ACTion
The National ACT Newsletter
We welcome all members to submit full stories or 4-6 sentence news bits for publication. By sending us your stories, you will not only publicize your chapter, but also enrich your portfolio!
Send your stories as soon as possible to Kelsey Fletcher, Second Vice President , via kelsey.e.fletcher@ttu.edu.
Spring 2010 ACTion
From The President’s Desk
Submitted by Tyler Bowser
Howdy ACT members and advisers,
I would like to give another thank you to Tarleton State University and their ACT chapter for a great professional development conference. I hope everyone who attended the conference gained some more knowledge and insight to agriculture communications and agri-tourism. I had a great time meeting those of you I did and hope I will get to meet those I haven’t at Ag Media Summit this summer in St. Paul.
Recently, I’ve been talking to high school students involved in FFA and students at K-State about why ACT and communications in general should be an important part of a collegiate career. No matter what your specific college calls the major, agriculture communications is an important part of the agriculture industry. As the future of the work force, we have the opportunity to use our voices to keep agriculture as the backbone of our country.
Networking is a vital part of the success of our industry and I encourage you all to keep in touch with the new people you meet. Not just at the ACT conferences but anyone you meet on the street or in the elevator. The more people that know your name and you can call on for ideas the better. Many people get their first or last jobs through people they know rather than applying for a job. The old saying, “it’s not what you know but who you know” definitely plays a role in ACT and communications.
One small tip to remember is to follow up with the people you meet. If you simply say bye and never see them again, the relationship you started vanishes in an instant. Look them up on facebook and twitter or send them an email just reminding them you met and that it was a pleasure speaking with them. If it was a business professional or someone of great importance, you should send them a thank you card for their time. A lot of people don’t do this and that little gesture could go a long way.
I know the economy currently isn’t in the best shape we could ask for; especially those of us who are graduating this spring and are looking for jobs. However, if we remember what we learned through college and through ACT, our futures will still be bright. Good luck to those who are graduating and to those students looking for internships. See you in St. Paul, Minnesota on July 24.
Tyler Bowser
National President of the Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow
Remember to talk to an officer if you are interested in running for their position for the 2010-2011 year. Elections will be held at AMS and you will need to send us your resume and fill out an intent-to-run form by 11p.m. on July 25.
Agricultural Consortium, Washington D.C.
Submitted by Jessica England
As we boarded our flight to Washington, D.C., Tyler and I were about in embark on a remarkable experience with about 90 other students representing the Agricultural Consortium, 4-H and AFA.
After we landed, we were welcomed to Washington, D.C. with warm sun rays, which was a nice break from the cold weather in the Midwest. Tyler and I took the metro and the bus and made our way towards the National 4-H Center. We tried walking downtown and we didn’t realize how far away it was, but we were still able to enjoy the weather and get a little exercise along the way.
During our visit to Washington, D.C. we were able to meet students from across the nation. Our first night in D.C. we took night tours of the Vietnam Memorial, Korean War Memorial, World War II Memorial, Lincoln Memorial and Jefferson Memorial.
We were able to meet with our respective State Senators and Representatives the morning and afternoon of National Agriculture Day, Thursday March 18. While meeting with our Senators and Representatives we talked to them about agricultural issues facing our society and areas. I know some of us found out that promoting agriculture to suburban people was harder than we thought.
We had lunch Thursday, March 18, inside the Capitol Building and met with professionals and sponsors of National Agriculture Day. After lunch, we had free time and a group of us took a tour of the Capitol Building and sat in on the Senate voting session.
Our last night we had dinner on our own and most people ate at The Cheesecake Factory. While waiting for people to get back from dinner we played card games and got to mingle with the other students. By the last night the Ag Consortium group was the only group left at the National 4-H Center. We discussed the program and what we thought could be improved and gave other constructive feedback.
Tyler and I didn’t leave Washington, D.C. until late Friday night, so were able to tour the city. We packed and left the National 4-H Center early that morning and headed downtown. Our group toured the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and walked towards the diner where we ate lunch. After lunch we walked towards The White House and got delicious smoothies from Smoothie King. Our last stop of the day before the airport was The Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History and it was awesome. We saw dinosaur fossils, jewelry, geodes and much more.
