Curriculum

The Ford West Leadership Academy sessions are designed to be participant-centered, engaging experiences, rather than lectures. Participants will have the opportunity to discuss topics and share their experiences with their peers alongside the guidance of an industry professional serving as a facilitator. These learner-centered sessions focus on real-world experiences and situations to maximize retention and application of the material. 

CURRICULUM OUTLINE BY SESSION 

Year 1 Curriculum:  

Fertilizer 101: This session will establish a baseline understanding of the value, needs, concerns, and placement of the fertilizer industry in global agriculture. Attendees will describe the connection between soil health and nutrient management, and explain the concept of nutrient cycles, and specifically what they look like for N, P, and K.  

Objectives:  

• Understand the purpose and types of fertilizer, including the role of macro, micro, and secondary nutrients. 
• Describe the connection between soil health and nutrient management. 
• Explain the concept of nutrient cycles, and specifically what they look like for N, P, and K. 
• Understand how fertilizer is manufactured. 

Essentials of Finance: Goals of this session are to understand key financial issues pertinent to the fertilizer business and how companies in the fertilizer industry make money, identify and understand important financial documents and terms including P&L and Balance Sheet, and create a plan for increasing their understanding of finance in the fertilizer business.  

Objectives:  

• Understand key financial issues pertinent to the fertilizer business and how companies in the fertilizer industry make money. 
• Identify and understand important financial documents and terms, including P&L and Balance Sheet. 
• Create a plan for increasing their understanding of finance in the fertilizer business. 

Strengths: Attendees will identify their personal Strengths by taking the Strengths finder quiz, analyze their top 5 Strengths by answering reflection questions, discuss their Strengths with colleagues who have similar Strengths, and apply their individual Strengths to help them as a leader within the fertilizer industry.  

Objectives:  

• Identify their personal Strengths by taking the Strengths finder quiz. 
• Analyze their top 5 Strengths by answering reflection questions. 
• Discuss their Strengths with colleagues who have similar Strengths. 
• Apply their individual Strengths to help them as a leader within the fertilizer industry. 

Advocacy: Attendees will become advocates for the fertilizer industry by creating a 30 to 60-second elevator speech to use in a variety of professional situations. They will know where to find more information about the fertilizer industry’s key topics and issues to be better equipped to speak to those topics/issues. Lastly, attendees will practice delivering their elevator speech out loud and in front of their colleagues.  

Objectives:  

• Become advocates for the fertilizer industry by creating a 30-60 second elevator speech to use in a variety of professional situations. 
• Know where to find more information about the fertilizer industry’s key topics and issues to be better equipped to speak to those topics/issues. 
• Practice delivering their elevator speech out loud and in front of their colleagues. 

Sales and Business Development Panel: During this panel, we will see the value of human relationships within a sales role, understand the connection between sales and business development, and recognize the unique nature of sales/business development in agriculture.  

Objectives:  

• See the value of human relationships within a sales role. 
• Understand the connection between sales and business development. 
• Recognize the unique nature of sales/business development in agriculture. 

Major Events that Shaped the Fertilizer Industry: This session shares how major events have shaped the fertilizer industry over time, and why it is important as a leader to study these events in preparation for those to come. Attendees will discuss how major events or breakthroughs may impact the fertilizer industry.   

Objectives:  

• Identify major milestone events that shaped the fertilizer industry. 
• Articulate how both domestic and global events have an impact on the fertilizer industry. 
• Anticipate how major events or breakthroughs may impact the fertilizer industry. 

Crisis Management, Safety and Security: Attendees will identify the effects major crises have on the overall industry and individual companies, consider ways to better prevent such events from happening, articulate what it means to have a Culture of Safety, and plan for ways to better prepare for and prevent crisis situations as industry leaders.  

Objectives:  

• Identify the effects major crises have on the overall industry and individual companies. 
• Consider ways to better prevent such events from happening. 
• Articulate what it means to have a Culture of Safety. 
• Plan for ways to better prepare for and prevent crisis situations as industry leaders. 

Agronomy & Stewardship: Attendees will be able to explain the 4R Nutrient Stewardship framework and how it is used within the fertilizer industry. They will discuss examples of how to implement the 4R Nutrient Stewardship framework and apply their newfound knowledge of the 4R Nutrient Stewardship framework to their individual job functions.  

Objectives: 

• Explain the 4R Nutrient Stewardship framework and how it is used within the fertilizer industry. 
• Provide examples of how to implement the 4R Nutrient Stewardship framework. 
• Apply their newfound knowledge of the 4R Nutrient Stewardship framework to their individual job functions. 

Future of the Fertilizer Industry Panel: Industry leaders will share examples of how the agriculture industry is expected to evolve in the future to meet food production and environmental needs, and attendees will recognize how the fertilizer industry will evolve over the next 5 to 10 years and their role in that evolution.  

