracking. Ohhh and if you haven’t, scroll back up and answer the three questions above!

The post Lead Yourself First appeared first on Ruralscope.

I love this Leadership for Advocacy topic, and it appears many of you and others do too. I have received a lot of feedback about how practical the session was and this got me to thinking, that it’s time to strip back the academics of advocacy and allow it to show up in our everyday conversations. Real people, sharing real thoughts, stories and most importantly experience led opinions. It’s time to keep it simple and take the opportunity to be proactive and share our thoughts and ideas when, where and with who we can (and always with purpose).

There’s a ping on my phone – I’ve just received a message from a webinar attendee who used a tool I shared and said “WOW it really works, I feel great and I’m going to use this again and again now”. I’m going to share a few observations about Leadership for Advocacy with you here now.

1. Having a tool to form and share your opinion is critical. Very few of us are short of words, it’s how we use them that matters. We need to share our point and offer up some data / story to go with it. One without the other is likely to leave people confused and the impact of your conversation / meeting / presentation lost.

2. Clarity is good for us. It brings purpose to what we are doing, who we engage with and what we say. As a believer that advocacy is for everyone and occurs one conversation at a time, being clear about what you stand for, what you have an opinion about why you want to share this is super important. Stay too general and it will all become a little mellow and impact will be limited.

3. Mindset is key. We did a quick exercise on the Webinar that gave people the opportunity to assess their advocacy mindset. People marked themselves on a continuum between two capabilities like Reactive ……………. Proactive etc. It took no time at all for people to get a measure on what capabilities to put focus on to build their advocacy mindset further. Ahh the joy of slowing down and taking time to be honest with ourselves. This is where all good growth and change start.

4. Offering opinions with emotion can provide a positive charge. So can tone of voice and the speed you speak at. Did you know that if you are face to face, body language accounts for about 48% of your overall communication, 38% for vocal tone and only 7% for the words you choose. And repeating words or sentences to make a point or even saying one word louder than the others can create a ‘hearing it in bold’ type experience for the listener. Mmmm that’s food for thought right there.

5. I know from experience that the clearer my purpose and the more planned I am, the clearer the messages I share are. And I also know that having a tool to align or hang my opinions / words on really matters. Being able to speak under water is no strength if you can’t make the words count! Hence, my top hints for today are to speak for impact when it matters and develop a few tools to help out along the way.

Over to You

Take some time to think about adding advocacy to your string of leadership capabilities – one conversation at a time.

Until next time!

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Before we start, I want to share what I mean by a stand out leader. To me you are a stand out leader if you know yourself well – you need to know yourself from the inside out – from the top of your head right down to your toes. You need to know what makes you tick, what your values and .drivers are. You are a stand-out leader if you can create a vision, empower others and effectively lead long lasting change. So let’s get to my 7 steps.

Step 1 – So, the first stand out step is that you don’t profess to know everything. You show up as you are and don’t profess to be better or know more because you now have the role or label as Chair or President, Manager or Minister! Instead you are a learner first and foremost and you contribute to change by taking risks. It’s important you remain open to new ideas and what people have to say and share with you.

Step 2 – The next step is that you model and encourage healthy striving – you want everyone to do better and to show empathy as well as self compassion always. This is super important as it drawers’ people to you because they see and feel that you care. And in turn this makes them step up.

Step 3 – The next standout step is that you set boundaries – you can say no when you mean no and help others to do the same. And when you communicate you are clear and kind so that everyone understands that what you say is what you mean.

Step 4 – Another step is that you take time to offer gratitude and celebrate steps and achievements along the way – both for yourself and for others. You understand the value of a simple thank you. And others will respect you for it.

Step 5 – From what I’ve seen, a big step for the stand out leader is that you can create vision and then cultivate commitment from others and have them come on board with a shared vision and purpose. When people can see the big picture because it’s painted for them – And it makes sense – they’ll want to be a part of the activity and come on board. I have worked on projects where I’ve been told certain people won’t come on board because they always boo hoo new ideas. Without too much fuss, I have watched as they have bought into the vision of a standout leader and in many cases have taken on new activities in support of the vision and encouraged others to do the same.

Step 6 – And as a standout leader you lead from the heart, you create a sense of belonging where everyone is welcome, and you value all contributions and encourage others to do the same. You use your personal power “with rather than over” others and this gives people the confidence to speak up and act. Instead of hearing the voice of one person, you will hear the voices of many. 

Step 7 – The final step, as a stand out leader is that you know how to let go of your ego and be vulnerable. This means you ask for help when you need it and are happy to say when you don’t know the answer. Without getting too mushy here, your biggest asset as a leader is your heart and to live into your values and build trust with others. It really all starts and stops with this one.  It’s a biggie.

I know that Stand out leaders are daring leaders. And as Brene Brown, one of the worlds greatest thought leaders of all time says, “who we are is how we lead”. So, I encourage you to go the next step. To lead from your heart and become a stand out leader. Your team and the world needs more stand out leaders. I hope you’ll accept my challenge. Please get in touch here if you’d like to work with us, we’d love to hear from you.

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