Our trip to Washington, D.C. was short, but very informative and unforgettable. I’m glad I got to be apart of this experience and I know I learned a lot and promoted agriculture and our organization the best way I could.
Professional Development Conference Wrap-up
Submitted by Dario Martinez
First and foremost, on behalf of the TSU ACT chapter, I would like to thank you all members and guests that participated in the 2010 Professional Development Conference at Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas this past February. It has been well over a month since ACT chapter members from around the nation came together at Tarleton State University. Our TSU chapter members gauged the success of the PD conference using your surveys and agree that this year’s conference was indeed, a great success.
I believe the best way to thank you for participating is by taking a brief run-through of the conference. Keep in mind that all aspects of the conference were designed by our chapter members to promote professional development within all of us. This year, as you noticed, we revitalized a few items on the conference agenda. These items were implemented to further encourage professionalism in business settings for all members. In order to foster maximum attendance during speaker workshops, we handed out “attendance tickets” which would give you an additional opportunity to win door prizes. This was done again to enhance attendance in a creative way.
Also, this year, our chapter branched out to and boosted a relatively new area of agriculture, agritourism. Our tour venues were selected to show members that before and upon graduation, there are new and endless options available that tailor to the capabilities of agricultural communicators. I know we spent plenty of time on the road reaching some tour venues; however, many members made the most of this time and established friendships with members across the nation. As agricultural communicators, I mentioned the opening night that it was our duty to step further out and invest ourselves in this conference. Our chapter members had a great time building those professional and personal relationships with members and guests that attended the conference.
We hope you enjoyed your meals and all of the snacks during breaks. Tarleton Dining services and our Career Services department partnered up and were incredible during the business etiquette luncheon. Our chapter heard a lot of positive feedback from this as well. In order to demonstrate to all our sponsors that this conference was held on a national level, we asked all of you to help us write thank you letters. We really thank all of you for this as we have already received great words of encouragement from sponsors. This conference definitely brought our chapter together and allowed for all of our members to expand our professional development experience from the start with all the planning and implementation that is needed for an event of this magnitude. We thank all of you for selecting our chapter as host of the conference, it was a great opportunity!
Our experience as PD conference hosts has come to an end on a great note, thanks to all of you! It was our great national organization and members like all of you that encouraged us to strive to accommodate everyone in any way possible. Once again, thank you! The torch has been passed, let’s all have a great new experience next year and “Grow Something Great at Ohio State!”
Tarleton State University ACT Chapter
What Next?
Submitted by Corey Duysen
After four years of college (maybe more), most students do not want even think about more school. However, getting your master’s degree could prove to be very beneficial to your career.
Applying to graduate school is much different that applying for college. At this point, a student has had quite a bit of specific education, especially for the students in agricultural communications. It is a great idea to try a different school for a master’s degree. Also, instead of taking the SAT or the ACT, students take the Graduate Records Examination, or better known as the GRE. The general test covers three sections: analytical writing, verbal reasoning and quantitative reasoning. It is generally a standard for most schools, so do not wait too long to take it!
If you are interested in touring a school, e-mail or call a faculty member or the graduate department head. Often, schools will have an open-house day for potential graduate students or another great time for you to come tour.
Graduate school is also much different because many times you can get part of your tuition payed for through an assistantship. Every student has been in a class that has a teaching assistant or graduate students, and they are probably working towards their master’s or a doctoral degree. However, these normally fill up fast so talk to a faculty member pretty early about this!
Lastly, professors know that getting your master’s is a big step. They are equally excited for you to come visit their campus and to see what they have to offer, so do not hesitate to talk to any of them today.
Following is a list of schools that have either agricultural communications graduate programs or offer an emphasis in agriculture communications:
University of Missouri
Ohio State University
Winter 2010 ACTion
From the President’s Desk…
submitted by Tyler Bowser
Greetings ACT members and advisers,
It has been a successful beginning of the year for the National ACT officers. We have updated the newsletter, created possible amendments to the constitution, did some housekeeping and have our eyes on the future of the organization. The other officers and I have enjoyed our time so far, representing ACT and doing what we can to provide better opportunities for the student members.
