Leadership Lessons from Food Safety Professionals

Article Published June 2023
Article Source: Leadership Lessons from Food Safety Professionals - Quality Assurance & Food Safety (qualityassurancemag.com)

Like so many things, leadership has evolved over the years as we learn more about how to inspire, train and empower. We asked 22 food safety professionals for their thoughts on leadership. Here’s what they said.

While food safety is something that everyone within a company, government agency, association or university program needs to be focused on, it takes great leaders to accomplish that task.

When asked what a good leader looks like, we might all conjure up different examples of leadership in our minds. We perhaps think first of our elected officials, the presidents of past and future campaigns who promise wisdom, glory and direction during challenging times. We might also think of those who lead by example, the ones who rush into battle and later fight alongside us in the trenches when the going gets tough. Or perhaps we think of our parents who set us up on a predetermined path full of expectations so that we could try to navigate in a world that’s evolving far too fast for us to keep up. Jeff Eggers, author of “Leaders: Myth and Reality,” says leadership may look like a lot of different things to different people — but he’s learned that the best leaders learn how to disappear into the background while offering support to their teams.

While speaking at the National Pest Management Association’s Legislative Day in March, Eggers — who’s worked for more than 20 years as a U.S. Navy SEAL, a senior policy advisor to both Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, a security professional and a leadership consultant — pointed to a racing pit crew as a prime example of leadership he’s used for years.

On one hand, you could think of a racing pit crew as a terrible example of leadership because their teams are comprised of too many people with over-used resources in a highly specialized environment.

“They paint yellow lines on the ground because that’s where the driver has to stop, and if the driver hits the mark, the performance [of the pit crew] is perfect,” said Eggers. “But if the driver is off by six inches, performance plummets. It’s choreographed. It has no room for error. It has no room for uncertainty.”

On the other hand: a racing pit crew is efficient and process-driven, comprised of people able to repeat their jobs time and time again in a way only they can accomplish — and yet there’s not a single leader among them. They don’t even have their names listed on their uniforms. Instead, they’re all elevated to be leaders of their own craft.

“You don’t see a leader, and that’s a very important point. Organizations that are the least dependent on their leaders are some of the most high-performing organizations,” said Eggers.

Good leadership in every arena is about striking the balance between confidence and humility. This in particular was a hard lesson Eggers had to learn. While on a mission in Afghanistan, he made a call to change a route that sent one of his gun trucks directly into an improvised explosive device, critically injuring two of his men. Although he wasn’t on the scene when it happened, those that were there, the people he was in charge of, knew to get those injured individuals directly to the trauma center without waiting for instruction. That simple act saved lives.

“The lesson here is quite clear for me: Domineering leadership almost killed those two men, and decentralized execution allowed them to live,” said Eggers.

When faced with tasks that need to be accomplished, the best outcomes occur when people are empowered to act on their own, and everyone — from the lowest person on the totem pole to the highest leader — holds themselves accountable to the overall mission. Eggers pointed out that we see this in nature all the time, and we can look to honeybees as prime examples.

“Honeybee colonies are purely decentralized. The queen is not the leader. She just lays eggs,” said Eggers. “And yet bee colonies are renowned for having exceptionally good judgment as a collective, as a system. And they do it without the benefit of leadership.”

Food safety and quality control is no different. Individuals in this industry often feel siloed by the day-to-day grind of upholding certain standards while faced with the pressures of past systemic traditions. A good thing is a good thing until it’s not. And as our world evolves, with new, potential future leaders coming into this industry, we too must be flexible and open to adaptation. And that means we have to start asking ourselves how we can better lead future generations who are entering into this industry with brand new ideas and surprising innovations.

“If you were born, raised and developed like I was, thinking of leadership like a grand chess master: You have a strategy, you control pieces, you know how the game is played and you’re trying to win,” said Eggers. “The better metaphor [for a good leader] is a gardener. Gardeners don’t make plants grow. Plants grow all by themselves. What the gardener does is be responsive to the requirements of the garden, pay attention to that ecosystem and create space for those plants to grow.” — James Bigley II

We asked 22 food safety professionals for their thoughts on leadership. Here’s what they said.

