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Mentorship, Leadership and the Future of Ag with Ebony Webber
0 Playsin 19 hours
Ebony Webber never saw herself being involved in the agriculture industry. Now, she serves as the CEO of MANRRS (Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences), helping others find their place. Tune in for Ebony’s unconventional route to leadership and the lessons she’s learned along the way.
In this episode, Ebony reflects on:
- Career growth: Ebony took leadership of MANRRS at 22 years old and has created a nationally recognized program
- Building pathways: She shares unique perspective on opportunities for future talent
- Attracting the future: Ebony addresses the need to attract more people to agriculture
From the power of mentorship to the evolving workforce needs in agriculture, Ebony offers insights on how young professionals can develop leadership skills, expand their networks, and embrace career opportunities in the industry.
Tune in for a conversation filled with leadership wisdom, career advice, and a deep dive into why agriculture is, at its core, a people business.
Connect with Ebony
- Connect on LinkedIn
Learn more about Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences
Connect with AFA
- Follow us on LinkedIn
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- Like us on Facebook
- Follow us on TikTok
- Visit our Website
About The Cultivating Leaders Podcast
Real stories. Practical advice. Tangible growth. Join The Cultivating Leaders Podcast, brought to you by Agriculture Future of America, as we explore what it takes to lead in food, agriculture, and beyond. Whether you’re just starting out or leading at the highest level, this podcast is your go-to resource for leadership that matters. Listen now and start cultivating your leadership journey.
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Transcript
Introduction to Cultivating Leaders Podcast
00:00:06
Speaker
Welcome to the Cultivating Leaders podcast, where we get inside the minds of leaders to harvest great ideas and lessons that help you grow as a difference maker in food and agriculture. I'm your host and curiosity captain, Nicole Versig.
Meet Ebony Weber: Championing Diversity in Agriculture
00:00:18
Speaker
Today we have with us Ebony Weber, and I am so excited to have her on the pod. She is a powerhouse leader in the agriculture industry. Ebony is the CEO of MANRS, or Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences. She spent two decades building pathways for diverse talent in food and agriculture and ensuring that the next generation of leaders has access to opportunities and career success.
00:00:42
Speaker
So Ebony, thank you so much for joining us on the pod today. Absolutely. Thank you for having me, Nicole. So excited to have you here. So ah before we dive in Ebony, why don't you just start with explaining what is MANRS anyone who doesn't know what it is?
00:00:58
Speaker
Absolutely. So MANRS is a national professional society. In the organization, we like to say that you can be a member for life. Our program starts as early as middle school and goes all the way through retirement. So we really are an organization that cultivate interest and exposure to careers in food, agriculture, and natural resources.
00:01:17
Speaker
We promote advancement um of STEM fields and careers and really promote community and networking amongst professional individuals in this industry. I love it. And I've really enjoyed getting to know Manners as AFA and Manners get to work together. you guys are always such a fun group and so many talented people.
Ebony's Unplanned Journey into Agriculture
00:01:36
Speaker
ah So let's talk about your leadership journey. Tell us where where did your passion for agriculture begin? Wow, that's a great question. One, I would say didn't know what was my passion.
00:01:48
Speaker
I often think about what my first job ever was, and I'm not making this up for the podcast. My first job ever was chopping cotton. Like as a young ah person, probably, you know, 12, 13 years old, really 13, 14, too young to really be working. But that's kind of when you're from the South and in rural communities, there was just ways in which you can kind of make money.
00:02:11
Speaker
So there was a skating rink that we love to go to every weekend. And so that was the one way we get to make money to afford to go to the skating rink. And so, yeah. um My first work ethic and I'll say my lessons of work ethic kind of started with that is some hard work.
00:02:27
Speaker
And my passion for agriculture kind of was reversed is that I was like, you know, this is not what I want to do. And so with that, I'm motivated to make sure that I get the best grades. I want to go into a STEM field that what I felt was going to take me as far away from that as possible.