As you know, February 25-28 is the regional professional development conference on the campus of Tarleton State University in Stephenville, TX. At the conference we will be conducting interviews for interns at the Agricultural Media Summit in St. Paul, Minnesota. We are hoping to also have the executive director of the Livestock Publications Council, Diane Johnson, attend the interviews. The purpose of having interns at AMS is to give students hands-on experiences in coordinating a conference. The selected students will work directly with Johnson and other business professionals attending the conference. If you would be interested please contact me before or at the conference and keep an eye out for more information. Keep in mind that it will be an internship and you won’t get the student experience at AMS. In the past, the national officers have been the interns but we have other duties during the conference and want to give other students the chance to gain the experience.
During the ACT business meeting we will be discussing many new things we hope to change for the organization. We will be presenting changes to our constitution that affect the officer duties for the 2nd Vice President and the Editor. We also want to add a step to the process of running for a national office. This will include making the applicants submit a resume to be posted online for the members to look over prior to the speech and voting. I don’t want to ruin all of the surprises we have in store for the meeting, so I will stop there. Remember to check out the ACT Web site at www.nactnow.org for updates on the organization as well as job/internship postings. With the spring semester of 2010 in full swing, the opportunity to make the year great is yours. I hope to see you in Stephenville and remember; ACTion is the proof of good leadership.
Professional Development Conference
submitted by Dario Martinez
Greetings once again from Tarleton State University!
We are now less than one month away from the 2010 Professional Development Conference!! I can’t tell everyone enough how thrilled our chapter is to be hosting the conference and have chapters from across the country at Tarleton State University and Stephenville, Texas. And so the countdown begins!! NACT PD Conference: Thursday February 25-Sunday February 28, 2010!!
All of our chapter members have been busy these past few months planning all aspects of the conference. Committees have been working attentively to develop the conference program including speakers, tours and workshops. Our chapter has already started to implement all the planning and preparation for this conference.
One of our primary goals of the conference is to give all members and guests who attend a well-rounded view of agricultural communications while networking and establishing professional relationships with future mentors, employers, co-workers and friends. In order to highlight the importance of a conference of this magnitude, our chapter combined two themes for the conference. The primary one is “Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow, Follow Our Lead” and our secondary theme is “Come Together, Right Now”.
We expect to have a conference that showcases many of the venues that exist within the agricultural communications field. The outline of our conference will include a welcome ceremony after registration on Thursday evening. Friday and Saturday will consist of various activities including campus tours, workshops, the NACT business meeting and business tours. Sunday morning we will conclude the conference with a Vesper’s ceremony. For more information about the conference or to view a tentative conference schedule please visit: www.tarleton.edu/act/act2010conf.html.
However, there are a couple of subjects that we feel need to be addressed: travel times and hotel rates. We would like to remind all chapters flying into DFW airport and driving to Stephenville, to please allot adequate time while coordinating driving distances and arrival times because registration will begin right at 6:00 p.m., Thursday evening. Also, the cut-off date for the discounted hotel rates given to ACT chapters is February 15th. Please try to take advantage and lock in these rates because after the 15th, these rates will return to normal rates.
Other than that, we hope many Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow “Come Together” here at Tarleton State University to enjoy several days filled with insight, new experiences and hands-on education. We are looking forward to seeing many chapters from around the nation present and ready to have a great time!
Any questions can be directed to the Dr. Kimberly Bellah, Dario Martinez or Chante Raeke.
National Geographic photographer shares photos, philosophies with K-State students
submitted by Nicholas Levendofsky
In an effort to bring more attention to the agricultural industry and rural America, K-State’s Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow hosted National Geographic photographer Jim Richardson to give an audiovisual presentation about rural life, “Reflections From a Wide Spot in the Road.” Richardson spent Tuesday, November 11 at K-State speaking to agriculture and photojournalism classes about his role as a photojournalist and how his humble beginnings on a farm in north-central Kansas have led him to photograph numerous locations and events across the world. Later that evening, he presented a slideshow of his works from Egyptian pyramids and the Taj Mahal to the night-time, blind-folded riding lawn mower contests in Cuba, Kan. “That’s the stuff of small towns,” Richardson said. “It doesn’t have to be exotic places to make interesting pictures.” “Photography doesn’t mean anything unless it changes people’s minds,” he said. “The meaning of the image goes straight to your heart.”
