Dairy Processing - September/October 2022 - 66

ASSOCIATION INSIGHTS
Looking to the
future
L
IDFA's NextGen Leadership Program looks to
prepare the next wave of dairy industry leaders.
by Michael Dykes | International Dairy Foods Association
eadership comes at all levels of an organization. The
future of the dairy industry and our ability to remain
globally competitive depends on how we develop the
workforce of the future, cultivate the next generation of
leaders, empower and support diversity in leadership roles
and solve our nation's immigration crisis.
IDFA is doing its part every day to make headway on
these substantial issues. On leadership development, this fall
we welcomed the fourth class of emerging leaders in IDFA's
NextGen Leadership Program, a signature initiative in our
People Strategy. It is an incredible group selected based on
their experience and scope of responsibility within their
organizations. They represent the broad diversity of people
and businesses across the dairy supply chain, and we are
confident they - alongside dozens of leaders from previous
NextGen Leadership classes - will propel our industry to
bigger and better things.
POWER OF PEOPLE
There is no magic answer for workforce challenges facing
dairy and food manufacturing, but it does demonstrate a
great urgency to put people at the center of everything we
do. From IDFA's perspective, we want to ensure the industry
is preparing leaders at every level to step up. The NextGen
program is designed to support, guide, and prepare mid- to
senior-level dairy industry professionals who are ready to
take the next step in their leadership journey. The year-long
program equips them to build and expand relationships with
66 SEP-OCT 2022 | DAIRYPROCESSING.COM
their peers, hone leadership skills and acquire advanced
advocacy skills for the dairy industry.
This is true for individuals at every level of our organizations.
I hear from IDFA members frequently about talent. They are
focused on leadership development within their organizations,
succession planning, identifying and retaining high potentials,
recruitment and retainment of new talent. That's why IDFA has
developed its People Strategy to share knowledge, training and
networking opportunities pertaining to human resources and
building a workforce for the future.
Dairy industry leaders must put plans and personnel
in place to attract and retain a younger, skilled and more
inclusive workforce than ever before. That means all of us
must engage in and support leadership development at all
levels and create new opportunities for employees to gain
new skills and feel valued and appreciated at their jobs. That
is why with every young leader I meet, I encourage them to
get involved in IDFA committees and task forces and engage
in IDFA's professional communities such as Women in Dairy,
the Dairy Tech and Innovation Network, HR Leaders in Dairy,
the Dairy Diversity Coalition and many more. Through our
words and actions, IDFA is making it a priority to develop
future leaders for our industry who can manage disruption,
advocate for sound policy and lead with integrity.
FOCUS ON IMMIGRATION
To that end, a focus of this year's NextGen program will be
immigration reform. After years of stops and starts and little
Michael Dykes, president and chief
executive officer, International Dairy
Foods Association
http://www.DAIRYPROCESSING.COM
Dairy Processing - September/October 2022

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