346 | From the Battlefield to the Barn: Leadership, Teams and Tough Decisions with Greg Shoemaker, Cargill
Today on the Uplevel Dairy Podcast, Peggy Coffeen interviews Greg Shoemaker, Cargill’s Commercial Director for North America Dairy Nutrition, about leading teams that support dairy producers through nutrition strategy, technology, and on-farm partnership across the US and Canada. Shoemaker shares how his path from rural Pennsylvania roots to a career as a US Army Ranger shaped his leadership approach today ensuring dairy farmers' success.
Greg details the power of building trust, clarity and acting as a multiplier by removing barriers. He discusses learning from mistakes, investing in culture during normal times to withstand hard times, maintaining composure under stress, and adopting an “infinite game” mindset focused on long-term success in dairy.
This episode is brought to you by Cargill Dairy Nutrition.
No two dairies are alike, Cargill Dairy doesn’t expect them to be. When your dairy faces challenges, you need a partner with an original approach. Cargill has their own world-class research labs, developed their own proprietary nutrition software, and fostered an original team approach… all to deliver profitability on YOUR terms. Partner with a nutrition company as original as you are: cargillanimalnutrition.com/original
02:31 Greg's Role at Cargill
03:40 What Army Rangers Do
05:08 From Military to Cargill
07:16 Life in Dairy Consulting
08:59 Mission and Values Leadership
12:38 Building Culture and Trust
15:49 Leading Under Pressure
19:18 No Decision Is a Decision
21:35 Infinite Game Mindset
25:10 Better Questions Better Leadership
26:20 Execute Iterate Lesson
27:51 Vision for the Team
29:11 Rallying Through Tough Times
33:49 Morning Routine and Journals
35:43 Nonnegotiables and Balance
37:11 Hardest Leadership Lesson
39:16 Purpose in Dairy Industry
40:50 Rapid Fire Leadership Round
47:18 Problem Solving and OODA Loop