Leadership Challenges at MANRS
00:02:45
Speaker
Full circle moment, um landed at my first job with Manners out of college and deep deep dove into what was agriculture and I fell in love. was like, all this time I ran away just to come back to my first job ever. And so I guess that the the seed was planted long ago, but it was really just the organization manners that really connected that interest and that first opportunity back to what is now my true passion.
00:03:16
Speaker
i love that. ah so i think so many people, you know, you if you grew up in agriculture are like, I'm going to come back or this is going to be my job. But the fact that you were like, this is hard work and I don't think I want to do this. And now your job is promoting careers in agriculture.
00:03:32
Speaker
so right. So, yeah, talk about ironic statement for sure.
00:03:38
Speaker
Okay, so tell me, what did you think you were going to do then if you didn't want to go into agriculture? Well, when I when i look back at my senior, my high school senior book, I said I wanted to be an anesthesiologist.
00:03:49
Speaker
Then when I got to college, i was like, how much school is that? So I'm going to go to computer science and I end up getting my bachelor's degree in computer science and mathematics. So I thought I was going to work for Yahoo. Oh my gosh, that's incredible.
00:04:01
Speaker
Okay, so tell me, how did you land with Manners then? The person responsible for going around, one, he had two parts of his job. One was to start as many chapters as possible. And the second was to stand a headquarters up for the national organization who at that time was just operating off volunteers.
00:04:18
Speaker
And so he too was a volunteer that was kind of tasked with this responsibility. And again, had come to my small college at the time, Stillman College, and wanted me to start a manners chapter.
00:04:30
Speaker
And I had just told you the story about agriculture. And I had to repeat a long story to him as well. was like, no, sir, I'm not doing agriculture. I'm computer science. Those two don't even have anything to do with each other.
00:04:41
Speaker
At least I thought. Graduated, fast forward, you know, graduated from college, was a great student, but ah being a first generation college student at a small um minority serving institution just did not have a lot of guidance and awareness about internships and things that you need to do to really make yourself competitive once you graduate it.
00:05:02
Speaker
And so I needed a job when I graduated and I was like, oh, Mr. Butler. So about manners, tell me more, you know, what's going on. And he needed an assistant. So literally when I graduated, um I later that year, I moved to Memphis, Tennessee and became his assistant and started working for manners. And so that's kind of how I ended up here as my first job out of college, went to my first conference and was like, where has this organization been all of my life? And why didn't I know about it sooner?
00:05:32
Speaker
So yeah, ah I love that. And I love it. Like manners found you, even though you're like, eggs, not for me. And again, i feel like there's so much power in the word never, or like, I'm not going to do that.
00:05:45
Speaker
I feel like sometimes the the universe is like, okay, you say that and I'm gonna challenge you on that. And it sounds like that's been part of your journey as you're like, whatever you say no to is turning into a heck yes. A big yes.
00:05:59
Speaker
Okay, so tell me, um you have spent your entire career with Manners.
Defining Moments in Ebony's Leadership
00:06:05
Speaker
What's been a defining leadership moment that has changed the way you lead? Wow, there are so many.
00:06:13
Speaker
i will I will maybe say two. One was... um Actually, it it happened shortly after I started with the organization. As I reflect back now, of course, in the moment, I wouldn't have said that was a defining moment of my leadership.
00:06:29
Speaker
But being two decades in, I would say what the first time was when I started to lead the organization as a one-person show, I mentioned coming out of um out of college into my role as the assistant executive officer. Well, I was only under his mentorship for about six months.
00:06:47
Speaker
And much of that time he spent on the role out building chapters and doing the business of manners. And I was kind of at the headquarters just doing the paperwork and keeping things going. Well, six months after that, he was USDA was like, okay, you've set out and you've accomplished what you had to do. Now it's time to come back to DC.
00:07:07
Speaker
So he moved to DC and left me as a one person show, 22 years old in the new city, running a national organization, first job out of college. Oh, my gosh. Talk about baptism by fire. Yes, indeed. Yes, indeed. And so I would say that was a a true defining moment in my leadership because it it called for me to step up in ways that I didn't even know how you just figured it out as you go. And I think that's one of those things that would say we oftentimes think that you need to have it all figured out to lead.
