a “right,” near-impossible to take away long enough to
repair it.
Moving on, unemployment compensation, originally
a temporary safety net to buffer the impact of economic
shifts, has become sufficiently comfortable that many
unemployed have no incentive to find work. Pandering
politicians then extend the benefit period, feeling sorry for
those out of work. Of course, the longer a person is not
employed, the tougher it is to find employment.
The minimum wage is another scam. Overriding the
voice of the marketplace, local, state, and national governments can mandate an earnings floor for what were once
temporary, entry-level, or supplementary income jobs,
with agenda-driven pressures to transform any and all
occupations into more comfortable middle-class earning
positions, irrespective of value delivered or skills required.
A push to force employers into higher entry wages for
low- to no-skill jobs, e.g., $13 an hour at Walmart, is a companion evolving entitlement. The impact of all these forces
is destined to be catastrophic. The price of every product
or service involved will have to increase, and we will all be
paying more for the same things we are purchasing today.
As for the impact on our corner of the universe, the entire
supply chain community will have to pay floor associates
more—a lot more—to attract and retain enough talent to
do its basic job (with no added value whatsoever involved).
Transferability of power and position is another entitlement trap. The person who has spent a goodly chunk of the
career in an insular environment, then gets caught up in the
sooner-or-later cutback, rightsizing, merger/acquisition,
or reduction in force, expects to find a new job that pays
the same and confers the same perks and powers. After all,
“XX” years of experience (or one year of experience “XX”
times) must surely define universal value, right? Wrong!
First question is, was there really any value involved? Is
the value in a new setting, new company, new industry,
whatever, actually relevant? Who else, with what attributes
and value contribution potential, is in the market? The
near-universal reaction to the new reality is that the problem is with the overall economy, or age discrimination,
or dirty capitalists taking advantage of someone who has
already been betrayed, and so on.
PRE-EMPTIVE FIGHTING BACK
So, it’s not just the millennials; it’s all generations who have
expectations for entitlements. The malaise afflicts all indus-
tries, not just the supply chain management community.
We have been evolving into an entitled society, with expec-
tations for others (governments at all levels, programs,
behavioral incentives with tax and other implications)
to meet our expectations, which we clumsily position as
needs, requirements, and rights.
In an era of generational conflict, unmet expectations,
and denied entitlements, here’s how to rise above the fray,
set yourself apart from the whiners, and better position
yourself for moving up and out—winning in the long haul.
Doing these things just might propel you from manage-
ment in a supply chain context to leadership in a corporate
context, with confidence enough to come out of turmoil
and change to succeed in a new venue, as well:
b Forget the past (but hold tight to timeless values); focus
on executing today; pull the trigger on plans for tomorrow.
b Get over the generational thing; there’s a new one com-
ing after the millennials; you were once the new kid, too.
b Understand yourself as well as your motivations, trig-
gers, styles, preferences, and personality. Then, understand
those around, under, and above you. Learn how to leverage
these attributes for optimal outcomes.
b Learn (and practice) working in teams, collaborating,
and communicating. Educate yourself on management
tools and techniques as well as leadership requirements and
attributes.
b Never stop learning; sharpen your ax whether you need
to or not.
b Seek, and deliver on, projects and positions that make a
difference, that contribute value, that make you stand out
with peers and leaders.
b Actually get something done—and make sure that lead-
ers know who did it. Action is not accomplishment, coun-
sels Carly Fiorina; ants are busy, but what are they busy at,
asks Henry David Thoreau.
Master these, and expectations and entitlements will take
care of themselves.
Art van Bodegraven may be reached at (614) 893-9414 or avan@columbus.rr.com.
You can read his blog at http://blogs.dcvelocity.com/the_art_of_art/. Kenneth
B. Ackerman, president of The Ackerman Company, can be reached at (614) 488-
3165 or ken@warehousing-forum.com.
