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Jay Vroom: Listening is Leadership
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In this episode of The Intentional Agribusiness Leader, Mark sits down with Jay Vroom, President of VroomLeigh Agriculture and former CEO of CropLife America, for a powerful conversation shaped by over 45 years of leadership in agriculture.
Jay defines intentional leadership in one word:
Listening.
Not hearing—but truly listening.
Across decades of leadership, Jay has seen more failures come from a lack of listening than almost anything else. When leaders take the time to understand perspectives, empathize, and prepare for conversations, their decisions and communication carry far greater impact.
But listening requires more than presence—it requires preparation.
Great leaders don’t show up reacting. They anticipate. They understand who’s in the room, where people come from, and what matters to them. In a global, highly connected agricultural industry, that level of awareness is no longer optional.
The conversation also dives into one of the most defining challenges of Jay’s career: leading through the repeal of the Delaney Clause.
What started as a regulatory issue quickly became a national crisis—fueled by media, public perception, and fear. It took eight years, hundreds of organizations, and relentless persistence to build a coalition strong enough to change the law.
The lesson?
Big problems don’t get solved alone.
They require patience, alignment, and the ability to bring people together around a shared objective—even when opinions differ.
Looking forward, Jay highlights a critical inflection point for agriculture.
Innovation is accelerating—but regulatory bottlenecks are slowing progress. The cost and complexity of bringing new technologies to market continue to rise, creating real risk for the future of crop protection and food production.
At the same time, the opportunity has never been greater.
Precision agriculture, digital tools, and new technologies have the potential to dramatically improve how we grow food—making it more efficient, more sustainable, and more responsive to consumer needs.
But success will depend on more than innovation.
It will depend on storytelling.
Agriculture must do a better job communicating its value—particularly around environmental outcomes, sustainability, and the quality of food being produced.
The next chapter isn’t just about feeding the world.
It’s about feeding the world better.
And that requires leaders who are willing to listen, adapt, and engage in conversations that aren’t always easy—but are absolutely necessary.
Because leadership isn’t about having all the answers.
It’s about being willing to hear what others are trying to say.
Listen if you are:
- Leading through complex or high-stakes challenges
- Navigating regulation, policy, or industry change
- Trying to influence outcomes across multiple stakeholders
- Thinking about the future direction of agriculture
- Committed to becoming a more intentional, effective leader