Unleashing Leadership Potential

Beau Williamson and Coty Back have spent their careers developing people’s potential to be successful, but perhaps most importantly, helping people be better humans.

That shared passion was first realized in their service as 2006-07 national FFA officers. Williamson (pictured above, front left) served as the national FFA president, while Back (pictured above, back right) was the Eastern region vice president.

The two are now teammates again at Syngenta Crop Protection, LLC. Both work as sales trainers in Field Force Excellence & Training. “Our jobs are to help the sales force be the best in the industry through training, coaching and development,” Back says. He serves clients in the Southern and Eastern United States from his base in Kentucky, while Williamson serves Western U.S. clients from California, his home state.

Williamson recruited Back to Syngenta. The two have been close friends since meeting as national officers 20 years ago.

Better People Make Better Leaders

“We both care deeply about developing people, and that’s inherent in the roles we’re in now and in what we’ve done in our careers,” Back says. In fact, in 2011 the two formed Greater Potential Leadership, a company focused on helping individuals and organizations unleash their greater potential via training programs, coaching and other leadership development activities.

“I love personal development so much because I had people who did that for me, and the impact it made on my life was huge,” Back says, who once worked for the National FFA organization helping develop the national officer teams. “Having a coach or mentor who helped me get better makes me a better person, which translates to being a better husband, a better dad and a better professional. I love that light-bulb moment — when someone comes back to you and tells you something you said in a speech or workshop meant a lot to them. And I think Beau and I both got that experience as national officers.”

Williamson agrees. “FFA was the beginning of the development journey for me,” he says. “A lot of people are walking around waiting for the golden egg to fall into their lap, and FFA teaches you to own your development and to chase the opportunities before you that align with your goals and your passion. For me, FFA set me on a course of continuing to develop myself as a leader, as a contributor to society, as a person who’s passionate about the ag industry, and it taught me to never quit developing that.”

“I didn’t really care much about leadership before FFA, but FFA made me a student of leadership,” Williamson adds. “It taught me how important it is to continue to develop yourself, live with a purpose, continue to have activities that challenge us and help us grow, and motivate us toward accomplishing new goals that inspire us but also inspire others along the way.”