Pursuing Food Industry Excellence to the Fullest

By: Angelyn Pinter, Senior Manager, Education, FMI

The food industry is chock-full of hardworking, innovative and highly motivated professionals who strive as much for personal growth as they do for business success. Every year, FMI is proud to host these self-driven scholars in our Future Leaders eXperience, a six-session online program that hones core leadership and management competencies for members of the food industry. Participants are given ample opportunity to evaluate their current leadership style and tactics, compare them to that of their peers and discover new, mindful methods of inspiring their teams. By the end of this edifying experience, participants will apply their expanded knowledge and skillset toward completing a capstone reflection and attain the Food Retail Leader Certificate.

This badge of honor is earned by Future Leaders participants who complete all the program coursework, including activities before and after each virtual session. These activities provide further enrichment for the skills and knowledge gained throughout the program and serve as a final capstone of their months-long efforts in leadership development. Recipients of the Food Retail Leader Certificate are recognized as qualified and committed food retail leaders and have an extra edge in their professional career path. 

This year, over 240 program participants earned the Food Retail Leaders Certificate – a testament to the widespread desire for excellence among food industry leaders. Participants see the process of earning the certificate as valuable and straightforward. One certificate earner, Cathy Renton, said, “I thought the program was great. I learned so much and it was very easy to navigate to earn your certificate.” Another participant, Kelly Latonya, is already seeing how the lessons gleaned from the program are impacting her performance: “I manage my time better to coach and develop the team to improve behaviors. I understand more now that, when you invest in your team (personal or business) they will be more motivated and encouraged to do more.” Such positive sentiments are shared among the vast majority of participants. In a final evaluation survey of the Future Leaders program, 81% are extremely or very likely to recommend the experience. 

FMI celebrates all those who pursue Future Leaders to the fullest. Their dedication to professional growth matches the spirit of the food industry to always exceed expectations and deliver superb results. For more information on how to obtain FMI’s Food Retail Leader Certificate, visit the certificate information page or view the video below.