More than 100 dairy people of all ages and occupations came together on 19 February for the annual Gardiner Foundation Dairy Leaders Luncheon at Collins Events Centre.

Keynote speaker, Anneli Blundell, got straight to the heart of the matter confronting how we avoid difficult conversations and how we can overcome our reluctance to hold them.

Affectionately known as the People Whisperer, Anneli is a sought after speaker, mentor and leadership expert who helps her clients improve their influence, engagement and impact.  She inspired her dairy audience to ask many, many questions about handling those difficult conversations. It’s a topic that is on our minds as we negotiate the changes being mooted in the Australian Dairy Plan. Change is never easy and hard conversations are inevitable.

Critical conversations can be an everyday occurrence at work, at home, in the community. Anneli shared some surprising secrets of human behaviour that can catch out even the most savvy and experienced leaders. She challenged what we think we know about the power of relationships to drive results and our understanding of the distortions that affect our ability to see people clearly.

Anneli is the co-author of the acclaimed leadership book: “Developing Direct Reports: Taking the guesswork out of leading leaders,” a leader’s guide to bringing out the best in people and building a high performing culture one conversation at a time. She was voted one of YMag’s Top 10 Women to Watch in 2019. She is on a mission to humanize the leadership landscape and change the way we see each other.

You can find out more about Anneli Blundell here: https://anneliblundell.com/

Anneli Blundell