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Management and Business Wisdom from Syngenta’s Jeff Rowe

Management and Business Wisdom from Syngenta’s Jeff Rowe

Earlier this year, Jeff Rowe took the reins as CEO of Syngenta Group following stints as president of both crop protection and seeds. He grew up on a family farm outside of Princeton, Ill., where his parents still grow corn and soybeans on roughly 3,000 acres. While his day job lends itself to more boardrooms and shareholders than tractor cabs and combines, he still tries to remain connected to his roots as much as possible.

Q: What lessons did you learn on the farm that still you use today?

A: “One of the things I think I took away was a work ethic. Growing up on a farm teaches you a lot of things. It teaches responsibility at a young age, but it also teaches the importance of hard work. I learned that here on the farm, and I try to continue to honor that through my career.”

Q: Why is it so important for you to stay connected to the farm?

A: “I think any time you can have a personal connection to something the better you will understand your ultimate customer. I don’t care what industry you’re in. It puts you in a better position to be an effective leader. The fact that I do come from a farm, and that I’ve stayed connected to agriculture and up to speed on the innovations and the advancements in agriculture, helps me be a better business leader. It also helps me connect with employees within the company. I can speak with a different level of sincerity and depth of understanding when we talk about policy issues and things that are relevant to agriculture.”

Q: Are there other ways farm work translates to leadership in the business world?

A: “When you think about what a farm is, in a lot of ways it’s about working together to get a job done. There might be 10 different jobs to do on a given day, and the focus is all about getting those jobs done in the support of the farm, and more broadly, in support of the family.“

Q: How important is innovation to farming’s future?

A: “My grandfather, when he farmed, had to use horses, and it was very hard manual labor. He was severely injured in a few farming accidents and by the time I was in my 20s, he really wasn’t able to do a lot physically because of the toll the occupation took on him. Contrast that with my parents, who are both around 80, and they’re in great health, able to work and still operate on the farm. Of course, that’s not all based on innovation, but that’s definitely a part of it.

My experience on the farm allows me to challenge our internal teams to make sure that while they’re working on some really sophisticated, innovative things, we also make sure that they’re ultimately bringing it back to how this is going to help improve a farmer’s life. I’m able to speak with a lot of confidence about how our products work because, at least some of them, I’ve seen them in the field and in action.”

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