Richardson explained his philosophy on photography through a series of photo stories published in National Geographic over the last few years. One was his 2004 National Geographic cover story on the Great Plains with a 30-year retrospective photo documentary of Cuba, Kansas which was profiled twice by CBS’ Sunday Morning, first in 1983 and again in 2004. “I was inspired by all that time in Cuba,” whose population at the time was 230, he said. “When you think of a city that small, you think nothing happens. But Cuba is a town that makes things happen, and they do it by working together.” Richardson presented his photo documentary of the farming community of Cuba through lessons he learned during his time there. “I learned about the idea of community,” he said. “Community happens when people come together.” The crowd chuckled as photos of town festivals, male beauty contests, and the Cuba Rock-A-Thon filled the screen.
Richardson said the goal of his Flint Hills photo story was to show people the natural beauty of Kansas as well as remind those who drive by the Flint Hills every day. “I was tired of people thinking Kansas is just flat or not beautiful,” he said. “After looking at the photos, people say, ‘I drove by that everyday but nobody ever told me it was something.”
Richardson also shared his work on different farming communities around the world in relation to soil and pollution. He showed images of smiling farmers in Iowa holding samples of their bumper corn crop, then showed distraught farmers in Niger whose desolate conditions made it difficult to grow food to feed their children.
Following his presentation, Richardson was joined by K-State Research & Extension News Media Services photographer Dan Donnert for a discussion on photography and its future. Richardson, who grew up on his parents’ wheat and dairy farm north of Belleville, Kansas, started experimenting with cameras at a young age. In 1971, he left K-State for a photography internship at the Topeka Capital-Journal. After a stint with the Denver Post, he began his full-time freelance career with National Geographic and National Geographic Traveler. He also is a popular speaker and workshop leader in the U.S. and abroad. Richardson and his wife Kathy now live in Lindsborg, Kan., where they operate Small World: A Gallery of Arts and Ideas on the town’s Main Street. The gallery website, along with examples of Jim’s photography can be found at http://www.jimrichardsonphotography.com
2010 Forrest Bassford Student Award & Student Travel Awards
Click Here for the Application:
2010 Forrest Bassford Student Award Application
Youth Leadership in the Beef Industry
submitted by Malorie Bankhead
Red: A color of passion that shades the National Beef Ambassador Team’s official shirts. This color seems fitting as passion makes up a large part of the beef industry.
“The National Beef Ambassador Program (NBAP) strives to provide an opportunity for youth to educate consumers and students about beef nutrition, food safety and stewardship practices of the beef industry”. This competitively based program, sponsored by the Beef Checkoff as well as the American National CattleWomen Foundation, begins at the county level. Students involved in the beef industry compete for the position to serve their state’s beef industry as the State Beef Ambassador. The State Beef Ambassadors then travel to the national competition to vie for a place on the five member team which travels the United States to promote beef and advocate for the industry.
The 2010 National Beef Ambassador competition was held in the beginning of October in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Sixteen State Beef Ambassadors from across the country competed in various categories of competition to earn a place on the 2010 National Beef Ambassador Team as well as a cash prize and several scholarships. The areas of competition are consumer promotion, media interviews, written response and classroom presentations. Each contestant was scored by judges within each competition area and the final scores were tallied to determine the members of the 2010 team. Malorie Bankhead, CA.; Ellen Hoffschneider, NE; Beck Vraspir, WY.; Jackson Alexander, OK.; and Mandy-Jo Laurent, TX were selected to represent the 2010 National Beef Ambassador Team.
The 2010 National Beef Ambassadors will serve their term from January 1-December 31, 2010. Their duties include promoting the positive image of beef around the United States thru travel, blogging, other online advocating tools and public speaking. The team will have the opportunity to travel to places like the Boston Marathon, New York State Fair, Washington D.C. as well as the annual Cattlemen’s Convention is San Antonio, Texas. The team’s first trip together was in the beginning of January to Wooster, Ohio for the Certified Angus Beef® Building Blocks for Success seminar. The team learned about the Certified Angus Beef® Brand and how the non-profit organization works toward building the integrity and value of the beef industry.
