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Game-Changing Results,
Beyond Voice Picking
The Lucas software integrated seamlessly
with our WMS, practically eliminated
downtime in receiving, and increased
shipping capacity by 50%. It’s totally
revolutionized our warehouse operations.
- Jim Scheetz, CFO
Marcone Supply
Hear how Jennifer Mobile apps transformed
receiving, putaway and picking, improved
management insight, and extended the life of
Marcone’s WMS.
Go to www.lucasware.com/marcone
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point that a supply chain practitioner must master a wide range of
complex tasks that affect the entire
enterprise. Do you think this level of
multitasking requirement presents a
robust career path for women?
AI hate to generalize about one gender or the other’s possess-
ing a particular aptitude for cer-
tain types of work activity. In mod-
ern business, the ability to adapt
quickly, to wear many hats, to apply
good analytical and decision-mak-
ing skills, and above all, provide
leadership in the face of a broad
variety of challenges will mean the
difference between success and failure.
Because the supply chain responsibility
is aligned with multiple functions across
the enterprise—functions ranging from
engineering to purchasing to operations
and even sales—I’d say the career oppor-
tunities are as rich and diverse as anyone
could hope for.
QYour situation is unique in that you are actively promoting opportunities
for women in logistics while, at the same
time, holding down a high-level corporate job. Has your corporate role helped
or hindered your advocacy efforts?
AI’ve always been attracted to techni- cal roles because I enjoy those types
of challenges. It wasn’t because I wanted
to blaze a trail for other women. That
happened to be a side effect of my career
choices, simply making it less unusual to
find a competent female in a role where
most people had only encountered men.
The steady but mostly unremarkable
progress of many women in roles previously almost exclusive to men has been
going on for decades.
We are generally equal participants at
the entry and middle management levels,
but the numbers for women in positions
of senior business leadership are still woefully below where I’d hoped we’d be at
this point. The situation is more balanced
in the small-business arena, where women
are starting enterprises and are successfully assuming the leadership of family-run
businesses. In the corporate world, the
shifts occur more slowly. That’s why I
think pursuing more advocacy roles at
this stage of my career is worthwhile to
bring us all closer to that tipping point for
equality of opportunity.
QHow will you know that your efforts have succeeded? Are there specific goals that you benchmark yourself
against?
AAmong Fortune 500 CEOs, the num- ber of women is smaller than the
number of men with the name of “John.”
When the number of women CEOs
matches up more closely with the number of Jims, Bills, and Johns, I’ll know that
we’ve finally climbed one of the highest
mountains.
