Kidd was named Dairy Woman of the Year at the Dairy Women’s Network conference in Nelson last year and her prize, paid for by Fonterra, was the year-long course which is worth $25,000.
The course is currently taking her away from the office for two to three days a month with another day or two spent in preparing, reviewing or participating in other related activities like coaching and mentoring.
“It’s a big commitment but it’s worth it,” she said.
“Coming into the programme, I was at a stage where I wanted the opportunity to take a step back so I can move forward again.”
Kidd has her own consultancy company as well as being business manager at BEL Group which employs more than 60 people milking 9600 cows on nine dairy farms in Hawke’s Bay. In 2011 BEL won the Human Resources Institute of New Zealand’s HR Initiative of the Year award.
About 20 women are on the Global Woman course with her and Kidd said it was as much about learning new skills as networking with other women.
“There is a mix of public and private sectors represented. Most of the women have been sponsored by their organisations but the selection processes some of them have had to go through to get on the course sound really tough. It’s wonderful to be in a group of such highly motivated women and really affirming, as the only rural woman on the course, that I have a breadth of knowledge and understanding of business.
“It’s been really interesting for me to understand the corporate urban environment that they work in and for them to gain some insight into rural business.”
She said skills she had learnt so far including analysing her emotional intelligence which included a 360-degree look at impact and ability to influence, “what pushes my buttons, what stresses me” and how to optimise potential which had given her the opportunity to reflect on what were her key drivers and core values.
“We’ve also been spending time on the strategic mind set which is about what strategy is and how we think strategically,” she said.
“It gets us to ask ourselves questions like what would be lost if you weren’t doing the job you do, which really gives you clarity on what it is you’re doing, what is your greatest value to your company.
“It also asks questions about where do I want to play and how do I want to win which in a dairy farming context made me look at the physical location of the business and also things like how do we attract the people we want to be part of it.
“I’m picking up really interesting tips on trying new ways of doing things – whether to slow myself down or speed myself up. Talking to the other women about the things they have tried has been a great learning exercise.
“It’s also about taking risks. Every time I come back from a workshop I try to do something different in a meeting or in the office to see if I can do better or achieve a better outcome.”
She will shortly be assigned a mentor who she said would give her further support to challenge herself and another connection to a different sector.
“It is one of the purposes of Global Woman, to have the women who have already paved the pathways help other women,” Kidd said.
“In the dairy industry our networks are strong, people do promote other people, but in other businesses that doesn’t always happen so we are really fortunate. It’s important, as an industry, that we continue to promote the people around us who have helped us and give others a helping hand also. It’s what makes dairying so strong.”
She said the course had been timely for her.
“I’m building skills, putting together a tool kit that I can use and getting to know people I can call on for advice when I decide to go the next step. I’ve got to answer that question ‘Where do I now want to play’ and have an action plan on how to get there.”
This year’s Dairy Woman of the Year, Charmaine O’Shea, will complete the same course.