00:07:38
Speaker
And that's a great example that sometimes you just gonna, you know, like you said, you just gonna kind of trial by fire. And one of the the most the one of the quotes I adopted was, fail fast.
00:07:49
Speaker
Like, I'm gonna make a lot of mistakes, but how quickly can you adjust, pivot, learn from those mistakes, and then, you know, keep things going. And so the first couple of my years, it really felt like a lot of trial by fire.
00:08:02
Speaker
Oh, I can imagine. i That is such a cool story and lesson. um Here's my question for you. What but made you stay? Because I think there's a lot of people, especially young people, right? You get into your first career, things maybe don't go as planned, a boss leaves, it's not what you expected it would be.
00:08:20
Speaker
And what what made you say like, I'm going to stick through this and I'm going to push through, I'm going to overcome these challenges, I'm going be okay with failing? A few things. One, um I love the independents.
00:08:33
Speaker
I love the fact that they trusted me. Like just that was so empowering. The fact that this whole organization entrusted me to lead. And so I did feel like this overwhelming sense of responsibility. Like if I leave, who's going to work?
00:08:48
Speaker
Like, who's going to stay? Like, I just felt like this need to take care of the organization because I that had been stewarded or had been afforded this opportunity to lead in such a way. um The secondly was I was a new mom.
00:09:01
Speaker
So I had to provide. So I really didn't have a choice of kind of being picky about where I wanted to work. It was all about, hey, you are. responsible for someone else. And so you have to do what you have to do.
00:09:14
Speaker
And so at that time, you know, it was, it was those things that kind of like, you don't have a choice not to be successful. There's someone here depending on you, yeah you, this is your only choice. And so with that, I never thought about,
00:09:28
Speaker
What other opportunities? cause i mentioned going to that first conference when I first started and I was so like just seeing the number of young people and professionals that were all singly motivated and helping each other be successful. Like that was just so uplifting and I just wanted to be a part of that um and wanted to continue to be a part of that. And so, yeah, staying was never a hard decision for me.
00:09:55
Speaker
I love that. ah So you've spent, yeah I mean, from young 22-year-old Ebony to where you are today as CEO, the organization has grown immensely. You've got a team now.
00:10:07
Speaker
um What advice would today, Ebony as CEO of Manners, give baby Ebony starting out? Be patient. This too shall pass.
00:10:18
Speaker
I think when you're first starting out and you're trying, you know, of course, just I'm trying to please everybody. I want to make everybody happy. I want to make everyone proud. um I don't want anyone to be disappointed in me. And so I i did a lot. You know, sometimes I look back and I'm like, how in the world did you do all of that as a one person show? But kind of like,
00:10:40
Speaker
When you don't know any better, you just kind of do what you what needs to be done. And so I didn't know not to do all of those things. And so I would say, the and I was always very pressed about everything had to be perfect because if anything is wrong, it's going to all point back to me anyway. And so I had to make sure that everything that went out the door was perfect because I didn't have anyone to...
00:11:03
Speaker
Not that I would, but I didn't have anyone to scapegoat or to be like, well, the team failed. It was like, no, it's no team, Ebony. It's you, you know? It was that pressure of, I think, now that I look back on it, all those moments passed, like, and we made it through it. And so, but you couldn't have told me then that that one email or that one thing that I got wrong wasn't going to cause this whole domino effect of problems, you know? So.
00:11:29
Speaker
Mm-hmm. Yep. Perspective that comes with time. It's amazing. ah So tell me, one because you get to work with leaders all across their careers in agriculture, from the very beginning to folks, that you like you said, that are near in retirement, when you think about leadership, what are the qualities that you think set truly set those people that are a level above apart?
Qualities of Great Leaders in Agriculture
00:11:54
Speaker
A few things. I would say maybe... um
00:11:59
Speaker
Expertise in their craft. I think there's something about just being knowledgeable about your space, your area, your industry, so that people do seek you out so that you can at some point show or display your leadership characteristics or why people seek to look to you.
