Winepress - June 2024

TAKE THE LEAD Be there for your team

Lara Campbell, Clos Henri’s Sales Manager and Assistant Winemaker, is on the Workforce Steering Group & Wellness and Resiliency Working Group and shares her thoughts on how good leadership grows a better industry.

What does good leadership look like?

To me, the most important aspect is to always be there for your team. As a leader, you should act as the team’s staunchest supporter, mentor them, and clearly communicate your expectations while providing them with the tools they need to succeed. No one can be a perfect leader, but if you take an interest in what motivates and drives your team, and what they need to thrive, you’ll be on the right track.

My managers Fabiano Frangi and Damien Yvon are fantastic role models. Though their management styles are very different, they are both committed to mentoring me, developing my skills and knowledge, and advocating for me at every turn. They trust my abilities and ambition while also providing hands-on assistance and training when needed.

What are key leadership challenges and opportunities?

Our greatest challenge is how to build a resilient workforce that can adapt to the rapidly changing nature of the industry, amid the shifting sands of immigration and seasonality. It’s certainly become harder in the past five years to attract and retain skilled employees, ensuring that seasonal labour needs are met and also keeping workplace cultures positive and inclusive.

Industry leaders should take the opportunity postharvest to focus on their wellbeing and prioritise staff training and upskilling. We’ve all got very full plates but the opportunity here is to delegate to our team members, trust in their abilities, and share the load while offering an opportunity for individuals to take on more responsibility.

What do you want to see from the Working Group?

We have reached a significant milestone as a group. Over the past 18 months we’ve actively engaged with the Marlborough industry, MBIE and NZ Winegrowers, and conducted a Skills Shortage Survey to identify the workforce situation in Marlborough and the wider industry. We’re now working towards a clear understanding of the constraints to our workforce.

It would be amazing to develop a roadmap to build a skilled and resilient workforce to meet our future needs. We’re also working with NZ Winegrowers to improve career pathway development. My goal is to minimise the gap between what people expect from their role in the wine industry and what it actually entails, as well as provide clear career development options. This will help us attract the right candidates with the right capabilities.