069 - Just Like Forests, Leaders Need to Be Productive, Diverse, Complex, and Resilient

Steve Sinclair is the Director of Forests and State Forester for the Vermont Department of Forest, Parks, and Recreation. Steve has more than 40 years in the industry and has taken on a wide variety of interesting leadership roles since then. On the show, Steve discusses how to lead a productive team, having fun on the job, and finding ways to adapt to new and challenging situations. With Steve’s extensive wisdom and optimism, this is not a show you want to miss!

 

Key Takeaways:

[:55] A message from Leadership Nature.

[1:35] A quick intro about Steve’s background.

[3:05] How did Steve become interested in forestry?

[5:15] Steve discusses why his father has been a very inspirational mentor to him and how he was so graceful when it came to office politics and conflict resolution.

[7:50] As a forester, it’s so important to become a good listener and to have empathy for others.

[9:20] How are we as a profession doing when it comes to managing the public’s expectations of the resources we have?

[10:00] The definition of a healthy forest is: productive, diverse, complex, and resilient. A leader should also have these same qualities too.

[12:00] Our profession still has a long way to go when it comes to diversity. Why has progress been slow?

[15:00] What kinds of challenges has Steve had when it comes to hiring and acquiring new talent?

[23:15] Steve has taken a wide variety of forestry positions since joining the industry 43 years ago. What have been some of the interesting things he’s seen and done throughout his career so far?

[30:50] What has Steve noticed about leadership based on the various roles he’s taken so far? How does leadership change depending on the position you’re in?

[34:45] Balancing work and your private life is incredibly important in anything you do. When these two things match well, then productivity increases!

[36:05] Steve uses the StrengthsFinder tool to help get the best out of his team.

[38:15] What is Steve most proud of in his career?

[42:20] What did Steve wish he’d learned sooner about his profession?

[45:20] What advice does Steve have for young foresters?

[51:00] Steve highly recommends the book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

[53:45] Do you want to be right or do you want to do the right thing?

 

Mentioned in This Episode:

FPR.vermont.gov/forest

Steve on Twitter

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen R. Covey

StrengthsFinder 2.0, by Tom Rath