C-level leaders share lessons learned during a year of uncertainty

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C-level leaders share lessons learned during a year of uncertainty

19 Feb 2021

Commercial Baking Staff

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KANSAS CITY, MO — The past year has been an unprecedented experience for all. Approximately one year after the beginning of the COVID-19 shutdown, the American Society of Baking’s virtual BakingTECH conference gathered a President’s Panel on Feb. 18. Moderated by Robb MacKie, president and CEO of the American Bakers Association, the panel shared their lessons learned through adaptability and resiliency and a glimpse of the future of business ahead.

At a time when many find themselves in a constant triage mode, the panel acknowledged the importance of remaining flexible, particularly when new and unknown challenges arise on the daily. Applying the practices of good communication accompanied a large dose of humility, the group recognized the importance of staying present and focusing on the day’s challenges by remaining flexible.

“The lesson at the end of the day is to know the priorities of your business and remain focused on what the business is about,” said Tyson Yu, Aryzta North America.

“Having agility and being able to pivot and respond remains one of our greatest lessons,” said Tyson Yu, Aryzta North America. “The lesson at the end of the day is to know the priorities of your business and remain focused on what the business is about.”

One of those priorities being maintenance of the ongoing safety of essential frontline employees. Already having good safety processes in place has allowed many to combat unknown challenges while also elevating the level of importance of safety for the individual, co-workers and the organization at large. Members of the panel commented that many frontline employees expressed feeling safer going to work compared with other places like the grocery store.

“By focusing on strong communication and the depth and speed with which we communicate has allowed us to focus on awareness,” said Audrey St. Onge, president and GM, North America Baking for Lallemand. “This had been a year of amplifying the communication and focusing on education, involving employees in the solutions and navigating the complexities of staying connected. You have to take the time to learn enough to know enough, to challenge beliefs and explore.”

The ability to communicate effectively has been largely supported by the strength of culture. Whether entrepreneurial, family, corporate or global in nature, each has found strength in focusing on the people and partnerships within and outside of their respective organizations. Servant leadership also figures strongly into helping these organizational leaders propel themselves through times both difficult and unknown.

“In the pivot from a family-owned to a publicly traded company, we’ve seen how important a culture of family can be,” said Clay Miller, Burford. “You have to be flexible with the needs and struggles faced by your employees and your customers, staying focused on the bigger picture and not get caught up in the details of the moment.”

Remaining focused on navigating the day-to-day has resulted in making incredible things possible, things many wouldn’t have dreamed of a year ago. The rapid changes have also created synergies from boosting leadership on the frontline to acquiring and learning the technology and skills needed to communicate and support employees and customers.
“Our industry is all about the people and the relationships,” said Bill Quigg, president, Richmond Baking. “When you need to shift from one product to another, you need partners you can count on. It’s all about trust.”

Moving forward, leaders on the panel predict bright spots in the future with schools returning to in-person learning. Capitalizing on the growing awareness of health and wellness, many see the potential of building these elements into bakery products. While continued investment in R&D could spark innovation of the next generation of ingredients with the potential to drive solutions necessary to answer the next set of questions approaching on the horizon.

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