00:12:16
Speaker
I think that's one. I think they have ability to communicate well, um meaning um not even just well-spoken or or or And draft a document. Are they having the ability to explain things in a way across different stakeholder groups? So whether they're talking to a student or a peer or leaders, they have a way of translating the information that seems to make everybody come on board.
00:12:42
Speaker
And then I would say the last thing is probably commitment. Like the people, as I mentioned, like being in manners, one of the things that I just actually, a great story this morning, I just kind of checked in with one of our former presidents, national presidents, who was actually the minister that they did, the who officiated my husband's and I wedding. Oh, I love that. So,
00:13:05
Speaker
It's just the check-in. And it was only a five-minute call, but it seemed like we talked for hours in that five minutes, but just to say, hey, how you been doing? What's going on with manners? And hey, I'm looking at the news. I'm praying for you guys. And so I think some of those individuals that are still, they just care and they stay committed, even though they may not be as involved, just committed to the mission, to the to the intent of the organization. And that is to seek all of us built up and doing well as professionals in the industry. So just that care and concern to me is important because anybody can be a great leader and maybe possess some of those characteristics, but that ability to care for people is really important in how you lead. Yeah.
00:13:46
Speaker
I always say agriculture is a people business and that relational part of it is so, yeah, it does make people stand out. The The ones that remember the ones that check in the ones that, you know, stay connected, even if you're, even if you're not, whether you're a coworker or former, you know, livestock judging team member or whatever it is, the people that, you know, they stay plugged in.
00:14:06
Speaker
Yeah. What's this saying goes like, you may forget what a person say, but you never forget how they make you feel. And so I definitely think it's one of those things. I'm terrible with names, but if we had a great time and we laughed, I definitely, I'm going to remember Nicole from now on.
00:14:21
Speaker
And we do have some of those, Ebony. I enjoy any time we get together. Absolutely. So I think one of the things that you pulled out ah that makes leaders great is is expertise. And so I want to get into that a little bit because you and Manners in general in general has so much influence in talent development in agriculture and and making people feel welcome and in helping people find different pathways to success. So as we look at talent development in agriculture today, tell me, where do you think we have gaps and problems to solve as an industry?
00:14:51
Speaker
I think we have gaps. Wow. I'm just thinking of so many. When you said that, like so much kind of just flooded to my mind. Well, I would say one, I think one of the gaps and one of the areas that MANRS really um has tried to work to address is just the exposure of people who know about careers in food and agriculture. I think that's kind of the first gap is that there are just not enough people who are choosing this industry as a first career choice option. It may be something they stumbled into, or maybe they're generationally, they're connected, but how do we
00:15:25
Speaker
How do we move the industry to the place where people are saying, hey, I want to be a lawyer, doctor or agriculturalist? Like, how can we move into one of those sectors that we know as being agriculturalist is transformative? if There's no society without agriculture. So how do we raise that prominence?
00:15:44
Speaker
I think, too, what we're finding is working with a lot of of emerging and young professionals and adults are, you know, we're living in a,
00:15:56
Speaker
in an unprecedented time, I believe, with just the use of technology, especially, you know, with the generation after COVID, I think we're starting to see a lot of some of those shifts and things that happen during that time.
00:16:10
Speaker
And so for us, we're looking at things just honestly like professionalism and soft skills and things that really humanize people. I think a lot of young people and young adults are very technology savvy. And we've kind of moved away from some of the personable things that are, I call them timeless connections. There's nothing to be able to replace, you know, picking up a phone and kind of talking with someone. And so how do we adopt technology, but not lose the sense of things that build relationships? Because as you mentioned, agriculture is a people business.
00:16:42
Speaker
And I think people want to get on with the business and forget about the people part. And so how do we make sure that that relationship piece and that people piece stay forefront in the ad adopting technology within that, you know, within that spirit and atmosphere?
00:16:58
Speaker
Yeah. Oh, I love that.
MANRS: Fostering Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
00:17:00
Speaker
Speaking of the people piece of it, ah we, there has been so much talk about diversity, equity, and inclusion and MANOR's name.