“To me, leadership is not a title that someone gives you nor a training you take, but a skill you develop and designation you earn. It’s the secret ‘sauce’ that motivates a person to educate, influence and guide others towards a common goal. The ability to create a shared vision that motivates others to follow and work towards it. Leadership is an essential skill in any field. Whether you are a manager, a parent, a volunteer or a food safety professional, leadership skills will help you achieve your goals and make a difference in the world.” — Jorge A. Hernandez, Vice President of Quality Assurance, The Wendy’s Company

“Effective leaders are visibly invisible. Everyone knows they are there; but it’s their teams that are visibly executing the strategy set. Teams shine; leaders stand behind. Put another way, strong leaders should always be willing to be the ‘throat to choke’ — taking responsibility for their teams; their teams should always be the ‘back to pat.’” — Melanie Neumann, Executive Vice President & General Counsel, Matrix Sciences

“Leadership is both strategic — knowing what the right move is and when to make it, and inclusive — ensuring that the entire team knows the strategy and has bought into it. Look at it this way: red raspberries are white when they’re green, and black raspberries are red when they’re green. You’ve got to know which crop you’re harvesting to know when to harvest, and your team needs to be just as knowledgeable as the leader is to implement that strategy.” — Bruce Ferree, Food Safety Consultant, Insight Food Safety Consulting

“[Leadership in food safety is important] because someone has to be ‘the nerd.’ Friends have told me, ‘No one gets as excited about food safety as you do.’ So true. I focus on consumer food safety. So I let our chefs create the food, my entertainment friends are responsible for the ambience and venue, and I’ll monitor the temps. It makes for a perfect party.” — Mary Angela Miller, Owner and Founder, KeepSafe Food

“Although there is, in any organization, typically one person at the top, it’s been emphasized to me that one person can’t do it all. There’s always a team supporting that person and leading en masse to drive the organization forward. Because of that, it’s really important that team members be recognized for their contributions, because they are playing such a big role.” —Ruth Petran, Food Safety Advisor, Ruth Petran Consulting, LLC

“I believe in hiring talented professionals and giving them the autonomy to make decisions and run their team. I’ve learned a lesson in the last two years, too: You never really know what someone’s going through. More than anything, I try to show that I care.” — Kerry Bridges, Vice President of Food Safety, Chipotle Mexican Grill

“Leadership is the ability to inspire people to excel. Empathy, vision, passion, optimism, ambition, integrity and perseverance are some of the key traits of good leadership. Leadership is indispensable for food safety. Lack of leaders focused on consumer protection has caused some of the worst foodborne disease outbreaks.” — Francisco Diez-Gonzalez, Ph.D., Professor and Director, Center for Food Safety

“To me, leadership is like the lighthouse in the ocean, the North Star in the sky; leadership provides directions, hope, encouragement and resources to glue the team to achieve one goal together in the right direction. A good leader is reflected by a good, functioning team; a team should function the same with or without leaders. A good leader nourishes and respects each individual, utilizes team member strengths and at the same time avoids their weaknesses. The water capacity of a wooden bucket depends on the shortest board, and a good leader knows how to raise, even and tighten the boards together to hold more water in the bucket.” — Melody Ge, Food Safety & Quality Assurance Director, StarKist Co.

“I think leaders have the responsibility to create positive norms — establishing the way ‘things should be done’ — and help each person get the support they need. That is why we take accessibility, diversity and universal design so seriously for every interactive tool we create: Each user deserves an opportunity to engage and grow. As leaders in our field, that work has to be intentional.” — Barbara Chamberlin, Ph.D., Department Head of Innovative Media Research and Extension (the Learning Games Lab), New Mexico State University

“A privilege of leadership in the realm of food safety is in the cultivating and mentoring of the next generation of leaders, and these are conscientious motivated individuals with a great interest in promoting food safety and security as well as the skill sets of one another.” — Kali Kniel, Professor, University of Delaware

