"Blaze Your Leadership Trail" - YDLI Class 8 Comes Together in Albuquerque

Phase 1 of YDLI Class 8 is officially underway in Albuquerque, N.M. this week! We have 50 of the best and brightest budding dairy leaders from across North America for what promises to be an exciting and enlightening meeting.

Some class members arrived a little early for some extra time in the sun and experience local culture with a pre-tour that headed to Old Town Albuquerque. While in old town, the crew got to enjoy local cuisine, some shopping, and learned more about Albuquerque history with a fun scavenger hunt.

Wednesday evening marked the official start of the program with the Chuck Wagon Welcome Reception. After enjoying some good old fashioned barbecue, YDLI Advisory Committee members Brett Barlass, Josh Hushon and Kathryn Walker led a activity to teach the group some networking techniques - tips for having a conversation with just about anyone.

Brett Barlass starts off the "conversation" drawing - a house,
sitting behind a rock, with a window.

Mike Reps (MN) practices his networking with Kerry Wiebe (KS)

Frank Conyngham, YDLI Advisory Committee member and Holstein Foundation Trustee,
visits with Ashley Edstrom (CO)

Advisory Committee member Josh Hushon puts some finishing touches on the diagram.

The completed artwork consisted of several parts that can help lead a conversation with someone you don't know): 

1. A rock with a gold plate on it (your name)
2. A house (where you live)
3. Family looking out a window of the house (your family, kids, etc.)
4. A pet playing in the house (your pets)
5. The chimney of the house looks like a textbook (your education/career)
6. A plane flying above the house (where you've traveled, vacations, etc.)
7. The plane's propellers are made of tennis rackets (talk about sports you enjoy, hobbies, etc.)
8. Light bulbs on top of the tennis rackets (current events/your ideas)

Class members admire the various "Wanted" posters everyone made to
help introduce themselves to their fellow classmates.

Thursday morning we will get down to the nitty gritty with some “classroom time.” Perennial YDLI speaker Jim Henion is first up on the agenda with his session about “Understanding People and Personality Types.” After completing a Meyers-Briggs personality profile and learning their individual types, the group will divide up and learn how to successfully work with and lead a team composed of all different types of people. After lunch, Marcia Reynolds, a speaker new to YDLI, will teach participants how to master their “leadership presence” and "outsmart their brains" to respond effectively under even the most stressful conditions.

Check back daily for more news from Albuquerque and YDLI Class 8! Learn more about YDLI or sign up to receive information about the next class on the Holstein Foundation web site.