00:17:09
Speaker
um Initially, the first thing you're hit with is minorities in agriculture resources or natural resources and related sciences. Tell me, I think you are a bridge, Manners is a bridge for so many people into a career in agriculture. It's a connection. It's ah it's a place where people feel like they belong.
00:17:27
Speaker
For someone who maybe hasn't had exposure to Manners or or doesn't quite understand, ah like give me your perspective, Ebony, on does this, whether we're talking about DE&I or a place for people to feel like they belong, what does that matter as we look at at building a future talent workforce and in the future of agriculture?
00:17:47
Speaker
Yeah, well, these have definitely been some very difficult times and conversations that our organization has faced and conversations that we've been having both externally and internally.
00:17:58
Speaker
um As an organization, we are fully committed. You know, one, our primary re mission is to advance, you know, careers in food and agriculture um and tap into groups that traditionally have not been represented within this space.
00:18:14
Speaker
And so regardless of what the socioeconomic factor may be or what the identity identifier may be, Manners is committed to being a voice for all those that feel that they they don't have a place in agriculture. So I don't think that we're putting an identifier out there as the main identity.
00:18:35
Speaker
I think we're just saying, hey, if you feel like if you as an individual have a choice, say, I don't feel like I belong, where is a place that I can maybe look to get more information and whatever is causing that feeling for, you know, unbelonging, whether that may be race or just you may not grew up in agriculture or you may be just unfamiliar with the industry. So whatever that causes you to feel like you don't belong, we hope that manners could be that safe space where people can come learn more.
00:19:03
Speaker
find a community that will support them and ah not only a community find resources that can really connect them to the opportunities. I think a part of outside of the exposure piece is the access.
00:19:15
Speaker
So how do you access these career industry professionals? How do you access the BASL for the John Deere's of the world? You know, if you were trying to break into this industry. What do you major in? What are the top universities that you go to major? And we look for manners to be that resource.
00:19:33
Speaker
And so, yes, DEI does get buried into all of that, but essentially we're really focused on what we do as an organization and the impact that we hope that we are we're making in the industry.
00:19:45
Speaker
And one, being a talent and workforce development organization. Yeah, I think I, one of the things I've loved is I get to know different people who are involved in manners. Like you've got people who maybe they have a connection to agriculture, but they're going into the medical field or some, yeah or something like that. And they're like, manners is my home. Manners is my community and vice versa. I think people that are like, I didn't know that I, that I could have a career in agriculture or natural resources and that I found manners. And now here ah here i am.
00:20:15
Speaker
So it's such a cool thing. And I love that feeling of, you know, if you're looking for a place to connect and a place to belong, Manners is open arms. And you guys are a fun group, too.
00:20:26
Speaker
So let's talk about opportunities for young
Advice for Aspiring Professionals in Agriculture
00:20:29
Speaker
professionals. What do you think students and young leaders need to know most important about navigating careers today? Yeah, I would say navigating careers today. We've talked a lot about this over the past year. I would say the number one thing I've heard a lot of is being open to being geographical, flexible.
00:20:48
Speaker
You know, that's kind of one of the top things that I've heard. A lot of the jobs in agriculture may not be in your There are some jobs in your nice, fancy cities, but there are a lot of jobs that are not. And so I think being open to the journey um will help to give a richer career, you know, um experience.
00:21:08
Speaker
So I think that's one that I think, you know, all young people, even myself, when I took my first job, I had to make the choice to move from my hometown and then later relocate it. To Atlanta, it was a great choice, but you still had to be open to moving out of your comfort zone and leaving a place that you were familiar with and moving somewhere new.
00:21:28
Speaker
I would say also um honing in and developing those leadership skills. I think, you know, times and things are moving so fast. And so companies are looking and and want to hire people who can come in and maybe be effective on day one, day two, day three.
00:21:47
Speaker
And so I think being able to have those leadership skills and being able to enact impact when you get there is important.
00:21:57
Speaker
um And so finding ways to just develop those skills and learning your leadership styles and just kind of really developing yourself, I think, as ah as a leader. And then lastly, I would say find your mentor.
