DC Velocity - March 2015

44 DC VELOCITY MARCH 2015 www.dcvelocity.com basictraining

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7. Thou shalt learn from the past. Despite the fate of dinosaurs stuck in the tar of La Brea, there are some universal truths that have validity from generation to generation, values that are, so far as we can see, eternal. Stick to these; adapt them as circumstances shift; and hold them, if currently in disfavor, close against the day when they are newly and more widely recognized for their intrinsic worth.

8. Thou shalt anticipate the future. None of us can afford to ignore the present; we must meet customer expectations and operational objectives. But we must devote time, energy, and resources to what happens—or is likely to happen—next, and after that, and then after that. As leaders, we cannot afford to be taken by surprise when the change that everyone but us knew was coming actually arrives.

We need to be actively thinking about such things as where our customers’ markets are going, how we can help them stem the slide or capitalize on the rise, which of our suppliers are financially vulnerable or not scalable to our next level, what supplies and materials are being exhausted on a global basis, what new products and lines are looming in our industry, how order profiles are likely to shift, and on and on.

9. Thou shalt operate under the umbrella and context of the organization. Functional understanding is a given. But the planning and execution of supply chain management (SCM) must be strategically and organizationally relevant. That translates to the entire supply chain’s getting the picture— understanding that SCM is not so much about squeezing costs out of suppliers, trimming labor, or cutting inventories as about building enterprise financial performance. That is what makes SCM truly a competitive differentiator, an investment in growth and profitability, and not simply cost to be managed by beady-eyed CPAs.

10. Thou shalt require accountabilities,
outcomes, objectives, and plans from all.
For all the talk about styles and pref-
erences, and no matter which is used
when and with whom, all plans and
assignments must conclude with clear
mutual understanding of what will be
done, when, at what cost, with which
milestones, and with what quantified
benefits. No matter the appropriate
style, no matter the motivations, accep-
tance of the assignment with its terms
and conditions is the only thing that
counts—even when the assignment is
a creative exercise to find the lost, to
imagine the unthinkable, to solve the
intractable, or to invent the unknown.

BONUS ROUND

Here are two additional commandments—no extra charge. Feel free to abide by their guidance. There are more; you may add your own to the list as well.

11. Thou shalt not live in the present. Failing to look either through the windshield or in the rear-view mirror is a shortcut to madness. Fixing today does not necessarily fix tomorrow; ignoring yesterday can obscure the solution needed today.

12. Thou shalt live in the present. Don’t forget, with all the looking ahead and looking back over one’s shoulder, that the customer needs the order shipped today, that a status inquiry deserves an answer today, and that an HR issue that is a flesh-eating cancer must be addressed now.

WAIT! ISN’T THIS ONE GIANT CONTRADICTION?

Well, yeah. Welcome to the real world. See, here’s the deal. Success is not about finding the golden ticket that gives magical entry to Willy Wonka’s factory. It is about finding the balance among the competing, yes, contradictory, forces in our work and personal lives. About being analytical enough to sort through the opposing elements, and about being street-smart enough to make good choices—and tough enough to stick with them.

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.