“No one can be you the way that you can be you,” said Carla Harris during her keynote speech at the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) conference in January.
Harris is an international public speaker, a bestselling author, and the vice chairperson of wealth and management and senior client adviser at Morgan Stanely. Over her years of learning about success in the public and professional world, Harris has perfected what she calls the eight “pearls” of “powerful, impactful, and influential” leadership. Below, you’ll find an outline of each, as well as its relevance to dairy leadership.
- Authenticity
Early in her career Harris said she was reluctant to share her accolades as a musician for fear of being taken less seriously by clients or colleagues. On the contrary, when people learned of her talent, she became even more relatable.
“Seeing someone be their full self is motivating and inspiriting,” Harris said. “Others will aspire to do the same.”
Bring your authenticity to the table, in all its capacities. It’s a superpower, not a weakness. - Trust
“As a leader, you’re constantly broaching unknown territories. You can’t do it alone,” Harris said.
Trust starts with hiring the right people and ends with embodying a kind of leadership that defines what it means to be unafraid of the next horizon.
There’s almost always something on the brink of change in the dairy industry. You need people in your corner who are as invested in the success of the business as you are. - Creating clarity
“It’s your job to define what success looks like, even if you can’t see it yet,” said Harris.
Your team might do okay for a while without specific guidelines, but there will be a lack of coherence in the long run.
Start by defining what success means to you, then communicate that vision to trusted members of your team. - Creating other leaders
It can be hard to delegate responsibilities.
However, “There is no monopoly on intelligence,” Harris said. “Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should. If all roads lead back to you, you’ll cap your success and the organization’s success.”
Consider identifying tasks you genuinely have to do yourself, then make a list of things you could do but that can just as well be done by somebody else.
It takes a joint effort to keep a dairy operation running. - Diversity
“Innovation is born from ideas; ideas are born from perspectives; perspectives are born from experiences; experiences are born from people,” said Harris.
Your room of growth and longevity is only as big as your room of goals and ideas. Identical voices mean identical outcomes. - Innovation
To keep moving forward, operations must continuously adapt. But how?
According to Harris: Teach people how to fail by giving them the space to fail.
“If people are afraid of failing, they never reach far enough to innovate,” she said. “But when your employees know that you won’t shoot the messenger, they’ll try and fail and grow.”
At the very least, your team will feel comfortable enough to be their authentic selves, do their best, and get curious about what’s before them. - Inclusivity
In the same way you must be intentional about creating other leaders and nurturing diverse voices, you must also invite employees and colleagues directly into the decision-making process.
“Solicit other people. Let them know ‘I see you,’” said Harris.
Regardless of what this looks like on your operation, ensure it fits into your overall goals, and be clear about what people can expect. - Voice
Being a leader takes courage. It takes self-confidence; it takes inviting risk; it takes resilience. Mentoring others, building trust, embracing failure, and all the rest are a product of, first and foremost, your voice.
Voice is about belief – in yourself, in your operation, and in your team. You have what it takes to succeed. Harris insisted, “You wouldn't be in the position you’re in if you didn’t.”
Now, take that belief, and run with it.
