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STL Leaders Speak Out
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What qualities do you expect to see in a highly effective leader?
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Highly effective Leader-So, I just think of leaders that have had impact on me in the past. I look for someone that has a vision and strategy that always impresses me. But, someone with a vision that can actually translate that and share it with others. I look for leaders that have the highest level of integrity. I think that is very important. I look for leaders that are respected not feared, because that element I think is very important coming back to-I think every leader should have a vision, but with that vision no one person is going to accomplish a grandiose or big vision unless you have a lot of people behind you. I think it’s getting people around you to embrace that vision and somehow some way be the owners of that. So, it takes skills.
How do you get people to see that? I think a leader is someone that (and again this depends on style) at least my belief, a leaders is someone that does not micro manage to get things accomplished. When, you micro manage, than you become a manager. Then you basically just hand tasks to folks to implement them. That’s not what leadership is about. For me, it’s how do you engage (as I said earlier empower) others to become leaders. A leader in my mind has the ability to be a leader and to have the accountabilities that come with leadership, but at the same time be a colleague to people all around you which is a tricky thing. I think if you accomplish that, you accomplish the most powerful things that a leader can have which is the ability to build trust. The element of trust we know cannot happen over night or with one event. You have to cultivate that and it takes time to do it. So, you have to invest in building that trust.-Nordine Cheikh (2 min. 44 sec.) |
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Nordine Cheikh
Director, Global Regulatory Science,
Monsanto
Class of 2008-2009
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Dr. Cheikh received his Ph.D. in Plant Physiology and Biochemistry from the University of Minnesota, and assumed nine years in teaching and research as Associate Professor, in Plant Sciences at the Agronomy and Veterinary Institute in Morocco and a Crop Physiology Associate faculty in the Department of Agronomy & Plant Genetics at the University of Minnesota. Nordine Joined Monsanto headquarters, St. Louis Missouri, in 1995 as Senior Scientist in metabolic engineering and then Research Director for Crop Yield products. In 1999 Nordine became Director of Research & Operations of the Monsanto Calgene LLC in Davis, California. In 2004, he relocated back to St. Louis as Program Director leading Monsanto’s Biotechnology Trait Pipeline group. Since January, 2009 Nordine has the role of Director of Monsanto’s Regulatory Sciences.
Nordine was Board Trustee for Davis Science Center, a member of the Community Advisory Council at CSU Sacramento and a member of the American Society of Plant Biologists. Nordine is a graduate of Leadership St. Louis 2009 offered by Focus St. Louis, an organization focused on the development of community leaders in the greater St. Louis region. Nordine is a recipient of Monsanto CEREGEN’s Achievement Award in 1996.
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