The dust has settled on another evokeAG, and what a ride it was! For those who haven’t attended before, this event isn’t just another industry gathering, it’s a melting pot of ideas, innovation, and the future of agriculture in Australia.
This year, I had the privilege of experiencing it with a team of Australian Rural Leadership Foundation (ARLF) staff, and what stood out most wasn’t just the cutting-edge tech or bold conversations, but the people, networks, and connections that this event brings together.
Over 40 ARLF alumni were in the room – nine of them front and centre as speakers. Seeing so many of our network driving the conversation in this space was inspiring, especially considering the challenges many in the sector are facing, from tough conditions in the south to an impending cyclone in the east.
Over the last six years, evokeAG has only grown stronger, and each year it leaves me with a fresh reminder. This time? The power of finding acceptance in failure and how it could change the way we lead.
A collective fear of the unknown
Australia’s fear of failure was central to GoTerra Founder Olympia Yarger’s panel session ‘We Become the Stories We Tell: Reframing Australia’. She laid it out plain and simple. This fear holds us back. It’s not just entrepreneurs who feel it, but funders and early adopters too.
She’s not alone in this thinking.
A recent TRA Mindset Survey of over 10,000 Australians revealed that one in four identified with the ‘Sentinel’ mindset. This group takes a traditional approach, values stability, and prefers to keep things as they are. They’re content with the status quo and hesitant to step outside their comfort zone.
Here’s the challenge: If we keep our heads down, avoid risk, and cling to the familiar, how will we ever adapt to the future?
If fear holds us back, a growth mindset in leadership propels us forward. Instead of seeing failure as an endpoint, what if we viewed it as a signal to rethink, adjust, and try again?
Shifting gears to grow
This idea aligns with Professor Carol Dweck’s concept of a growth mindset in leadership – the belief that abilities and intelligence can be developed through effort and learning. It’s the opposite of a fixed mindset, where failure signals the end rather than a stepping stone.
At the ARLF, we design our leadership programs to push people beyond their comfort zones and into growth mindset spaces. From two-day Changemaker Workshops to the 15-month Australian Rural Leadership Program, we challenge participants to shift perspectives, experience new environments, and grow into more adaptive leaders.
Our approach also draws on Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle, which says real learning happens through action. It’s about trying, reflecting, adapting, and applying new insights. We believe challenges aren’t roadblocks; they’re opportunities. Criticism isn’t a setback; it’s feedback for growth.
When we embrace this mindset, we become more resilient, adaptable, and effective.
Failure still stings, but it’s no longer the end of the road. It’s a turning point. And when we see it that way, the possibilities are endless.
Lessons from the field
One of the best parts of evokeAG was seeing this mindset still alive and thriving in the collective action among our alumni. Over two days, the ARLF team met with more than 40 graduates who continue to step beyond ‘deficit thinking’ and into opportunity-focused leadership.
A standout moment was Trevor Meldrum’s ‘Yarnin’ Up’ session. As CEO of Cape York Weeds and Feral Animals Inc (and a National Mentoring Program alum), Trevor invites agtech developers into one of the most remote parts of the country to trial new products. His philosophy? If it works here, it’ll work anywhere. It’s a perfect example of trial, adaptation, and resilience mentioned earlier.
Jason Strong (ARLP C11 alum), former Managing Director of Meat and Livestock Australia also shared some thoughts on the loneliness of leadership. He reminded us that a growth mindset in leadership isn’t just about self-improvement, it’s about being open to surrounding yourself with people who challenge, share knowledge and support you.
I was similarly inspired by Katherine Winchester (ARLP C19 alum), who is carrying the growth mindset in leadership beyond the workplace. After 20 years with the Northern Territory Seafood Council, she’s stepping away from formal leadership roles to pursue new opportunities outside of her corporate work. It’s a bold move, and if her track record is anything to go by, she’ll thrive wherever she lands.
Another conversation that stuck with me was with Patrick Hone, Managing Director of the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC) and an ARLF Honorary Fellow. Patrick has always believed in investing in people first. Under his leadership, FRDC has funded ARLP scholarships across industries, not just fisheries. The result? Cross-sector collaboration and fresh ideas flowing back into the industry. When we caught up at the FRDC stall at evokeAG, he summed it up perfectly: There are no fences in fisheries. A lighthearted comment, but one that speaks to a much bigger idea – real innovation happens when we break down silos and learn from each other. This is a true reflection of not just a growth mindset but a belief that sees leadership as a collective act that will continue benefit RRR Australia for many years to come.
Looking towards the future
These conversations (and evokeAG itself) reinforced something many of us will already know – leadership isn’t about having all the answers, it’s about learning, adapting, and backing yourself to take the next step.
The team at AgriFutures is already leading the charge, creating spaces like evokeAG where these conversations can happen. But there’s still more to explore. How do we build connections beyond existing networks? How do we create structures that encourage real collaboration rather than reinforcing silos?
As evokeAG grows, so do the opportunities it presents. The challenge now is to ensure it becomes more than just a once-a-year catchup for the industry and turn what we’ve learnt and felt into long-lasting action.
As Patrick Hone reminded us, leadership isn’t a one-time event but an ongoing investment. If agriculture, and any sector across rural, regional, and remote Australia, is to thrive, we need to keep investing in people for collective action to occur. We need to build networks that help shift our national mindset from fear to growth.
If you believe in the potential of collective leadership and want to be part of this shift, consider stepping into the learning space, whether that’s by expanding your own leadership journey or enabling someone else’s. Change starts with the people willing to embrace it. If you’re ready to take a step in this direction, get in touch with the ARLF team.
