Inspired to Serve
By Lisa Flagg, Head of Seed Production Strategy, Crop Science, Bayer U.S.
When people ask my daughter what I do for a living, she says, “My mom helps to feed the world.” She came up with that description on her own when she was 10 years old, and now that she is 14, I still get inspired thinking about how she sees my job.
Helping people has always motivated me. In college, I became excited by the idea that my knowledge and skills as a science major could be used to benefit the world. I also realized that working for a large organization that shared my vision would allow me to serve others in a broader sense than I could as one person.
2019 marks my 20th year with Monsanto (now part of Bayer), and as Head of Seed Production Strategy, I definitely feel like I am part of something big. Bayer’s agricultural initiatives and products are aimed at making a contribution to one of society’s greatest challenges: food security. With the global population expected to grow to nearly 10 billion people by the year 2050, I am blessed to play a role in supporting farmers’ efforts to provide food, fiber and fuel for our rapidly growing world.
Greater Missouri Leadership Challenge
A new door of service was opened for me recently through my participation in a Bayer-sponsored community initiative. Each year, the Greater Missouri Leadership Challenge (GMLC) selects a class of 40 women who are outstanding leaders in their own organizations to be a part of its development program.
In 2019, I was fortunate to be chosen for this honor, alongside a wonderful group of women from diverse industries throughout Missouri. Through four symposium sessions held each quarter in different cities across the state, the program introduces participants to the current demographics and key issues affecting Missouri, as well as offering continuing education in leadership development.
The goal of the program is to encourage women to use their gifts and talents to move Missouri forward and to broaden the participation of women in addressing the critical issues facing the state.
Everyone can play a role
Our first session, held March 5–7, in Columbia and Jefferson City, Missouri, focused on the political process and education. We learned about challenges and trends in education in the state from pre-K through higher education.
We also heard about issues facing Missouri by visiting and meeting with key leaders at the Missouri Legislature, the Missouri Supreme Court, the Jefferson City Correctional Center, and the Missouri Governor’s Mansion.
My eyes were opened by the range of experiences we had in this first session. At the Capitol, for example, we had the opportunity to speak to some female representatives. One of the representatives had very diverse professional experience, including retail, which is not what you would expect, but she recounted how her passion for her district led her into politics.
I realized that it really does just take caring and interest to become involved in our state, because there is always a need.
Learning and growing
Learning more about my state made me feel like I could do more to positively impact my community. It also showed me that there are people I influence every day through my work at Bayer. This encouraged me to do a better job of contextualizing my work and asking deeper questions in the broader scheme of what we are here to do as a business and within our community.
Additionally, the amazing women I met — from areas including education, banking, engineering, non-profits, entrepreneurs, and more — have definitely had an impact on me. The days I spent with them were about listening and absorbing and preparing to have my norms challenged or tweaked. The group immediately became a tight knit community. There was even a woman farmer in the group, and bonded by our similar backgrounds, she and I are still connecting almost every week!
The next Greater Missouri Leadership Challenge session will be held in early June, in Springfield, Missouri. The three remaining sessions will focus on urban renewal, rural development, and Missouri’s role in the global economy.
With all of the needs that I am seeing in these sessions, the challenge for me is to determine where my heart and my talents connect to bring the most impact. I am definitely inspired to serve, so I am compelled to thank Bayer and the other sponsors of the Greater Missouri Leadership Challenge for this incredible program that demonstrates their deep commitment and caring for the community where their employees live and work.