00:22:11
Speaker
Um, I think, you know, that's one of the things I didn't mention, but i am the CEO of manners because of the mentors that were around me, you know, very early on, there weren't a lot of.
00:22:21
Speaker
training programs or they they didn't send me off to some kind of CEO boot camp. A lot of those things just came from people just pouring into me, mentoring me, me calling Nancy and picking her brain from AFA and just kind of figuring out, you know, what are some things that are working? You've been a leader in this space for a while. So it's the ability to learn from others and being open to learn and being open to feedback is really, really important.
00:22:48
Speaker
you know, good, bad, however, you it's all about perspective. But I think any feedback that is intentionally meant to help you, um whether it's hard to receive or not, you should be able to be open to that feedback to make those continuous improvement for yourself.
00:23:04
Speaker
I love that you just mentioned mentoring, Ebony, because we do a segment on this podcast called Speed Mentoring. And so I'm going to give you a scenario. And you are going to act as the mentor for this scenario. And in 30 seconds or less, give me a mentoring answer of what you would do or what you would tell this person to do.
00:23:24
Speaker
So i am a ah mid mid-season, like I'm gonna say like middle of my career ah person and looking for a new mentor. Like I've had those people maybe who have gotten me here.
00:23:38
Speaker
I'm looking to climb the ladder further. expand, grow up. um Maybe the mentors that I've had in the past are, I'm kind of at their level now and I'm looking for something new. What advice or what would you tell me should do in looking for a new mentor?
00:23:54
Speaker
Wow, that's a great choice. I'm trying to think. I think, you know, I would just kind of give you advice that i did personally for me. I think as I began to grow as a professional, I began to organically be in the room with others that were more seasoned than myself um or at least within proximity to those individuals. So if i didn't have that direct connection, I used my network to make those introductions.
00:24:20
Speaker
I also, you know, followed, um, mentors or individuals online that I looked up to and just kind of, you know, softly stalked and kind of built the online relationship until it was appropriate enough to like, hey, I've been following you for a while, can we connect?
00:24:36
Speaker
So I think in terms of today's world with LinkedIn and some of these other platforms, it's a lot easier to make those connections. But honestly, if you're growing and you're building your professional journey,
00:24:48
Speaker
organically, you're probably in room with individuals who are already at the position that they can mentor you. So it's just really about, you know, finding out the why, what are you hoping to get out of that mentorship relationship? It can't be just because they have a title.
00:25:02
Speaker
Hopefully there are some similarities and some ways in which you hope that individual can help you grow, but have the courage and ask them to be your mentor. Most likely from what my experience has been, most likely people will say yes, because everyone wants to see someone be successful. Yeah. Yeah.
00:25:17
Speaker
I think ah one of the things I love, it's a mantra that that Tracy on our team continues to parrot is you can't blame a girl for asking. And so at least going out and making an ask of, can we talk? Can we connect? Can I get to know you better?
00:25:31
Speaker
um Most people in agriculture are going to say yes. And I mean, we wouldn't be having this conversation if we hadn't done the same thing. Right. It's just make it making the ask. And, hey, do you have an hour and can I learn from you? Absolutely. Absolutely.
00:25:44
Speaker
OK, let's go into a little bit more rapid fire. What is the best leadership advice you've ever received? The best leadership advice I've ever received was you can have everything you want, but you can't have it at the same time.
00:25:57
Speaker
and And why that was the best, because it helped me to prioritize. It helped me to know that every decision that you make, um all well intentioned, there are benefits and there are consequences to to every decision.
00:26:13
Speaker
And so being okay to be able to live with those consequences as well as the benefits. And so just knowing that everything and change is inevitable. I think that's one of that's also what that phrase kind of means is that just give it enough time. It may not be the time. It may not, it may not be no, it just may not be not at this time.
00:26:33
Speaker
And so I think that You can't have it. You can have everything, but not at the same time. It's something that I continuously remind myself of when I feel like I'm having to sacrifice something I want for something greater.
