Operation Flinders has about 300 volunteers, and each play their own crucial part in the organisation.

A smaller percentage of these spend the eight days out in the field with the participants as field volunteers.

The training for the field volunteers has evolved over the years and the current iteration is conducted in a specific way, this is no accident. Best practice leadership techniques are implemented as part of the training.

As you would expect, bushcraft and navigation skills are core for leading a trek in the Flinders Ranges for eight days, where maps and compasses are the predominant navigation tools.

There are other skills, however, that are just as important, as the lasting impression on participants is one of the most important outcomes that Operation Flinders is looking for.

These other skills would normally be termed “soft” skills, and include things like, self- awareness, teamwork, and being a positive role model.

Some people have a good combination of all these “soft” skills, as well as bushcraft expertise.

Another key competency is situational awareness, and the ability to modify your own behavior accordingly. This is a crucial part of the leadership toolbox for any aspiring and existing Operation Flinders field volunteer.

It takes time to become a field volunteer, with extra training offered for those that require assistance.

In a farming context, leadership development is also relevant.

As farming businesses get larger and more sophisticated and employ more people, it’s imperative that the person managing the business is an effective leader.

If an agribusiness employs an outside person to manage the operations, then leadership and all that entails should be a major component of that person’s skillset.

Addressing a lack of appropriate skills can be a tougher conversation if the person managing the business is a family member, which is normally the case in a farming family operation.

Ideally, a family farming business would have a written business plan that encompasses the skills required to operate the business, this document should include people management, development, and training.

In his best-selling book Good to Great, Jim Collins talks about getting the right people in the right seats on the bus.

A lot of family farming businesses assume they have the right person leading the business, however, they might not. It may take some outside assistance to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the various people within the business.

Having the right people doing the right jobs is critical; this applies to any business, including farming.

If any farming business wants to go to the next level, an honest discussion around leadership and who is best placed to lead the business into the future is imperative.

Some uncomfortable conversations now could pay dividends into the future.