Agriculture Workforce Training for Collaborative Leadership (AWT4CL)

by Eric Kaufman -- A few months ago, The Leadership Quarterly published an article on “Zombie leadership: Dead ideas that still walk among us” (Haslam et al., 2024) .  The article focuses on the “strong residual commitment to an older set of ideas which have been repeatedly debunked but which nevertheless resolutely refuse to die” (p. 1).  For example, one of the axioms of zombie leadership is that “leadership is a special skill limited to special people.”  This belief persists, despite “mountains of research” that highlight the detrimental effects of leadership approaches based on elitism (e.g., focusing on “high potentials”).  These zombie ideas are problematic because they limit the potential of leadership development.  As noted in the article: “By only looking for leadership amongst leaders we only find it there and bury all signs of leadership from below. By only recognizing, training, selecting and nurturing a few in positions of leadership we ensure tha...

By Jama Coartney --  As the demand for leadership skills increases, instructors and administrators are faced with some tough decisions about how to proceed and meet both the technical as well as leadership skills. With an education pathway already jam-packed, how do you add more leadership development into the curriculum? Segmented Approach Integrated Approach  One approach involves increasing the availability of courses dedicated to leadership skills.  Another option involves integrating aspects of leadership into already existing courses. Both approaches have their advantages.  In addition to opportunities for leadership development through coursework, students in agriculture programs also an additional option—internships.  Internships provide students a unique opportunity to gain experience and leadership development as they work toward completing their degree program.