Speaker Provides Spark at Veggie Convention
Submitted by Editor on Fri, 02/05/2010 - 2:31pm.
Chris Torres
Staff Writer
HERSHEY, Pa. — If people at the Mid-Atlantic Fruit and Vegetable Convention needed a wake-up call, they sure got one Tuesday morning when Harold Lloyd, motivational speaker, showed up.
“You’ve never been evaluated so far as a leader,” he proclaimed to a crowd of a few hundred growers, industry officials and educators.
With high energy and sharp wit, Lloyd spent more than an hour revving up the crowd with stories about his own personal and professional life as he attempted to get people to answer the question “Am I The Leader I Need To Be?”
The question is actually the name of a book he wrote a few years ago and it inspired him to develop a point based “leadership quotient” to get people to think about factors he believes are the basis for great leadership.
“Whether you are born with a little or with a lot, you can make it more,” he said. “I say you can get better.”
At times sounding like a lecturer, he constantly reminded the crowd that most of the things he has learned in life has been a result of his own experiences as a former restaurant owner, father of three, and one that has traveled the world, learning from other leaders.
“When I meet a great leader, I ask questions,” he said.
Along the way, he has discovered that the key to success is not the amount of money you make or the company you keep. It’s about achieving balance.
And he’s discovered 10 things he feels are the most needed to develop a great sense of leadership.
1. Leaders have vision and passion.
“We have to have passion about what we’re doing. Genuine leaders see above the short term hurdles. They don’t give up.”
2. Leaders create plans and execute.
3. They excel in communication.
“It’s twice as hard to listen as it is to yap. It’s tough to be a good listener. You listen with your eyes.”
4. Good leaders know the numbers.
“Genuine leaders use the numbers. They motivate with numbers. You got to give them something to shoot at.”
5. Leaders are honest.
6. They aren’t afraid to discontinue things.
“Genuine leaders have the guts and the brains to say enough is enough.”
7. Leaders develop others.
“Only genuine leaders know that people are different. It’s the pretender that says, ‘I don’t have the time to develop people.”
8. Genuine leaders are self developing.
“As an employee, we want to follow someone who is going somewhere. We want to keep getting better.”
9. Leaders are health conscious.
“As long as you have someone else that loves you, you have a reason to take care of yourself.”
10. A leader maintains a family focus.
“If you give time for your family, your employees know you’ll give them time to have a life too.”
People in the room filled out a scorecard to rate themselves from 1 to 10 based on the factors Lloyd talked about.
And while some scored higher than others in certain areas, Lloyd said his goal was not to single out certain people or find better leaders than others. He wanted to remind everyone that there is always room to improve.
“Don’t give up yet. You have time to get better. Always remember that.”
While Lloyd provided the fireworks to kick off the convention, it was Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding who provided the accolades. Redding, who is from Adams County, thanked growers for their support of his job.
Direct marketing, he said, has become a cornerstone issue in agriculture and fruit and vegetable growers have become a crucial part of the conversation.
“Communicating to the public, you do that probably better than anybody else in agriculture,” Redding said.
While he chose to spend most of his time giving thanks, he did mention one issue of particular importance to fruit and vegetable growers. A second round of “specialty crop grants,” which were created as part of the most recent Farm Bill, are now available with up to $1 million in federal funds.
The focus of the program is on farm markets and market development.
The convention ran for three days from Tuesday to Thursday. Hundreds of growers from states including Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York attended the event.
Chris Torres
Staff Writer
HERSHEY, Pa. — If people at the Mid-Atlantic Fruit and Vegetable Convention needed a wake-up call, they sure got one Tuesday morning when Harold Lloyd, motivational speaker, showed up.
“You’ve never been evaluated so far as a leader,” he proclaimed to a crowd of a few hundred growers, industry officials and educators.
With high energy and sharp wit, Lloyd spent more than an hour revving up the crowd with stories about his own personal and professional life as he attempted to get people to answer the question “Am I The Leader I Need To Be?”
The question is actually the name of a book he wrote a few years ago and it inspired him to develop a point based “leadership quotient” to get people to think about factors he believes are the basis for great leadership.
“Whether you are born with a little or with a lot, you can make it more,” he said. “I say you can get better.”
At times sounding like a lecturer, he constantly reminded the crowd that most of the things he has learned in life has been a result of his own experiences as a former restaurant owner, father of three, and one that has traveled the world, learning from other leaders.
“When I meet a great leader, I ask questions,” he said.
Along the way, he has discovered that the key to success is not the amount of money you make or the company you keep. It’s about achieving balance.
And he’s discovered 10 things he feels are the most needed to develop a great sense of leadership.
1. Leaders have vision and passion.
“We have to have passion about what we’re doing. Genuine leaders see above the short term hurdles. They don’t give up.”
2. Leaders create plans and execute.
3. They excel in communication.
“It’s twice as hard to listen as it is to yap. It’s tough to be a good listener. You listen with your eyes.”
4. Good leaders know the numbers.
“Genuine leaders use the numbers. They motivate with numbers. You got to give them something to shoot at.”
5. Leaders are honest.
6. They aren’t afraid to discontinue things.
“Genuine leaders have the guts and the brains to say enough is enough.”
7. Leaders develop others.
“Only genuine leaders know that people are different. It’s the pretender that says, ‘I don’t have the time to develop people.”
8. Genuine leaders are self developing.
“As an employee, we want to follow someone who is going somewhere. We want to keep getting better.”
9. Leaders are health conscious.
“As long as you have someone else that loves you, you have a reason to take care of yourself.”
10. A leader maintains a family focus.
“If you give time for your family, your employees know you’ll give them time to have a life too.”
People in the room filled out a scorecard to rate themselves from 1 to 10 based on the factors Lloyd talked about.
And while some scored higher than others in certain areas, Lloyd said his goal was not to single out certain people or find better leaders than others. He wanted to remind everyone that there is always room to improve.
“Don’t give up yet. You have time to get better. Always remember that.”
While Lloyd provided the fireworks to kick off the convention, it was Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding who provided the accolades. Redding, who is from Adams County, thanked growers for their support of his job.
Direct marketing, he said, has become a cornerstone issue in agriculture and fruit and vegetable growers have become a crucial part of the conversation.
“Communicating to the public, you do that probably better than anybody else in agriculture,” Redding said.
While he chose to spend most of his time giving thanks, he did mention one issue of particular importance to fruit and vegetable growers. A second round of “specialty crop grants,” which were created as part of the most recent Farm Bill, are now available with up to $1 million in federal funds.
The focus of the program is on farm markets and market development.
The convention ran for three days from Tuesday to Thursday. Hundreds of growers from states including Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York attended the event.
