The Key to Retaining Great Talent with Kip Pendleton

The Intentional Agribusiness Leader Podcast

Kip is a Champaign County, Illinois, farm kid who has worked to help Leaders Feed the World. He is the president and CEO of The Pendleton Group, a strategic consulting firm serving technology and agriculture companies on Precision Agriculture; Ag Big Data or Decision Agriculture; and Emerging Food and Feed Value Chains for Non-GMO and Organic. His father Dr. Johnny W. Pendleton was named the Agronomist of the 1960’s at the University of Illinois and recognized globally for his efforts to help farmers feed the world in the US and with the Ford Rockefeller Research Institutes IRRI in the Philippines and IITA in Nigeria. Kip grew up learning first-hand the impact of technology and production systems to return ROI to producers of all sizes.

Kip is current Executive Chairman of Jord Biocience and was founder and CEO for the first five years of the company. He also sits on the Cox Family Fund Board and Chairs the Ag Tech Committee. He was president and CEO and senior vice president of Agriculture for DTN and helped TBG, a Family Office in Zurich, acquire the company for $900 million, the second largest Ag Tech acquisition behind the Monsanto acquisition of Climate Corporation. He was senior vice president and general manager of Agriculture at Hemisphere GPS; founder, president, CEO and chairman of DirectAg, the first e-commerce company in agriculture; and then president and co-CEO of Agristar, the company that acquired DirectAg. He worked 18 years in the seed industry with leading public companies including Dupont Pioneer, Syngenta Northrup King and Dow AgroSciences Mycogen Seeds as seed moved from gentic commodities to technology delivery systems. He has been a part of value creation through executing and implementing 32 acquisitions and eight divestments in Ag and Technology to create value. He was named the 2001 Ag Communicator of the year by NAMA for his leadership around the use of the internet in agriculture.

Kip Pendleton shares his insights on intention and leadership in the agriculture and agribusiness industry. He emphasizes the importance of being intentional in your focus and choosing the right intentions. Kip also discusses the significance of having a clear and purposeful culture within an organization. He highlights the need for transparency and open communication to foster a positive and productive work environment. Kip also touches on the challenges of talent retention and the importance of investing in employees' growth and development. He concludes by discussing the future of agriculture, including the advancements in data insights and digital biology.

Key Takeaways:

• Intention should be focused on the right things and aligned with the company's mission and values.
• Building a strong and purposeful culture is essential for employee retention and engagement.
• Being vulnerable and authentic as a leader creates a positive and trusting work environment.
• Prioritizing tasks based on the big picture and major objectives leads to maximum productivity.
• Sharing information and collaborating with others in the industry is crucial for advancement and innovation.

Quotes:

"Intention starts at the top, goes down, and comes back up."

"Retention is tied to meaningful work and purposefulness."

"Culture is what you want it to be, but you can't declare it. You have to evolve it."

"Being vulnerable versus just saying, 'Stop, you're bugging me,' allows for growth and collaboration."

"You are a product of your history, and if you are a leader and a coach, you are changing people's lives every day."