Episode Details

Matt Lawrence is the Director of Retail Strategy at Valent USA LLC and resides in Prior Lake Minnesota.  He has made a career of leading sales teams at Valent USA over the past 26 years.  Currently he works with the 5 regional managers and all territory account managers on the best ways to be sales professionals and grow with customers in relationships and trust.  Implementing Integrity, Humility and Accountability into all his teams across the US.  In addition to people leadership Matt is responsible for Retail Strategy to include segmentation, Planning, and partnership.  Also involved in short and long term go to market strategy and sales collaboration with all departments in Valent USA and Sumitomo Chemical.  Matt was recently awarded Th Spirit of Valent Award for his leadership and development of the sales team.  Matt Lawrence holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from University of Wisconsin at River Falls and a Master of Business Administration from DeVry University.

Episode Summary:

In this insightful conversation on the "Intentional Agribusiness Leader" podcast, we get a profound look into the philosophy and strategies of successful agribusiness leadership with our guest, Matt Lawrence. His unique perspective on intentional leadership emphasizes purpose-driven action while fostering a sense of camaraderie and strategic advisory amongst his team. Matt dives deep into the core pillars of his leadership approach, sharing authentic wisdom that resonates with new and seasoned leaders alike.

Throughout the episode, Lawrence artfully conveys the importance of humility, integrity, and accountability as cornerstones to building a positive and productive workplace culture. He offers practical advice on steering teams towards shared goals while prioritizing transparency and employee buy-in. By sharing his personal journey overcoming the challenges of transitioning from peer to leader, Matt provides valuable insights for anyone stepping into new leadership roles. Encapsulating the essence of intentional leadership, this episode is a trove of actionable takeaways on driving employee engagement and fostering a sense of family within an organization.

Key Takeaways:

• Intentional leadership revolves around being purpose-driven, creating buy-in, and navigating the balance of assertiveness and approachability.
• Employee retention is influenced by company culture and a leader's capacity to demonstrate integrity, humility, and accountability.
• For leaders ascending from peer to managerial positions, transparency and pacing themselves become crucial for successful transitions.
• Cultivating a workplace culture requires consistent leadership, encouraging collaboration, and promoting a sense of belonging.
• Effective accountability involves a fine balance between guidance and autonomy, allowing team members to develop their unique leadership styles.

Notable Quotes:

• "Intentionally, I would say I intentionally be a little unintentional with my employees and with my managers, so that they know I'm working with them and I'm not just boss, top down, but I intentionally do that."
• "We got to strive as leaders, intentional agribusiness leaders, to keep that consistent in both realms. Internally, when you're working with your marketing, technology, and other departments, because there's a lot of debates internally that happen that are probably as strong as an external debate."
• "The reason people are here is the people. So I'll kind of circle back to those three attributes. I think that's why. It's because those attributes are what our people instill in each other."
• "...if you know it's something else, like, hey, they just aren't being accountable, not just because they didn't like the project. Maybe it's more going on in their life tha