Dairy farmers explore People Expo to examine team culture

New Zealand Olympic rower and Team New Zealand cyclor Joseph Sullivan will be a guest speaker at DairyNZ's People Expo in Rotorua in May.

Dairy farmers attending upcoming People Expo events will get advice on team culture from the best in the business.

The DairyNZ People Expo events are being run across the country with the Bay of Plenty event in Rotorua on May 1.

Among the line-up of speakers is All Blacks assistant coach Ian Foster, Canterbury Crusaders personal development manager Virginia Le Bas with Team New Zealand cyclor Joseph Sullivan, a guest in Rotorua.

Sullivan will speak on what makes a great team culture — in teams of two to 96 people — and how to maintain a great culture under pressure. Rural Safe founder and managing director Debbie Robertson will speak on belief-based safety and how to make it happen on-farm and DairyNZ consulting officer Natalia Benquet will give a presentation on cross-cultural communication and the benefits of understanding different cultures in your farm team.

DairyNZ people team leader Jane Muir says the People Expo events are designed to help farmers build a successful farm team, be excellent employers, and to attract and retain the best people.

"For many farmers, having a successful and cohesive team is really important and they're keen to find out what they can do as employers to develop their own farm team," says Jane.

"Hearing from team building experts on what they can do to build a great farm team, how they lift performance and find solutions can be really valuable — no matter what industry it's from."

Each region's People Expo provides farmers with an opportunity to ask the experts questions and share their own ideas with other farmers around what works and what doesn't, along with any new and novel ideas and practical tips.

Common purpose and collaboration are key to the success of any business, according to Virginia Le Bas, the personal development manager for rugby's Canterbury Crusaders.
At DairyNZ's People Expo, coming up in Dunsandel on March 22 and Invercargill on May 9, Virginia will share some of her expertise.

Virginia has a wealth of experience leading teams: before the Crusaders, her 26-year career with the New Zealand Police saw her become the first female detective superintendent and the highest-ranking officer in the Criminal Investigation Branch.

"Throughout my career I have seen that no one ever achieves anything alone. Great things are achieved with common purpose and collaboration," says Virginia.

"In your team or work group, it is often not about teaching people new or novel things, it's about getting them to do things they already do well in a different way — a better way.

"This is a strength-based approach," she says.

To register for the expo and for more details visit dairynz.co.nz/peopleexpo.