Objectives:  

• Share examples of how the agriculture industry is expected to evolve in the future in order to meet food production and environmental needs. 
• Recognize how the fertilizer industry will evolve over the next 5 to 10 years and their role in that evolution. 

Management and Coaching: This will have attendees identify the difference between a manager, leader, and coach to discover how their individual Strengths align with these roles; discuss how knowing themselves, knowing their peers, and knowing their industry will give them a competitive advantage as a leader; develop and formulate key approaches to lead a successful one-on-one conversation; practice utilizing their Strengths while considering others’ Strengths through problem-solving scenarios; and access resources for continuing their development as a manager and leader.  

Objectives:  

• Identify the difference between a manager, leader, and coach to discover how their individual Strengths align with these roles. 
• Discuss how knowing themselves, knowing their peers, and knowing their industry will give them a competitive advantage as a leader. 
• Develop and formulate key approaches to lead a successful one-on-one conversation. 
• Practice utilizing their Strengths while considering others’ Strengths through problem-solving scenarios. 
• Access resources for continuing their development as a manager and leader. 

Year 2 Curriculum: 

Management and Coaching: In this session, attendees identify the importance of a well-functioning team environment and its impact on organizational success; implement conflict resolution techniques to achieve win-win outcomes to enhance relationship building across the industry; and analyze current industry challenges and how they impact management and coaching. 

Objectives:  

• Identify the importance of a well-functioning team environment and its impact on organizational success. 
• Implement conflict resolution techniques to achieve win-win outcomes to enhance relationship building across the industry. 
• Analyze current industry challenges and how they impact management and coaching. 

Crisis Management, Safety, and Security: Attendees will differentiate between a crisis, a serious issue, and an issue; describe the importance of crisis management, safety, and security; dispel common misconceptions regarding crisis management, safety, and security; and demonstrate skills necessary to effectively manage crises in the fertilizer industry, focusing on immediate response actions, communication strategies, role definition, continuous improvement, and leadership collaboration.  

Objectives:  

• Differentiate between a crisis, a serious issue, and an issue.  
• Describe the importance of crisis management, safety, and security.   
• Dispel common misconceptions regarding crisis management, safety, and security.  
• Demonstrate skills necessary to effectively manage crises in the fertilizer industry, focusing on immediate response actions, communication strategies, role definition, continuous improvement, and leadership collaboration. 

Agronomy and Stewardship: Attendees will review the 4R Nutrient Stewardship framework, identify the difference between sustainable, regenerative, and climate-smart agriculture, and discuss how the 4R Nutrient Stewardship framework ties fertilizer, agronomy, and sustainability together. 

Objectives:  

• Review the 4R Nutrient Stewardship framework. 
• Identify the difference between sustainable, regenerative, and climate-smart agriculture. 
• Discuss how the 4R Nutrient Stewardship framework ties fertilizer, agronomy, and sustainability together. 

Advocacy: Attendees will differentiate common misconceptions about advocacy from the actual truths, enabling them to approach advocacy with a realistic and informed perspective; learn how to advocate effectively for the fertilizer industry by tailoring messages to diverse audiences, avoiding jargon, making content relatable, broadening their reach beyond the agricultural community, emphasizing common goals, engaging constructively online, and leveraging storytelling, transparency, and social media; and apply agricultural knowledge, public speaking skills, and resilience in the face of criticism when practicing advocating for the fertilizer industry. 

Objectives:  

• Differentiate common misconceptions about advocacy from the actual truths, enabling them to approach advocacy with a realistic and informed perspective.  
• Advocate effectively for the fertilizer industry by tailoring messages to diverse audiences, avoiding jargon, making content relatable, broadening their reach beyond the agricultural community, emphasizing common goals, engaging constructively online, and leveraging storytelling, transparency, and social media.   
• Apply agricultural knowledge, public speaking skills, and resilience in the face of criticism when practicing advocating for the fertilizer industry.   

Sales and Business Development: Attendees will summarize the value of human relationships within a sales role and demonstrate negotiation skills necessary in the fertilizer industry. 

Objectives:  

• Summarize the value of human relationships within a sales role. 
• Demonstrate negotiation skills necessary in the fertilizer industry. 

Strengths: Attendees will categorize personal strengths from the StrengthsFinders Quiz, analyze how strengths and weaknesses have shown up in leadership, community, customers, and colleagues, and identify and utilize strengths in a team environment. 

Objectives:  

• Categorize personal strengths from the StrengthsFinders Quiz.   
• Analyze how strengths and weaknesses have shown up in leadership, community, customers, and colleagues.  
• Identify and utilize strengths in a team environment. 

