Leading from the heart (with a focus on the mind)

Taralene Ziola says MRU’s programs have helped her grow as a leader, engage her team
Taralene Ziola
Taralene Ziola is a student in the Leadership Development Extension Certificate program

Taralene Ziola has found opportunities to lead in unexpected ways. Ziola — the Distribution Centre Manager at Nutrien Ag Solutions (Canada) Inc.'s Saskatoon location — has always believed in leading her team in a holistic way by learning about each of her colleagues, what motivates them and, most importantly, what makes them feel valued and included in the workplace.

Ziola is currently taking courses in Mount Royal’s Leadership Development Extension Certificate program after earning a Management Development Extension Certificate in 2023.

 

Courses encourage growth, confidence in leadership abilities

The Leadership Development program helps learners explore leadership and culture as two sides of the same coin and is designed for people who want to become a leader, are transitioning into a new leadership role, or want to build their skills and strengths as an effective leader.

Between the flexibility of the course delivery and scheduling, and the applicable content, Ziola says the programs have helped her develop the confidence to lead in her own way.

“My goal in taking classes was to continue growing as a leader,” she tells. “Our workforce is constantly changing, so I have people on my team who are in their early twenties up to their fifties. I needed to learn how to adapt and provide an atmosphere that people of all ages — especially our younger people — are looking for in a work environment.”

Ziola, who has been with Nutrien Ag Solutions for seven years, is particularly proud of her team. While their eleven members now operate as a tight-knit, supportive group, she says that wasn’t always the case.

“When I started here, we were not a team and we had to do a lot of growth” she recalls. So that’s exactly what she set out to do. Along with implementing process improvements, Ziola got to work on her favourite part of leading: team building.

“Just going to work, collecting a paycheck and going home isn’t enough for people anymore,” she explains. “And it shouldn’t be! We spend so much of our lives working and with our coworkers. Having an environment where everybody feels like they’re included and can contribute is super important to me.”

When it came to making this happen for her team, Ziola started with one of her class assignments, where they were asked to write a paper about what a civil and respectful workplace looks like.

“I thought about it and I knew I could write that down on paper, but who would know better than this team I work with every day? I took the question to our morning huddle and ideas just poured out of them. I had to slow them down because they were just going! It was so amazing to see them wanting to be involved and for them to have the strength and courage to have that voice to express what they need. They laugh about doing my homework, but they want to be involved!”

Ziola’s team starts work early, with half arriving at five in the morning. While she says the schedule is relatively set, the work needs to go quickly and efficiently in order for Nutrien Ag Solutions to provide its best service to growers and retailers.

“With a set schedule, it can be easy to become complacent. We load these trailers every day until seven. We then start unloading up to fifteen inbound trailers a day and get the outbound deliveries ready for next-day delivery to our retail locations. It's important to keep the entire team engaged and aware of what's going on around them because things can change so fast. No trailer’s the same. Plus, we may be dealing with variables like truck drivers that have never been to our location and forklifts driving back and forth on the dock and cruising around. There’s a lot going on, so our team needs to stay engaged and stay in that moment. Nowadays, we actually excel more when we are insanely busy.”

Ziola involves her team not only in developing procedures, but identifying shared goals. Having all team members contribute to decision making at as many levels as possible, she says, has led to them feeling greater ownership over their performance and pride in what they do.

 

Focusing on the ‘whole person’ creates a better work environment

An important turning point in the team’s cohesiveness happened during the COVID-19 pandemic, while they continued working together every day as an essential service.

In a time of uncertainty and heightened precautions, Ziola says the team really took care of each other.

“We really started caring about each other’s health,” she tells, “and that’s when we started talking about our mental health as well. At Nutrien Ag Solutions, the safety of our people is our number one priority. And, while I want my team to go home physically safe, I also want them to go home mentally and emotionally safe. Having a space where we can share those things, where we can talk and be vulnerable became really important to all of us at that time. It’s something that's really important to me, specifically, men's mental health because I don't think it's talked about enough.”

Ziola decided to start talking about it more. The perfect opportunity arose in November, the month for men’s health awareness focusing on mental health, suicide, prostate cancer and testicular cancer. When the time came around, she gave a presentation about men’s mental and physical health. While everyone had a good laugh about her recommendations for cancer screening, the topics of mental health and suicide struck a chord.

Sadly, Ziola lost a good friend, Mark, to depression, substance use disorder and ultimately, suicide. In talking about it, she and her team members discovered they were not alone. At least two people had the courage to share the mental and emotional toll felt by losing people in their lives to suicide in the months prior. “It was amazing how everyone listened and supported each other,” she says. “We began talking more about our other struggles and became more comfortable opening up about what’s going on in our lives, the good and the bad. We started talking more about self-care as well,” she says.

As they continued to talk and work together, Ziola noticed a change in her team. The ideas of inclusion and collaboration had spread and team members were taking opportunities for informal leadership. Ultimately, Ziola says, a leader brings value by helping others grow as well.

“Some of my proudest moments are when we’re just crazy busy and I hear one of them say to the other ‘I’m almost done unloading this trailer and then I can help you. I can move things so you have more space. I’ll help you as soon as I’m done.’ We want to provide superior service to our retailers and growers, but it’s how we get there that makes me most proud.”

Further, she says she hopes every member of her team takes the collaborative spirit of their workplace, and opportunities for leadership, into their own lives. “They can be a leader wherever they go. Especially when talking about mental health. They can be a leader in their family or their friend group. Everybody has the power to be that change.”

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Ziola’s top resources for mental health awareness

During the grieving period following the loss of Mark, the Anderson family recognized a need to break the silence and end the stigma surrounding mental health and founded the Love My Mind Non-Profit Initiative in Saskatoon. Every week, Darren sits down with mental health advocates, counsellors, teachers, coaches, and others to discuss life’s stresses and pressures in an honest, relatable way in his WeConnect series that is available on the website.

I believe that we end the stigma and shame surrounding our mental health through conversation and education. We fear the unknown and things that we do not understand.  Let’s work to understand!  The Canadian Mental Health Association offers resources geared towards understanding the factors that affect us in our daily lives and explaining the many mental illnesses that ourselves or loved ones are coping with.  

You are not alone. If you or someone you know are thinking of suicide, call or text the Suicide Crisis Helpline at 988 for free, 24/7 support. 

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Courses for Mount Royal's Leadership Development Extension Certificate program are currently open for registration for courses starting in November. Visit the program page to learn more.