Meet the Mentors- Get to know Trish Meyers!
Incase you missed Week One of the WIA #mentorshipmonday, here’s a link to our website. https://www.womeninag.ca/new-blog You won’t want to miss our first Q&A with Penny McCall!
Sticking with our November theme and kicking your week off with a little inspiration, we are featuring WIA mentor, Trish Meyers, in week two of #mentorshipmonday.
Trish started working in this wonderful agricultural community in 1996 after obtaining a master’s degree in Soil Science from the University of Saskatchewan. She started her career as an agronomist with Westco Fertilizers and Agricore United, and then moved onto a role with Monsanto as a DEKALB field agronomist and area sales manager.
She joined Federated Co-operatives in 2015 as the Knowledge and Innovation Manager, leading training and innovation projects in agronomy.
Trish and her husband have three awesome boys, and they’re involved in the farm at Melfort, SK. Aside from family and work, Trish also loves to run, cycle and play soccer.
1.What is the BEST mistake you have ever made in your career?
If we’re talking about specific examples, earlier in my career, I made an error in a customer-facing technical marketing piece, thousands on the distribution list. By the time we caught the mistake, it was too late. That taught me a VERY valuable lesson…double, triple check anything originating from your desk, especially if it’s customer-facing. Mistakes happen, most certainly, but when they happen (especially if reoccurring), it’s a trust token out of the proverbial trust jar.
If we’re talking generalities, I think it’s really important to understand that mistakes are inevitable. We’re not perfect; if you’re human, you’ll make a mistake. But when we’re the cause of a mistake: own it, apologize, fix it if you can, learn from it, and then MOVE ON. Consider failures as a learning and improving process. Ask yourself “How can I turn this bad experience into a good experience?” Don’t feel sorry for yourself; don’t let negative self-talk get in the way; don’t base your self worth on the mistake. They happen. Learn from them.
2. What have been your biggest “ah-ha” or learning moments throughout your career?
As have others, I’ve been taught the 70-20-10 rule of career development. 70% of your learning and development should come from on-the-job experiences; 20% from mentorship or coaching; 10% from formal courses. This has been fairly reflective of my career development as well. But the “ah-ha” moments for me came from two pivotal training courses: The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People and DiSC. I participated in these courses very early in my career and they were as insightful about me as they were the people around me. I still, to this day, practice Steven Covey’s “seek first to understand before being understood”. These two courses gave me tremendous insights into interacting with customers and with my own team.
3.What external organizations have you been involved with that helped build success for you?
I’ve been involved with many valuable industry associations, boards, and committees throughout my career. They’ve all helped me with various career development aspects – from organizing conferences and events, to understanding the complexities of making important directional decisions. They’ve also all helped me meet some pretty neat people and build connections to last a career. I’ve been so grateful for these experiences.
I also have been involved in teaching Sunday school for many years. That’s helped me with my faith, with creative teaching, and…patience ☺.
4. What is your main tool in managing life while cultivating your career?
My calendar. Seriously. When you’re juggling a demanding career, a family, and wanting to maintain your own personal health, being organized is imperative.
I’m also a firm believer in Individual development plans and annual goal documents. As Steven Covey says, you need to “Begin with the end in mind”. You need to think about what you’re trying to accomplish, and set your goals accordingly. Be purposeful with your daily, weekly, annual, and short-term plans. I set yearly goals and check in with them consistently at least quarterly.
5. Do you have any advice or words of wisdom you would like to offer Sask Women in Ag members? Consider: some members are just entering the workforce, others have been working for 5 years, and there are also those who are 10 years into their careers.
Be kind to yourself. I’ve noticed in my career, both with myself and through coaching other female professionals, that we have the tendency to be hard on ourselves and take feedback or negative interactions very personally. It weighs on us. The very characteristic that makes females amazing leaders (compassion, understanding, caring for one another) is the same characteristic that can turn on us; it can predispose us to internalize feedback very negatively. It’s finding that balance between continuing to lead with compassion and understanding, but being able to say “thank-you” for whatever feedback we receive, and turn it into a learning experience without taking it personally.