While I was in Fort Worth, Texas for the American Rodeo, I had the opportunity to sit down with
Tyler Schuster, a fifth-generation Texas rancher, to chat about what leadership qualities are
needed these days for those looking to be successful in the western and agriculture industry.
While her official title is, Manager of Leadership Development at Texas & Southwestern Cattle
Raisers Association, she refers to herself as a “full-time chaos coordinator”, and on top of
wrangling up cattle raisers, she is a lover of western fashion, beef, and podcasting.
Krysta: Let’s dive a little bit deeper into your background, how did you get to where you are
today?
Tyler: I grew up on my family’s ranch in Brackettville, Texas, which is just a little community of
about 2000 people. At the time, I just assumed that everyone grew up just like me and my mom
is actually the rancher in our family. I always say my dad’s all hat, no cattle, and my mom is no
hat, all cattle. My parents worked really hard to put my siblings and me through college, which I
was thankfully able to do not just once, but twice to get both my Bachelors through Tarleton
State and then my Masters at Texas A&M.
During my time at Texas A&M, I interned here at the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers
Association and really liked it. After my internship, I was offered a part-time, work-from-home
position with them while I was still in grad school. That was about the same time I started my
podcast, Basically Famous, and started interviewing people who were “basically famous” to me.
As graduation started getting closer, there had been conversations about me possibly coming
on full-time, but I hadn’t heard anything after the initial conversation. They ended up coming
around and created a position for me as manager of education. I’ve now been with the TSCRA
since June 1, 2022. I started with just online and in-person education for producers, and then
beef quality assurance, which is a nationwide program. Here at TSCRA, we’re focused on the
producer, whereas the state beef councils are really focused on the consumer, but we do work
hand in hand with them. Last August, I had the opportunity to transition to another new role as
manager of leadership development, and within that role, I oversee all programming for people
under 40. So essentially, I’m in charge of our next-generation efforts. We’ve had a lot of great
success in the programs we’ve implemented, but also in fundraising. We’ve created a 501c3,
called the Leadership Development Foundation, and it helps fund all the efforts I do. So every
program we’ve created geared towards producers under 40 has been my passion project. I
never knew I had a huge passion for the next generation and never thought I’d be a ranger but
I’m still super active on my family’s ranch when I’m not here at the office working.
Krysta: With the premise of the Modern Cowboy Magazine, we are really striving to find people
and stories that exude values like being a trailblazer, being bold and brave in their own right,
regardless of what that looks like. It sounds like you’ve had to take some pretty brave steps in
your life and career to get to where you are.
I would love to hear what your top five qualities are for what you consider to be a great leader.
What are the gritty values that you think a leader needs to have to be successful in the western
and agriculture industry?
Tyler: To start, I think everyone is capable of being a leader, age is just a number and I really
believe that every person has the opportunity to influence the room they’re in.
- Authentic
The first quality for me is being authentic. I want to know that who you are on the internet is the
same as who you are in person. Generally speaking, for a good leader, I don’t have to worry
they’re not the same person because I know they are. For example, my interns know they can
come to me and they’re gonna get the truest answer every time. I just think a true leader is
authentic, you know what you’re going to get with them and you know what to expect when you
work with them. - Disciplined
Second, I think leaders should be disciplined. Successful people have programs and routines in
place for their day-to-day lives. For me, I get up at about 5:30 in the mornings so I can go work
out at 6:15 and then I’m in the office by 8:15. Then I’m here at the office until four or five
depending on what I’ve got going on. The morning routine is critical for me because I know I’ve
started the day on the right foot. You also have to be flexible enough to know that in the seasons
when those things don’t happen, you can be disciplined enough in other areas of your life to
know that it’s all going to be okay and you can keep the boat moving in the right direction. - Gritty
The third thing leaders need is grit. There’s something about being tough in the workplace.
Maybe not as much being physically tough as it is being mentally tough, but you have the grit to
persevere, get through the day, and do the hard things. We all have to do jobs we don’t want to
do sometimes and you have to have a little grit to get through it. - Punctual
A good leader is always on time, they’re punctual. A good leader will respect your time, just as
you respect theirs. I think it’s kind of a lost art in the world we live in but if you ask me for my
time, I am going to get it blocked off on my calendar and show up as my most present self. - Personable
My fifth and final thing would just be that a great leader has to be personable. You should be
easy to go up and have a conversation with, easy to talk to, and make people feel heard. Then
taking that a step further, you should be able to execute whatever you promise in that
conversation. Whether that is you agree to send a bio or a headshot, then you get it done. I truly
think that these five traits can be applied to anything you do these days, whether you’re in the
office, on the ranch, or going down the road, these are five things that I see every day through
my podcasts, my social media channels, and here in the office that make an outstanding leader
in our industry.
About Tyler Schuster
Tyler’s roots run deep in agriculture. As a fifth-generation rancher from Brackettville, TX, she
has been blessed to grow up in that way of life. She grew up barrel racing, roping, playing
sports, and being involved in 4-H and FFA.
She graduated from Tarleton State University in May of 2020 with a Bachelor of Science in
Agricultural Services and Development. Following her time at Tarleton, she attended Texas A&M
University to pursue a Masters of Public Service and Administration. After graduation in May of
2022, she made her way to Fort Worth to pursue a career in agriculture.
She currently works in beef education and focuses on working with the next generation of cattle
raisers. In her spare time, she produces a podcast focused on women in ag called Basically
Famous where she enjoys speaking to groups across the state when time allows.
You can learn more about Tyler and her podcast at TyleKSchuster.com
