What makes working at CF different? A core aspect of our culture is our commitment to developing talent and future leaders. This commitment has earned us historically high retention rates – people who join the CF team tend to stay and grow with us–and we aim to maintain this tradition long into the future.
We prioritize talent development because we know that what we do is important, and so is how we do it. Our business and reputation depend on safe, efficient operations–and so does people’s safety.
In 2018, CF studied “how we do it” to understand what sets apart the strongest-performing teams and those employees who are consistently excellent. A core characteristic emerged: leadership. We believe that leaders are not born, they are developed, and that leadership means much more than being a model for others. Leaders can lead teams, other leaders, the business and themselves.
To better define what effective leadership looks like at each level, CF gathered input from nearly 400 employees across CF locations. The result is a set of nine Leadership Competencies that spell out in clear, simple terms what knowledge, skills, abilities and attributes are expected of every member of our team. We have received positive feedback to date on these competencies from employees, who appreciate having a common language they can use not only to focus on their own development, but also to inform how they lead and give feedback to others.
With these leadership competencies, we are taking a major step forward in helping CF people be their best in every job across the company. Over time, the competencies will be fully integrated into all of our people-development processes, from performance management and compensation to hiring and training. Our shared view of what it means to lead will ensure we continue to live our values and grow our business.
At CF, leadership is the quality that drives our values and sets us apart. We believe that everyone can be a leader, and we’ve defined what leadership looks like at every stage in employees’ careers. 
Another way we maintain a strong workforce is by investing in the talents of young people poised to become CF’s future engineers and leaders. We have supported students at Medicine Hat College in Alberta, Canada, for more than 20 years. Since 2014, CF has funded a full scholarship for a student from an underrepresented background interested in studying power engineering. The most recent student to receive the award, which funds tuition, fees and other expenses, is Deklan Steward, who joined CF as a summer intern in 2018. During that experience, he had the opportunity to gain knowledge of the power engineering trade and earn field hours required for engineering certifications.
“I am forever grateful to CF for the opportunities they have provided me,” Steward says. “This gift showed me that they believe in what I have to offer the industry, and because of that I am determined to represent them well.”
Women in Agribusiness
In 2018, 38 women from CF attended the Women in Agribusiness (WIA) Summit, a unique opportunity to learn about industry trends and innovations and network with industry leaders. CF is proud to serve as Platinum Sponsor for the 2019 Summit, and we look forward to strengthening our partnership with WIA.