Less than two percent of the population of the United States is involved in production agriculture. It is youth programs like the NBAP that help create a future for agriculture. Cal Poly’s College of Agriculture, Food, and Environmental Sciences serves as a great example for building the future utilizing younger generations to continue the strong agriculture industry in the United States. The beef industry makes up one part of the whole; however, consumers need to be aware that beef is a safe, nutritious product to enjoy that will deliver a key source of zinc, iron, and protein into a diet that other food products cannot give. The National Beef Ambassador team acts as advocates for the beef industry to ensure consumer awareness and education.
For more information about the National Beef Ambassador Program, visit www.nationalbeefambassador.org.
For more information about the beef industry, please visit www.beef.org.
Study Abroad
submitted by Jessica England
I was on my way to New Zealand with 40 other Mizzou students, taking in the sight of being 36,000 feet above the ocean. After traveling a total of 30 hours from St. Louis, Missouri, United States, to Christchurch, New Zealand– we finally made it. The feeling of arriving to customs in New Zealand was surreal and exciting.
We were welcomed at Lincoln University by the warm rays of sun and green grass. Both Missouri and Nebraska students and faculty were quite excited about the opposite weather conditions from back home.
While in New Zealand,we spent time a lot of time listening to lectures at the university; learning about their agriculture and visiting dairy, deer and sheep farms. It was interesting when we rode the bus because they drive on the opposite side of the road.
Our groups, Missouri and Nebraska, traveled to Lyttleton Harbor and Sumner Beach before ringing in the New Year in Christchurch. On New Years day the weather was beautiful so a couple of us headed to the beach.
Also while traveling around the South Island in New Zealand we experienced our first extreme sport of the trip white water rafting at the Rangitata River. I also had my first stay in a backpacker, an overnight lodge with several beds in a room.
Our travels did not end there though; we hiked our way up the Franz Josef Glacier, which is known as the worlds steepest and fastest flowing commercially guided glacier. In Queenstown we had a free day that rained out some adventures, but gave us a full day of shopping and a trip in the gondola or an astounding view. Our two-hour cruise around Milford Sound was amazing; there was plenty of breathtaking scenery, waterfalls and seals. When we thought our skydiving dreams were shattered because of the fog and rain, we had rescheduled our ultimate jump for our half-day free day. The skies were clear and Caitlin and I were ready for our 12,000 feet free fall and I have to say it was the best thrill of my life.
After our journey in Queenstown, we traveled back to Lincoln and we visited the International Antarctic Centre. One of the workers brought out a little blue penguin to show us. The Mud House winery was vast with vineyards and a fine building where people could buy their wine, tour the facility and see where wine is made, wine tastings, and eat dinner.
Whale watching was canceled due to a large storm heading our way, but we were able to visit the Peninsula and see seals. Our last night was spent at the Ko Tane Maori Cultural Experience and Willowbank Wildlife Park. We watched an actual Maori performance with song and dance, and had the chance to participate with them. Dinner was served for our group followed by a ceremony where we received certificates and said our final farewells.
My experience in New Zealand was incredible. I’m glad I took a chance to experience the world and broaden my horizons. I loved getting to be apart of a different culture and lifestyle for three weeks.
Fall 2009 ACTion
Breaking News
Welcome to the first online edition of the ACTion Newsletter. We hope you find this convenient and informative as well as much more timely than past issues. We really appreciate those who’ve sent in articles. The new officer team is very excited about bringing our communications into the 21st century. We hope you enjoy reading the updates from chapters around the country.
Professional Development Conference
Greetings from Tarleton State University!
First and foremost, on behalf of our ACT chapter, I would like to tell everyone that we are very excited to be hosting the 2010 Professional Development Conference. We are only a few short months away from the conference which will be Feb. 25-28, 2010.
Our conference committees have been working diligently to develop the conference program, which we know will be a great experience for all attending. As of now, our committees are scheduling speakers, tours and workshops that will provide members with the knowledge and understanding of future career possibilities within the agricultural communication field. Our chapter strives to make this weekend an interesting and memorable experience for all who attend.
