The Pause That Rededicates

The soft drink formerly known as Coca-Cola used to promote itself as the pause that refreshes. It might have been even more refreshing in the original formulation, but that's a story for another day.

We all have an opportunity to pause for reflection and redirection at the commencement of each New Year. Disclosure: My mind was elsewhere at the time (as usual) come 1 January. To my great relief, we got another shot at it with the Chinese New Year.

Given that event, which is ultimately about more than lots of food and firecrackers, and the sad passing of Don Schneider, I began to reflect on the state of leadership in the supply chain universe. I suppose that similar observations might be made at almost any juncture, but it does seem that we, in the collective, are witnessing the passing of our "greatest generation" (to borrow from Tom Brokaw).

The innovators, visionaries, rule-breakers, pioneers, and rebels who departed from the conventional wisdom and time-tested practices to create a strategic profession out of a collection of tactical jobs are leaving us.

As this generation of leaders and mentors fades, what will we do to recognize and honor its superstars? How can we best build from the foundation that they have laid? For openers, we can refuse to accept the supply chain world as it is today as the finally evolved state of the profession. We can - and should - continue building and innovating. And, when it comes our time to leave, challenge the next generation to keep on re-inventing our world.

What we can't afford to become is a collection of functional managers and doers (not to be confused with Dewar's) who seek ways to cope with and manage the continuous change that defines our business lives. We owe it to those who came before, and those yet to come, to be seekers of change, embracers of change, creators of change, and leaders of change.

It is not possible to see the direction to the future when the chosen survival tactic is keeping one's head down.