CCFB News» March 2025

During February and March, I am participating in Illinois Farm Bureau’s 2025 Agricultural Leaders of Tomorrow (ALOT) leadership program.

The five main areas of study of ALOT include communication and engagement, political involvement, agriculture economics, current global issues, and professional leadership development. ALOT is held at locations throughout northern Illinois this year, including Moline, Henry, Springfield, Rockford, Dixon, and Bloomington.

I eagerly awaited my first day of ALOT in February: I had my outfit picked out a week in advance, I bought a fancy new notebook and pens, and I was ready to meet new people, make new friends, and learn more about agriculture in Illinois.

I expected to make new friends (which I have), but what I didn’t expect, and one of the most significant benefits that I have gained through the program experience so far, is learning more about myself.

The True Colors personality test explains what traits you have of four different colors: gold, green, blue, and orange. I am 100% blue: caring, emotional, people-orientated, interested in new ideas, and I desire peace. People with blue personality strengths tend to be enthusiastic, sympathetic, communicative, compassionate, idealistic, sincere, and imaginative. Take the test and learn more about your True Color at www.idrlabs.com/true-colors/test.php.

I also took the CliftonStrengths assessment, which told me my five leadership strengths. My strengths are:

1. Learner – I have a great desire to learn and want to continually improve. The process of learning, rather than the outcome, excites me.
2. Empathy – I can sense other people’s feelings by imagining myself in their lives or situations.
3. Achiever – I work hard and possess a great deal of stamina. I take immense satisfaction in being busy and productive.
4. Context – I enjoy thinking about the past. I understand the present by researching its history.
5. Belief – I have certain unchanging core values. Out of these values emerges a defined purpose for my life.

When I told my family and friends my results, they told me that it fits me to a T, that my results capture my personality and who I really am. Learning my personality traits from ALOT surprised me, because I approached the program with the idea of being a sponge: soak it all in and learn everything I can. I did not expect to learn more about myself, my strengths and weaknesses, and learning how to apply them at work and in my personal life.

However, I think that it’s important to know more about yourself before you can truly learn about others. A quote attributed to Aristotle is, “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom." I hope my new self-knowledge will help me become a stronger communicator that can better understand others.

I look forward to learning more about myself, my classmates, the Illinois Farm Bureau, and agriculture during the next month of ALOT.

If you are a farm bureau member interested in participating in ALOT, visit www.ilfb.org/get-involved/agricultural-leaders-of-tomorrow/.