People who know me well enough know I am always the first to talk about the next hottest sire or which breeder has had the last big sale. One weekend when I put that all to the side has always been the National Youth Leadership Conference (NYLC). NYLC never ceases to amaze me, whether it is the tours where we see different sides of agriculture or the speakers who continue to deliver powerful messages. No matter what age you are, you can always take away so many impactful philosophies from NYLC to help you become a better leader.
The 2016 NYLC was no exception. We listened to a variety of speakers talking about different things within our industry, learned what the FDA is going to do to make our product safe for the consumer and held breakout sessions with the Junior Board Members about having safe, effective social media accounts.
With this being my last NYLC as a Junior Board member, I hope I can come to more in the future. With that goal in mind, this is the message I will take away from a speech during the conference. We, as individuals, get too wrapped up in ourselves, and we tend to forget the person standing next to us working those long hours. I know I have been that person. When Dr. Bret Kaysen, dairy production specialist for Zoetis, talked about “Cowboy Ethics,” and then named a person who represented each of those specific “Rules of the West,” it was a powerful message. He could have talked about anything he wanted to at the conference, and he decided to recognize others within the NSR staff, NJSA Junior Board and people attending the conference. At the end, he looked at the large group of individuals he had pulled to the front and said, “Thank you all for being who you are. I wish I was more like you.” In my opinion, Dr. Kaysen is one of the most fascinating people in the world, and we should be taking notes from him. Thank you, Dr. Kaysen, for giving that speech. You will forever have an impact on many of our lives.
It doesn’t matter who you are or where you are at in this world, there is always someone close to you doing something spectacular. Don’t be afraid to let them know they are doing great things, because sometimes we all just need an extra pat on the back.