Operational Risk and Responsible Agriculture Panel: Attendees will recognize the fundamental principles of responsible agriculture and operational risk management and foster a culture of continuous improvement in operational risk management within agricultural organizations. 

Objectives:  

• Recognize the fundamental principles of responsible agriculture and operational risk management.  
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement in operational risk management within agricultural organizations. 

Farm Level Economics Panel: Attendees will understand and communicate the differences in fertilizer decisions in the past versus today, describe the connection between farmer decisions and their impact on the fertilizer industry, and recognize the unique nature of farm level economics in the agriculture industry. 

Objectives:  

• Understand and communicate the differences in fertilizer decisions in the past versus today  
• Describe the connection between farmer decisions and impact on fertilizer industry   
• Recognize the unique nature of farm level economics in the agriculture industry 

Major Events in the Fertilizer Industry: Attendees will articulate how both domestic and global events impact the fertilizer industry and anticipate how major events or breakthroughs may impact it.    

Objectives:  

• Articulate how both domestic and global events have an impact on the fertilizer industry.  
• Anticipate how major events or breakthroughs may impact the fertilizer industry, including key sustainability practices in fertilizer manufacturing, like land reclamation from surface mining, decarbonization efforts, and carbon sequestration techniques. 

Essentials of Finance: The goals of this session are to review the year 1 “Essentials of Finance” session, identify why understanding profitability is critical in decision-making for stakeholders across the fertilizer industry, and formulate financially grounded decisions based on case studies from the fertilizer industry. 

Objectives:  

• Review cohort year 1 “Essentials of Finance” session.  
• Identify why understanding profitability is critical in decision-making for stakeholders across the fertilizer industry.    
• Formulate financially grounded decisions based on case studies from the fertilizer industry. 

Student Experience

Welcome to Ford West Leadership Academy! We are excited for you to join a cohort and experience the networking, learning, energy and growth that comes from this two-year program.  

Read more below to get a feel for the student experience at Ford West Leadership Academy.  

Cohort:  

Each cohort is designed to contain 25-30 participants, with table groups never exceeding six students at a time. This is intentional to maintain quality discussions and effective relationship-building among your cohort. While the two years of FWLA can be completed at any point, sticking with your cohort enables you to truly get to know other students, their organizations and the challenges and successes they face. Having this familiarity enriches discussion throughout courses and provides you with a strong network of peers and mentors to build on for a lifetime.   

Courses:  

The Ford West Leadership Academy sessions are designed to be participant-centered, engaging experiences, rather than lectures. Participants will have the opportunity to discuss topics and share their experiences with their peers alongside the guidance of an industry professional serving as a facilitator. These learner-centered sessions focus on real-world experiences and situations to maximize retention and application of the material. Students set the standard for the quality of discussion and truly get out of it what they put in.  

Faculty:  

The Academy would not be possible without the dedication of industry professionals seeking to share knowledge and promote robust discussion. Faculty includes those serving as facilitators of course curriculum and those serving in the capacity of panel moderators and speakers.  

Panels:  

While the heartbeat of Ford West Leadership Academy is the curriculum, panels provide the chance to hear from multiple perspectives at once about a particular topic. These are made up of professionals representing different facets of the industry and are designed as interactive dialogues between speakers and students. These discussions are at their best when students step up to ask candid questions, request more information and fully engage in these panels.  

Homeroom:  

Following the Academy Kick-off, set the stage for your experience and get introduced to your specific cohort during Homeroom. This will be the space and time to invest in relationships as you begin dynamic courses, panels, the tour and the Social together. Homeroom will take place two more times as we debrief the first day and wrap up your experience at the Academy and set goals for what’s next.  

Faculty Group Dinners:  

Each night, the FERT Foundation has arranged reservations for small group dinners, facilitated by a faculty member. This is a chance to meet other students from a different year or a different class while participating in discussion among a smaller group. While a faculty member will be the lead for each group, it is expected that students plan to cover the costs for their meal during these dinners. Group sign-ups will be located at registration for each evening.   

Social:  

Following the tour and dinner, join back together for a casual evening of networking and fun. This time is intentionally set aside as a chance to relax and build relationships between years and classes. Come grab dessert, have a drink and enjoy the final evening together at the Academy.  

Tour:  

While not the main component of the Ford West Leadership Academy experience, coordinating a facility tour for the group continues to be a highlight for attendees. After a morning of courses, hop on a bus with other students to explore a local facility. More information about attire, timeline and instructions will be distributed to those who are registered closer to the event.  

Graduation:  

Graduating from Ford West Leadership Academy signifies the significant commitment to completing the rigorous course curriculum over the course of two years. This is not the end of your journey with the Academy, rather, graduation serves as a launching pad for opportunities within the industry. That is worth celebrating! Every Academy attendee will join together with faculty and staff in celebration of the graduating class during the final session of this on-site experience. Be prepared to share reflections, celebrate with a certificate, snap individual and class photos, and be inspired by speakers and graduates.  

