Agriculture Leadership Consultant Cheryl Cran Helps Agriculture CEOs and Their Leadership Teams Keep Their Good People

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The agriculture industry is in a war for talent. Industries such as oil and gas are being highly competitive in finding good people and they are looking to "poach" people from the agriculture industry, says leadership consultant and generations researcher Cheryl Cran, who provides recruiting and retention strategies that include building career paths and succession plans.

"What would happen to your agri-business if you lost one of your top performers? The key to keeping top talent is to have a career path plan that includes succession planning," said Cran, who has worked with numerous agriculture clients with leadership skill development through her keynote speeches and training sessions for companies, associations and conferences.

"The agricultural industry is experiencing tremendous growth and there is a huge opportunity to develop leaders, to groom younger leaders and to increase retention through career path plans and succession plans," says Cran, the best-selling author of "101 Ways to Make Generations X, Y & Zoomers Happy at Work" and named by a multi-national training company as being in the top 1% of trainers.

"As leaders, we have to be aware of the changes that are being created by different attitudes among the generations and how it applies to retention strategies. People don't leave their jobs - they leave their leaders!" Great leadership skills increase the companies' ability to recruit top talent and more importantly retain and keep those good people, says Cran, the founder of Synthesis at Work Inc. - a consulting and training firm that helps agriculture and business organizations achieve their profit and productivity goals faster, offers leadership strategies and skills to help grow the business.

Cran recommends a facilitated leadership retreat that focuses on further developing recruiting and retention strategies. Working with an outside consultant can speed up the process and help to incorporate solutions into the overall strategic direction of the company. Keeping good people requires the following:

• An assessment of the culture of the organization - traditional organizations with a dominant baby boomer demographic can be a de-motivator for younger recruits.
• Leaders who are great at understanding the different generational attitudes towards work, technology and the future workplace.
• A commitment to examine the structures that are in place to see if they support the goals of attracting and keeping top talent.

"There is a shift towards an open communication in the workplace where leaders create a safe environment for discussion around performance, career paths and succession plans."

About Cheryl Cran

Cheryl Cran, CSP is a leadership consultant, trainer and keynote speaker. She is the author of four books on leadership and her clients include CHS, Mosaic, and Simplot in the agriculture industry. Cheryl provides strategic insight to help leaders grow their leadership skills that convert to growing the business. For information, go to http://www.cherylcran.com. 

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SOURCE Cheryl Cran