Think, be creative

Stepping out of your comfort zone is no mean feat, but Ms Sefton encouraged those women gathered in Griffith for the Food and Fibre with Flair event to develop effective communication campaigns so they are reaching the right audience with the right message.

“Good leadership is not about you, it is about how you think and listen and respond and communicate back to others so they can understand and they can then contribute to your vision and where you are going,” she said.

“When you hear things with which you don’t necessarily agree, try and put your feet into their shoes and understand what is really happening from their perspective.”

Ms Sefton acknowledged it is sometimes a hard situation to embrace but it must be considered if agriculture as the primary industry is to be progressive.

 “This ‘social licence to farm’ is critical,”  she said.

“It is the biggest and most important thing we need to get our act together on.”

The critical issues to which Ms Sefton referred included animal welfare, soil management for the infinite future, and a sustainable water management arrangement.

“If we don’t shape and influence those issues ourselves, they will be done for us and will be done in a way which won’t suit us,” she cautioned her receptive audience. 

“If you look at the big supermarkets, they are already doing that, they are already promoting hormone-free meat.

It comes down to a situation where you see things you don’t agree with and you want to see change, whether it involves government, business or society, and Ms Sefton said the days of banging the table and screaming abuse are gone.

“You will not get the respect you need to achieve change,” she said.

“You have to understand where they are coming from and you have to communicate in a way they will understand where you are coming from.”

Stop, think, consider and be creative was the message which had the most impact from Ms Sefton’s address.

“Do the ‘what-ifs” and then ask the question … then ask the better question … keep asking the questions,” she said.

“Asking questions is what it is all about.”

During these very challenging times, Ms Sefton said we will all appreciate each other a lot more.

“We understand what it is like to be in drought, we understand what it is like to be at the coalface of change when a lot of people particularly don’t want change,” she said.

“In the bush, we are really good at fixing things, we are coming up with solutions all the time and there is so much more opportunity with the technology coming through.”

One is get the stories out into the public domain about our pride in what we do and how capable we are in managing our crops and livestock.

“Plus we look after the soil, and ourselves and our communities,” Ms Sefton noted with some emphasis, a point which was not lost on her audience. 

“It is about being authentic, being strong and resilient and being out of your comfort zone.”

By stepping out of your comfort zone at least once day, Ms Sefton thought was a prerequisite to change. 

“You can start to make a difference but if you are doing the same thing every day, you are not changing, not creating, and I don’t believe we are trying hard enough,” she said. 

“I know it is hard, uncomfortable but whether it is about getting healthy, getting fit, about work or managing a difficult relationship, I just think it is important that we start talking about it.”

Ms Sefton is hesitant about the prevalent sense of entitlement which seems to have permeated all levels of society and said she is not going to embrace the self-indulgence enjoyed by so many.

“I wont buy into mediocrity at any level!” she said. “I really feel if you have got a sense of entitlement, you go out and work, work hard and share your knowledge and information with others so they to can contribute what it is you are doing, whether it is on your farm or whether it is in your business, in your workplace or in your community.’

Related reading: Effective leadership from female perspective