In this episode of Rural Leadership Unearthed, we sit down with Jason Strong, former Managing Director of Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) and a leader with more than 30 years’ experience in the red meat and livestock industries. Since wrapping up his role with MLA at the end of 2023, Jason has embraced the chance to shift gears and follow his curiosity and passions. From this vantage point, Jason reflects on some of the big leadership lessons of his career, and the lasting take-aways from his experience on course 11 of the Australian Rural Leadership Program (ARLP).

He shares the pivotal insight the ARLP gave him into his natural introversion, and how this had influenced his leadership style. What followed was a kindling of curiosity about how others think and behave, and a new understanding of the importance of bringing others along with you throughout your career and leadership journey. We learn about Jason’s formative passion for showing cattle; and the legacy of his early contribution to the development of the Meat Standards Australia Program. He also shares the excitement of his time with MLA as their regional manager in Europe and Russia, getting to tell the story of Australian beef in the European market. Jason’s advice for the next generation of leaders in agriculture is to embrace building connections through authenticity and vulnerability.

Jason is currently a Councillor with the Royal Agricultural Society and on the Board of the RAS Foundation. He is also Chairman of Bovotica, a biotech start up, and on the Smithfield Cattle Co Advisory Board.

Some highlights:

• How the experience of showing cattle set Jason on his career path

• The power of understanding different personality types

• Getting from A to B doesn’t have to be a straight line

• Leaders with large visions need to be able to communicate each small step along the way

• The privilege of building projects for long-term impact

• Personal stories in agriculture are invaluable for learning

• Collaboration enhances problem solving

Our host:

Claire Delahunty, is a writer and journalist who has worked with the ARLF for more than ten years, interviewing leaders having a positive impact on rural and regional Australia.

Resources:

ARLF podcast blog

ARLF website

Rural Leadership Unearthed

Meat and Livestock Australia

Bovotica