00:26:46
Speaker
So that's a good time to remind yourself of that, too. I'm like, maybe maybe not now, but maybe later. I love that, too, especially for ah women, because I think there's so many things right, whether it's the family or the the fancy job title or, you know, the house or whatever.
00:27:04
Speaker
I'll be honest, the the physical health, all the things you can have it all, just probably not at the same time. Absolutely. What is one leadership habit or routine that you swear by?
Leadership Habits: Reflection and Adaptation
00:27:14
Speaker
My calendar.
00:27:16
Speaker
am an ultimate like scheduler just because I've become so busy and dependent. like I need to have organization. And so my one thing is like i need I need to be scheduled out.
00:27:29
Speaker
So if it's something of importance and I've even started to build in time to just think like I've blocked off time to just say, Hey, you can't even call me during these hours. This is just my time to reflect process and kind of brainstorm and visualize because as leaders, we schedule so much work that we never leave time to just, when do I think about manners and when do I visualize what's best for the organization? So just trying to be intentional about building in that time to just think and reflect.
00:27:58
Speaker
Oh, I love that. I'm going steal that one for sure. ah What is a book, podcast, or resource that every leader should check out? How about AFA Cultivating Leaders? You have to check out this podcast, everybody, if you're in the industry. But besides that, I'm a personal fan. I have a number of books here, but my personal favorite, honestly,
00:28:19
Speaker
is the 48 laws of power. Like I just kind of love a book that intertwines like just life lessons with lessons that I feel like are trans, you know, formative over whether it's work or personal. I just love those type of things that I can apply to both at all aspects of my life. So The Four to Eight Laws of Power is one that I kind of read and reread. And the second one is The Alchemist.
00:28:46
Speaker
I just love that ah book. It's an easy read. it's just its It has so much life lessons built into it. And I just love it. I am so glad to hear you say that. OK, people who listen to this and Savannah is going to laugh. I'm a book nerd and I'm always talking about what I'm reading.
00:29:02
Speaker
I literally have the Alchemist. I just downloaded it. And I have, so that makes me very excited because I just got my notification from Libby. That's like, Hey, it's available.
00:29:13
Speaker
Don't let it go. I've read it. I know three times and I, and when I read it, I just love it. like I have so many things highlighted. I go like, Oh, this resonated the first time. And I kind of go back and underline it where I highlighted just to kind of reinforce, but that's one of my favorite books.
00:29:30
Speaker
Now you've made me excited. It just moved up on my to be read list. Okay, back to these questions. You have such good answers. What is a leadership myth that needs to be busted?
00:29:40
Speaker
The work-life balance. I will say, you know, again, out as a as as as a senior professional now in the industry, I think you do your best to have a balance, but I don't know if there truly is a balance. I think you just try to prioritize and do the best you can when you can.
00:30:02
Speaker
And if there is a balance, I haven't been able to find it. So that's why maybe I think it's a myth. So, hey, future leaders, if you're on, if you figured out the balance, definitely let me know. But I have not quite found the right balance. I think I just do what I can do at best in the moment. I think as a leader in different seasons requires different times of commitment. And so I just try to be fair to my family ah as best as I can. But as a leader, you're going to travel a lot. You're going to work late nights.
00:30:31
Speaker
You're going to get up early. And so I just think you try to, you know, do the best you can. I love that. I think that's a great myth to be busted, especially because I think for young people, you can look at other leaders in the industry and think they have it all together.
00:30:45
Speaker
think. um I had a leader recently who told me, he was like, I have never felt like I am fully on top of things. I've never been in a job where I feel like I have got every email answered. I'm not behind on anything. There's always something more to be done.
00:31:01
Speaker
And he's like, at this point now, I would be worried if it felt like there was balance or if I felt like I was on top of everything. And I think a lot of, you can look at people from the outside and think like, oh, they've got it all figured out or they have balance or it's all together. But I think everyone's just out here doing doing their best, right? And it goes back to what you said around, like you can have it all, but not all at one time.
00:31:22
Speaker
There's seasons to this, right? There are seasons where you're super busy, seasons where you're you're very focused on family, seasons where you're very focused on work. So what a great myth to bust. All right, if you could give every young professional one piece of advice, what would it be?