The preliminary outline of our conference includes a welcome ceremony after registration on Thursday evening. Friday and Saturday will consist of various activities including, workshops, a campus tour, the NACT business meeting and business tours. Sunday morning will conclude the conference with a Vesper’s ceremony.
Be sure to visit our ACT chapter’s website in November and December for updates and registration materials. Just a reminder, for those chapters flying into the DFW airport and driving to Stephenville, please allot adequate time while coordinating driving distances and arrival times as registration will begin promptly Thursday evening at 6:00 p.m.
Our theme for the conference is “Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow … Follow Our Lead” along with a secondary theme, “Come Together, Right Now.”
Expect a conference with great possibilities and outlets that will cater to many different areas of agricultural communications! We will keep you updated and have information posted online as soon as possible. Any questions can be directed to the Conference Co-Chairs, Dario Martinez and Gretchen Ettredge.
Once again, we are very excited to be hosting the PD conference and hope to see many chapters from around the nation present and ready to have a great time in Texas!
Contact:
Dario Martinez
2010 Professional Development Conference Co-Chair
Mobile: (325) 200-9208
martinez_dario005@yahoo.com, or
dario.martinezpurata@go.tarleton.edu
Gretchen Ettredge
2010 Professional Development Conference Co-Chair
Mobile: (940) 390-0271
gretchen.ettredge@go.tarleton.edu
Yamaha ACT Scholarship
It’s time to put the pedal to the metal and drive away into your future! Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A. has great opportunities for students involved in Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow clubs through scholarship and internship opportunities.
Yamaha-ACT Scholarship Program offers two individual scholarships and one ACT club scholarship.
“All three scholarships are aimed at helping students attend the annual Agricultural Media Summit (AMS), a professional development and networking opportunity,” said Van Holmes, Public Relations Manager of ATV and SxS Department for Yamaha.
The two individual scholarships will allow students to attend AMS by assisting with travel expenses and professional supplies. The students will intern for Yamaha at the AMS conference.
There are several things students must have to be applicable for this scholarship. Students must submit a cover letter, copy of college transcript, professional transcript, and a practical application piece. Some examples of practical application pieces are Journalistic story/feature article, public relations plan, press release, social media networking plan. Graphic design broadcast and photo essay.
The club scholarship has many of the same application requirements. However, the club must submit three practical application pieces. Clubs also do not need to submit a copy of college transcript or a personal resume.
“This scholarship competition is one of the most practical scholarship programs I’ve seen,” said Dr. Jefferson D. Miller, ACT faculty advisor and associate professor of agricultural communications at the University of Arkansas. “It requires students to create an actual example of journalistic or public relations work – something they can add to their professional portfolio. Plus, the reward is that they get to go network at AMS with the people who will probably be hiring them in the near future.”
Yamaha hopes to provide ACT members with the opportunities for professional development, promote safety in the use of ATV’s and SxS vehicles and introduce the farming community for Yamaha products.
“The Yamaha-ACT Scholarship Program is integrating messages of safe, responsible ATV and Side-by-Side vehicle use into the farming community by working with current and future communicators in the agriculture industry,” said Steve Nessl, Yamaha’s ATV/SxS marketing manager.
This is a great scholarship opportunity for all ACT members! AMS is an outstanding conference to attend! For more information on this scholarship please visit the link on the NACT Web site at www.nactnow.org.
For an application, click here.
Social Media
Social media is sweeping the world, much like Web sites did when the Internet became popular. For most students, they are just as comfortable with Facebook as they are with Word.
However, in the work place, social sites like Facebook, Twitter and blogs can prove to be vital to companies with an online presence. More and more we are seeing companies are using these sites to their benefit.
Today, Twitter is not just used to let our followers know what we are doing. People are posting links to helpful articles, getting information about a meeting out or supporting a cause.
Below, you will find tips for using social media to your benefit. Remember, employers may need people with experience in social media very soon!
Facebook
• By having a fan page, you can instantly send out information to all of your fans instantly.