The experience doesn’t end at graduation! Visit the Alumni tab for a glimpse of additional opportunities for Academy graduates. 

Meals 

Dinners are at your own expense, but the following meals are included in your Academy tuition:  

• Breakfast on the following days: Tuesday-Thursday 

• Lunch on the following days: Tuesday-Thursday 

• Morning and afternoon snacks on the following days: Tuesday-Thursday (morning snack only on Thursday) 

Attire 

The temperatures in classrooms can vary greatly. It’s recommended that you bring a light jacket to regulate temperature changes.  

What to Know About Your Organization Before You Go 

Things you need to know:  

• Size and budget of your organization 

• Market share 

• Entities within your organization and their relationships 

• Your organization’s mission statement  

• Your organization’s strategic plan 

Things that would be good to know:  

• Any ESGs or related goals set by your organization 

• How your organization is involved in TFI/FERT Foundation (i.e., board member, executive committee member, other committee(s), event attendance, sponsors, exhibitors, etc.) 

Helpful Hints:  

• As much as you can, try not to get distracted with work while you are at FWLA. Keep the focus on being present in the sessions and networking with peers.  

• The courses are only as valuable as your contributions to the discussion – ask questions, contribute your experience and knowledge and connect with faculty and students.  

• Sign up for a group dinner with a facilitator for Tuesday and/or Wednesday evening 

• Get connected with classmates on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, etc. 

• Don’t worry if you initially feel overwhelmed with meeting new people at FWLA. Find commonalities with your classmates and use the week to network and build friendships. 

• Before attending FWLA, think about the strategic challenges and opportunities you and your organization face. You’ll get more out of class and can connect with specific faculty on these challenges during dinner or after their sessions.  

• Do your best to attend evening events, such as the social. The networking and sharing of best practices extend beyond the classroom. 

Prospective Students

Convince Your Manager:  

While most Ford West Leadership Academy attendees come through direct nominations from TFI member company leadership, you might be a great fit for this opportunity and need some resources to share about this opportunity within your organization.  

Information from this site is the most up-to-date resource for your conversations with your manager about attending Ford West Leadership Academy. Below we have also included a list of tips for professional development conversations and a “Convince Your Manager” email template.  

“Convince Your Manager” Letter Template 

Recommendations for Professional Development Conversations:  

• Think about your own development goals. How might they align with your organization’s goals or culture?  
• Write out your future aspirations within your organization 
• Think about where your organization is headed in the next 5-10 years. How can you positively contribute to that vision?  
• Think about what skills you need to further develop to be an effective part of your organization’s future  
• Identify trainings, certifications and other programs which align with those skills needed. Ideally, one of those would be the Ford West Leadership Academy! 
• Be aware of your organization’s expectations for professional development and requests for training  
• Compile budget information about the total investment. Consider registration expenses, but also the cost of travel, hotel, transportation, meals, etc., that might be a part of the training experience.  
• Schedule time during a regular check-in or stand-alone to discuss your growth and development goals. This should take place with plenty of time before any registration deadline.  
• Ask about opportunities for development within and outside of your organization 
• Come with a specific ask, but be open to suggestions or changes 
• Point to the long-term, positive impact on the organization as a part of your reasoning for pursuing professional development 
• Demonstrate how your development goals and the objectives of this specific training align with your organization’s goals and culture 
• Make a specific request, including a budget number for the investment, and work with your manager to determine a timeline for the final approval decision 
• Follow up, where appropriate, with specific information about the training experience, registration and other deadlines  
• Respect your manager’s decision 
• If you are not approved, consider what other opportunities are available, and the best process for requesting this training opportunity again in the future.  

Alumni

FWLA Alumni Network 

LinkedIn group information  

• Request to Join the LinkedIn Group Here
• Kudos Corner: share professional milestones, other events you attended, key articles you have read, job updates and other updates worthy of kudos here.  

Upcoming reunions:  

• Market & Logistics Conference  
• Southwestern Fertilizer Conference  

Best Practices for Alumni Engagement:  

• Congratulations graduates! How will you use this experience to pay it forward?  
• Pay it forward:  
• Serve on a TFI committee 
• Proactively engage in industry-wide mentorship  
• Speak at school visits to promote the industry impact 
• Engage in advocacy efforts at the state or federal level 
• Host community events to invest where you live/work  
• Stay connected.  
• This is your cohort, and you will always be a graduate of Ford West Leadership Academy  
• TFI has set up a LinkedIn group for FWLA alumni and will invite each of you to join.  
• This is a place to continue sharing wins and hurdles, ask questions, seek resources and stay connected with your class throughout the years.