Continuous Learning and Growth in Agriculture
00:31:36
Speaker
Every young professional, one piece of advice. Never stop learning and never stop growing. I think, um, again, at one point of my career and manners, just being a one person show, I wasn't able to kind of get that personal and professional development as a leader. I was so focused on actually performing and giving it to others that it wasn't until I was able to prioritize and the organization was able to invest in my development that I really saw not only myself grow, but I saw that that growth impact the things that I had been working on. So it actually made me more productive and better in my job.
00:32:19
Speaker
All right, Ebony, I know we're getting close to time, but there is one final segment that we like to do. It's called hot takes. At AFA, we love doing hot takes with our students. So I want to ask you, do you have any bold opinions? What's an unconventional or bold thought that you have about leadership or the future of agriculture? who Oh, a bold, hot take on leadership or the future of agriculture.
00:32:44
Speaker
Dang, like all the questions you get to the last one and stump me. Oh, my goodness. I don't know if I have a bold, just trying to think for the ag industry, anything bold.
00:32:57
Speaker
You know, I don't, but I will say, and I hope I can, I'm answering the question as best as I can. But I will say my bold take on agriculture is that I feel like this is the industry, of course, that changes the world.
The Impact and Opportunities in Agriculture
00:33:12
Speaker
And so I would like to, see it promoted and talked about and elevated to the degree in which this is this is the ways in which it's transformative.
00:33:24
Speaker
And also even highlighted, and I think we've talked about this in other conversations, what happens when is when these goals aren't realized? I think what are those scary, hairy, audacious, and scary things that happen if we don't succeed on some of the things that like feeding 9 billion people?
00:33:42
Speaker
You know, what does that look like? I think people hear us talk about that a lot, but I don't think people visually know what that means. Or when you see a lot of things happening and climate food insecurity, like what does that look like?
00:33:55
Speaker
So I will, my bold thing, I would love to see the industry scare people straight. Like, yeah, that's what I would like to see. Like scare people to like, without us, this is what this is what it looks like. Cause we always talk about the great things, but it's,
00:34:11
Speaker
We got to, you know, shed the light on the reality too. her Love that take, Ebony. You gave me goosebumps, actually, ah in a ah fun way of scaring people straight, but also like it makes the work that you do every day seem so important, right? Because you're right, it's scary if we don't realize these things, if we don't achieve some of these goals, and we're not going to without people and people from all different backgrounds, all different skill sets, and people who have the ability to work together and have the leadership skills and the people skills to
00:34:44
Speaker
overcome some really big hairy challenges. Absolutely. Absolutely. So more job security, I guess I will say for afa and manners. um yeah We are getting to the end of our conversation, Ebony. want to ask before we wrap it up, if there is one thing that listeners take away from our conversation today, what do you hope it is?
00:35:06
Speaker
I hope people take away that there are organizations that are out here that are committed to their success, that we are committed to advancing the society as a whole.
00:35:17
Speaker
then I hope that they choose food and agriculture as a career option because without, you know, people choosing these options, then there won't be a lot of opportunities for us to connect and do these types of podcasts. And so for me, I hope people really take a second look at careers in food and agriculture.
00:35:34
Speaker
Love that. Okay, AFA, we are all about building bridges. So where can people connect with you and learn more about Manners? Absolutely. So please connect with me on LinkedIn at Ebony Weber.
00:35:45
Speaker
um You can follow Manners on all social media platforms at National Manners. um Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn. And we look forward to connecting with you online at www.manners.org.
00:35:59
Speaker
And for anyone, because this is an audio platform, Manners is M-A-N-R-R-S. I just want to make sure that if anyone's like, okay, what how do I spell Manners? It's got two R's in there. Make sure you don't forget. That's right.
00:36:11
Speaker
Well, thank you so much, Ebony. I love any time that we get to spend time together. i love learning from you. I think you're such an inspiring leader who's like we talked about on this podcast, doing important work every single day. And so um I'm really grateful that you joined us on the Cultivating Leaders podcast.
00:36:28
Speaker
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