• They can give feedback, have discussions and post photos making your company interactive.
• Now being able to tag people in Facebook, businesses can seek out those people who are talking about them.
Twitter
• It is a great way to increase your company’s visibility.
• Re-tweeting helps the tweet get out to more people.
• Using # to search continues to build search support.
Blogs
• You must publish frequently.
o The Technorati State of the Blogosphere 2009 Report, the top 5,000 blogs have one thing in common: they post 3-10 blogs per day.
• By using a site like Word Press (www.wordpress.com) you are increasing your companies key words for search engines.
• Most blogs are FREE!
Keep Your Fuel Tanks Full
By Jennifer Shike
National Swine Registry
1999 Forrest Bassford Award Winner
2000 K-State Graduate, Ag Communications & Journalism and Animal Science
One of the features I love in my vehicle is the digital reading of how many miles I have left on a tank of gas. I’ve come to depend on it and use that more than I use my gas gauge. Because empty doesn’t really mean empty, does it?
In the book, Habitudes, Dr. Tim Elmore uses the image of a fuel tank to explain a leadership lesson that really hit home with me last month.
Simply put, cars don’t run without fuel. Elmore says leaders are the same. Leaders need emotional fuel to run on all eight cylinders.
“Leaders spend themselves more than the average person; they need to refuel more often than most people do,” Elmore said.
When you lead others – whether it’s as an older child leading his brothers, a young adult leading Ag Communicators of Tomorrow or a general leading an army – you invest a great amount of energy and emotion to do the job right. I find it interesting that the “gift” that is easiest for leaders to give out to others is the very “gift” that is the hardest for them to receive.
And whether you view yourself as a leader or not, we all “lead” at some point in our lives. The more prepared you are to lead, the more enjoyable that experience will be and the more marketable you will be when looking for a job out of college.
A leader needs emotional fuel to keep them running strong. Good leaders seek to keep their emotional tanks full so they can do their best job possible. They take care of themselves before they can take care of others. When leaders lead out of a need for ego fulfillment, prestige or loneliness, they won’t lead well.
Elmore said, “A leader’s personal network is his or her emotional fuel. Leaders need people in their lives who don’t take from them, but who replenish them.”
I’m a big believer that your network determines your net worth. One of the best things you can do during college is to develop a network that will provide a foundation for your future. When it comes to finding jobs, you will need a network of industry professionals, mentors and friends to help you achieve your greatest success.
Evaluate your network. Elmore says a strong network contains models (people who do what you’d like to do), mentors (people who coach you and invest in you), inner circle (those who are closest to you; like family), followers (people who follow you), partners (peers who travel with you and hold you accountable) and heroes (people you look up to and admire).
Leaders can’t be great with only followers in their network. Soon they’ll depend on the followers to provide them with the inspiration that their heroes should provide or the accountability that they need from their partners.
As King Solomon shared in Proverbs 27:17, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”
Who is sharpening you? Do you have people in your life who are waiting to refuel you and keep you going? If you have some empty places in your network, I encourage you to search out models, mentors, followers, partners, heroes and an inner circle that can help you achieve your greatest potential as a leader.
The reality is that our networks are constantly evolving and changing. Our heroes yesterday may not be our heroes next month. Our inner circle may move away. We may change our minds about what we’d like to do someday.
Never stop developing relationships with others and seeking out people to look up to and admire. We are never too old, too good or too smart to need others to encourage, support and sharpen us in life. Keep your fuel tank full!
Find Out More About Dr. Jim Evans
Jim Evans’ career of distinguished teaching and research spanned
33 years. Dr. Evans was an internationally and nationally recognized leader in agricultural communications education. The College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences and the College of Media have been developing a proposal to formalize and reposition portions of the Agricultural Communications curriculum in the College of Media. A major key to the long-term success of the Agricultural Communications Program is the establishment of an endowed chair, the faculty position that will provide leadership for the program. You can find out more information about Dr. Jim Evans by downloading the following document.
http://advancement.aces.illinois.edu/system/files/JFE_brochure.pdf
Critique Contest
The updated rules and entry forms are available for the 2010 Critique Contest.
Click here for the rules.
Click here for the entry form.
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