Rob Dugas, vice president of supply chain at Chick-fil-A, outlines the challenges around identifying and developing tomorrow's supply chain leaders and discusses the chain's strategic approach to this issue.
Hanna Ubl is a generational expert at BridgeWorks, a company that studies and consults on generational differences and the way those differences play out in the workplace. Ubl discusses Boomers, Xers and Millennials and says the Edge Generation, still in high school, will bring even more changes.
When Jim Bowes established the National Logistics & Distribution Conference 10 years ago his aim was to provide a small, non-sales oriented conference for senior supply chain executives. Bowes discusses how NLDC has evolved and what he thinks the future holds.
Leadership comes down to relationships and having a connection with employees, says Kurt Kravchuk, director of distribution at Cabela's. Spending time each day on the floor, focusing on collaboration and maintaining a positive approach are three of his suggestions.
Changes in the work force are driving companies to automate as much as possible and, where automation isn't feasible, to implement labor management best practices using standards and incentives, says Mike Romano, president of Associated Integrated Supply Chain Solutions.
Jon Gordon, author of Energy Bus and other books on leadership, shares a host of ideas on how leaders can recharge, refocus and reenergize to stay on top of their game.
Finding potential leaders among supply chain employees begins with treating everyone fairly, not equally, says Gough Grubbs, senior vice president of Stage Stores. Not everyone has the desire or drive for leadership and recognizing those who do is the first step toward success, he says.
Logistics operations driven by the shale energy boom employed 32,000 workers in 2012, a figure which is expected to grow by over 26,000 jobs, or 82 percent, to more than 58,000 jobs in 2025.