“A good leader creates an environment where team members can grow and develop their skills, which includes allowing team members the opportunity to learn through both successes and failures.” — Steven Mandernach, Executive Director, Association of Food and Drug Officials

“Leadership is pioneering and forward-looking, which takes courage and vision to lead the way. I believe a passionate leader who inspires and motivates the team and brings people of different expertise together is indispensable in driving collective efforts to contribute towards a sustainable food industry and fostering global food safety.” — Professor Terence LT Lau, Interim Chief Innovation Officer, Hong Kong Baptist University; Chairman, Food Safety Consortium

“To make a team and its individual members work effectively, a leader needs to make sure that they have all the necessary materials and resources such that they can contribute effectively, but (even more importantly) also has to stand behind their team/individuals when they experience pushback of stakeholders or when they fail trying their best to deliver on their contribution.” — Leon Gorris, Food Safety Expert, The Netherlands

“To me, leadership is the art of getting others to want to do what must be done, all while creating the conditions that make us all better.” — Sean Leighton, Global VP Food Safety, Quality & Regulatory Affairs, Cargill

“Leadership to me is trust and integrity. Words must equal action. Always walk the walk — in big things and small. People often notice the small things the most.” — Barb Masters, Vice President, Regulatory Policy Food and Agriculture, Tyson Foods

“The No. 1 team for FSQ leaders is not their direct reports, it is the leadership team. FSQ leaders must pave the road for the FSQ team’s success. FSQ leaders must charter and build multidisciplinary teams to address food safety.” — John N. Butts, Principal, FoodSafetyByDesign, LLC

“Leadership is a multifaceted set of abilities. It has quiet moments of thoughtfulness that are private, and it may have an outward appearance of organization and strategy when behind the scenes, there is turmoil. Leadership looks different in each of us; we all have the capacity to lead regardless of title or skill. Every one of us has the ability to influence others for the better — that is the look of a good leader.” — Mitzi D. Baum, M.Sc., Chief Executive Officer, Stop Foodborne Illness

“Leadership is about doing what is right for all entities involved. Certainly, one has to consider the issue over which one is providing leadership and work for the good of the common cause. But that also means capitalizing on the strengths of each of the members of the team, providing motivation, incentive and common purpose. Building a culture in which the opinions of all are respected and people feel accepted and a part of something bigger makes for the best team-building experiences. And way more often than not, it also results in the best outcome(s) for the project.” — Lee-Ann Jaykus, Ph.D., William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor, Department of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences, North Carolina State University

“Leadership is about making others better and guiding them to their full potential. It is with those individual advancements that you can build a strong team, and teamwork is the business culture that creates success.” — Lisa K. Hovey, Executive Director, International Association for Food Protection

“Food safety business leadership has many attributes, including integrity to do what is right, not what is easy or best for business, with the scope of enabling food safety management within the business model of the organization that prevents foodborne illnesses and grows the business. A food safety business leader also publicly shares what they have learned so that other organizations can use this knowledge to prevent foodborne illnesses in their business.” — Hal King, Ph.D., Managing Partner, Active Food Safety 

“Leadership has the responsibility to be the main driver in this process of accountability to our customers, brand name and regulators from No. 1, creation and continuous improvement of regulatory, food safe and quality programs; to No. 2, actual activities and all processes, suppliers, productions, sanitation, record keeping and so much more; and No. 3, to be able to verify everything that happened and the HACCP, allergen programs, etc., were correctly and completely carried out. For as it is also said, ‘If it isn’t written down, it will never happen, and if it wasn’t written down, it never did happen.’ Let’s be accountable!” — Bobby Love, Director, Global Food Safety, Regulatory and Technical Matters, Phillips Foods Inc.

“In our industry, we can’t sell ‘food safety’ to our consumers — they expect it. The expectation for safety is inherent in this proposition called food. If it’s not safe to eat, then it’s not food. Being a leader in this food safety space, as opposed to working in the automotive industry or working for an airline, the challenge is dealing with the expectation for safety and understanding that expectation for safety and what that means for the people who want to buy your products.” — Larry Keener, President and CEO, International Product Safety Consultants