Five Pounds of Magic Looking For A Two-Pound Bag Of Tricks

Oh, boy!  Mijn vrouw and I were recently tasked (and still are) with 24/7 care of three grandsons (ages 15, 5, and 3) whilst Mama and Papa scout greater Amsterdam for reasonably-priced housing.  The 15-year old is easy, with much the same schedule as our little dog - copious feeding and sixteen hours of sleep daily.  The younger two redefine "high motor" and operate at a constant 140 decibels.

While self-medicating at the close of another seemingly endless day, we concluded that the 65-70 year age difference constitutes more than a generation gap.  We have one more day left in us, but two days, barring flight delays, to get to the finish line.

Where we went wrong was in over-estimating our combined capacity for punishment.  We just did not know our limitations.  The same thing happens entirely too often in the supply chain world. 

We believe that we can, with enough bodies to throw at the challenge, do anything.  We imagine that no project is beyond what we can logic our way through.  The truth is that every adventure in supply chain systems, technology, transformation, relationships, off-shoring/outsourcing - whatever - deserves, even demands, a clear-eyed assessment of internal capabilities and capacities.

There are pitfalls and needless fabulous expense involved in knee-jerk hand-offs and hand-overs to armies of consultants for every project that comes down the pike.  But, there is nothing wrong, and a lot right, with knowing when to enlist expertise, talent, and/or resources from outside to elevate prospects for success.

The key is to do the analysis and make the decision, one way or another, before your confidence writes a check that your intrinsic talents cannot cash.

There is, btw, no affordable housing in Amsterdam,  but duty and a new job call.