Sr. HR Specialist
June 14, 2024
At Scoular, current and future leaders are lifelong learners who consistently look for new ways to grow. We know that when our people grow, our company grows and more quickly adapts to the rapidly changing agriculture industry.
That’s why we invest in our employees’ development at all levels and across all businesses and functions.
Our employees drive their career development, and yet they aren’t on their own. Human Resource business partners and talent development professionals fuel that drive by providing guidance and resources, from one-on-one conversations on taking that next big step, to newly created, more formal programs. Managers also support on-the-job career development by putting team members in positions to learn and contribute at the same time.
Why do strong organizations such as Scoular invest in developing their people? Numerous researchers have found connections between learning culture and many positive outcomes, from increased revenue to higher employee engagement and retention.
Scoular approaches development by applying a well-known model of learning that stems from research conducted by the nonprofit Center for Creative Leadership. The 70-20-10 model suggests that 70 percent of learning comes from on-the-job experiences, 20 percent from social interactions and 10 percent from formal training and education.
70-20-10 Model for Leadership Development
We design our learning activities (the 10%) with successful application (the 70%) of whatever participants take away from the formal class or e-learning course. That means if a group of managers takes a class on high-impact one-on-one meetings, they should use their learnings in their next one-on-ones. A manager, for instance, might take time at the next weekly touch-base meeting to re-establish shared expectations of what each person wants to get from that meeting. The end game is productive, efficient and enjoyable meetings.
Employees can take advantage of various formal opportunities at Scoular to learn, grow and build relationships, no matter their level in the company.
The Elevation Training Program prepares grain elevator operators for facility management roles. Participants learn the skills needed to become a Scoular superintendent through this 18-month apprenticeship. This program is tailored for employees who have demonstrated exceptional performance in facility operator roles and are eager to embrace greater leadership and managerial responsibilities.
Nicole Goldsberry, one of the program organizers, says company leaders saw the opportunity to build a program that would improve employee engagement while also increasing internal mobility – filling critical roles with current employees.
“This program serves as an excellent avenue to recognize and retain our top-performing employees while nurturing the future leaders of Scoular,” she says.
While participants learn the basic functions of a grain facility through working their jobs as laborers, Elevation exposes them to topics and skills critical for leadership roles: facility safety assessments, performance management, several technology applications, quality management and community development.
Pathways is a two-year program for recent college graduates that introduces them to different aspects of the ag industry, from understanding the challenges of logistics management to gaining a working knowledge of grain processing. Participants work in various roles across the company while building their career path for the longer term.
Megan Staud’s first experience with Scoular was as a college intern. After graduating from Iowa State University, she joined Scoular by way of the Pathways program in 2022. She attended several all-cohort meetings that featured Scoular leaders as teachers who guided the cohort on deeper dives. Topics ranged from how Scoular collaborates with producers via its farmer advisory panel to artificial intelligence use at our facilities. Later, she gained first-hand knowledge about feed ingredients blending at Scoular’s facility in Jerome, Idaho.
Megan is now an Associate Merchant in Scoular’s Feed and Food division.
Megan Staud, Associate Merchant at Scoular’s Feed and Food division.
Managing at Scoular is a new three-part development program featuring live, virtual courses delivered by Scoular subject-matter experts. It is offered to any people manager at Scoular. Topics include communicating change, developing others, building a respectful team and other subjects, all of which align with Scoular’s values.
Because attendance is virtual, participants can connect with colleagues throughout the company without geographic restrictions. A discussion group composed of leaders from Indonesia, Canada, Mexico and Singapore might talk about how to best engage a high performing team member looking for a new challenge. Thanks to diversity of job functions and levels of experience among managers in the program, a director of finance with 13 years of leadership experience can share insights with a new plant manager learning the ins and outs of leading a team.
As our leaders grow their roles in scope and responsibilities, additional development programs are available. Programs such as Leading at Scoular and Visionary Leaders support how our leaders lead their teams, contribute to the development of their team and execute on Scoular’s strategies.
As a lifelong learner myself, I’m proud to be part of a company that invests in learning and development. Developing people is much more than a nice perk for people who want to learn a little. Learning and development is a critical part of our overall strategy for success. A company focused on growing its people is destined to grow its future.
For more on Scoular careers, visit our careers page.
