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Archives for December 2017

The Quiet Man

By Art van Bodegraven | 12/08/2017 | 8:31 AM

Please enjoy the thoughts and musings of our friend, supporter, and long-time contributor Art van Bodegraven Jr., who passed away on June 18, 2017. Art was a prolific writer and had amassed a collection of unpublished blog posts he had planned to run well into the future. To honor his memory, we will continue to post these remaining blogs as he had intended. If you’ve been a fan of The Art of Art blog, check out our tribute.

 

A great John Wayne film, The Quiet Man,  puts the legendary cowboy in another place and time, in which this obvious leader commands respect without bombast or haranguing.  Wayne is a boxer who has accidentally killed an oppponent in the ring.  He runs afoul of a local villain, who covets his land.  There is, btw, a happy ending with love and flowers.  Today's thinking focuses on what happens when a leader is an introvert, an introspective doormat who risks losing the trust and confidence of colleagues.

Actually, an Industry Week's guest columnist tries vainly to answer the question no one asked, "Which are better leaders, introverts or extroverts?"  In short, the extrovert's focus on his or her own agenda, and talking too much while not listening, damages communications and creates leadership shortfalls.  No mention being judged as a blowhard or know-it-all or a bully.

The introvert doesn't talk enough, and can be perceived as a spineless weakling.  These communications are also damaged, and inhibit respect and acceptance of new ideas.

The suggestion is that it is easier for the introvert to change its spots, than it is for the extrovert to give up control and command.  Get real!  Neither can succeed until and unless they both understand that change is imperative.

And, neither's attributes are those of a leader.

But, they're only two - and there are dozens, all needing to be mastered on the path to genuine authentic leadership.

Whether it is better, or easier, for the introvert to do a couple of key things is immaterial.  The recommendations are: 1) Listen more; you don't need to have the answers before the question is asked; and 2) Ask questions; listening will draw out better questions and eleicit better responses.  

Then, you can begin to think about meaning, more questions, and hypotheses that are beginning of answers.

 

Dead Ends And Live Action

By Art van Bodegraven | 12/06/2017 | 12:17 PM

Please enjoy the thoughts and musings of our friend, supporter, and long-time contributor Art van Bodegraven Jr., who passed away on June 18, 2017. Art was a prolific writer and had amassed a collection of unpublished blog posts he had planned to run well into the future. To honor his memory, we will continue to post these remaining blogs as he had intended. If you’ve been a fan of The Art of Art blog, check out our tribute.

 

La Diva continues to amaze her doting grandparents with her combination of realistic maturity and thoughtful career and life-planning.  She has just about had it up to here with teachers who display little passion for creating learners and none whatever for talent.

Her nemeses?  One-time wanna-bes who settle for teaching, who end up directing a choir, or band, or school play.

You see, her passion lies in teaching.  She was born to create an army of life-long learners, to impart a love of music, of drama, of comedy.  Her long-term objctive is to take a troupe of talented young people, transform their appreciation of the fine arts, and develop their skills - as a group - into a company that can do anything on stage.  She'll pursue with the fire of a thousand demons her Broadway ambitions, but she has no desire to be on stage at the advanced age of, say, 50, chasing roles and call-backs.

There are degree programs that support such aspirations, but, while following this  dream, she wants a broader education.  The reasoning?  "If I'm going to be passionate about issues in the realm of emotions and social; conditions, I need to understand the history and context of relationships and struggles."

Well said, My Diva.  We can all learn from your example.  And, your prescient wisdom is especially true in the SCM universe.  We have more to learn, and put into context, than most.

A Radical Leftist Concept: A Workforce In Which Workers Actually Work

By Art van Bodegraven | 12/03/2017 | 12:05 PM

Please enjoy the thoughts and musings of our friend, supporter, and long-time contributor Art van Bodegraven Jr., who passed away on June 18, 2017. Art was a prolific writer and had amassed a collection of unpublished blog posts he had planned to run well into the future. To honor his memory, we will continue to post these remaining blogs as he had intended. If you’ve been a fan of The Art of Art blog, check out our tribute.

 

Dude, Where's My Disability Check?

The manifold aspects of intersecting universes keep changing, in both the general and the specific.  Some observers, who seem to be enveloped in a personal cloud that surrounds and moves with them, decry the collapse of traditional values, shudder at the emergence of new tools and solutions, and worry about what will happen when to the off-shored/outsourced jobs (remnants of a previous generation's technology, understanding of the world around them, and entitlement expectations) that informed Norman Rockwell's worldview wind up not even close to coming back to the US.

This persistent attack of a sort of virtual dengue fever afflicts general business, and is specifically  and especially crippling in supply chain management.

Now, with the annual orgy of giving and receiving, and sincere hopes and prayers for peace upon all the earth, poised to pounce and dilute our necessary reliable performance, we face the spectre of the highly employed unemployed.  In short, Christmas is coming, and not all the jobless will be suffering.  Yes, even though we're imagining tending Spring flora, Christmas will come 'round again, as it does every year.

Are These Weeds Or Flowers?

We've been tending a sort of random workforce garden for several decades, now, the emergence and growth of the so-called "contingent workforce".  Every new study shows this gaggle of non-conformists to be growing, and even approaching dominance.  How have we reached this state?  And, is it a bad thing?

Maybe not.  Direct Recruiters' Tom Clark projects that half the US workforce will be contingent in just a couple of years.  That, to me, means that "get ready" time is already in the rear-view mirror.  And, "get ready" is inclusive, demanding affinity for and appreciation of new generations, and inextricably linking processes and technology that don't even exist today, and certainly not yesterday.

The so-called "gig" economy is a boon to enterprises trying valiantly to manage variable costs, and - surprise! - a mental health positive for new workers who relish freedom, flexibility, and variety.  Not so much for the eperienced (i.e., older) worker, who doesn't have the skills and experiences that employers will pay for (while the next generation is up to speed, and requires little to no additional training).  A win-win-win scenario, except for those who can't win for losing, for reasons of age, inflexibility, skewed expectations, lack of exposure and necessary training, and reluctance to both change and continuously learn.

A Swelling Wave

There are many paths to the seeding and planting of "contingent" workers.  In the Armed Forces, for example, periodic cutbacks and sequesters lead to the military not doing non-military tasks.  In consequence, civilians, retirees, and friends and family are now on the "contractor" payroll.  Hundreds of thousands of them.

A similar phenomenon perniciously infects major corporations.  Out of touch shareholders, distant analysts, and grasping CFOs absolutely love the notion that mega-corp is scaling back, and sloughing off excess staff like so much dead skin.  Mere days later, a boss somewhere is roused from a sour mash-induced coma to learn that critical skills and institutional knowledge (and key relationships) have been put out on the street.  So, vast armies of "contractors," many just furloughed, are hired (sans  benefits) to do the jobs they just left.  Again, hundreds of thousands.

But, there is not always room for the displaced, and many are reduced (or thrilled) to give a go at setting up a small business, which just might encourage the diversion of income into untraceable cash.  Tree trimming, cabinetry, florist, handyman, masseur, baker - the possibilities are nearly endless.  

Many even attempt to become consultants, not realizing that thirty years of marching in place is not the same thing as generating change and creating order out of chaos - and allowing client to adore the process and its results.  High risk, iffy reward, and more hundreds of thousands who are now contingent.

Kurt Vonnegut Jr. summed it all up - "And so it goes".

Issues And Opportunities

We, at day's end, find ourselves renting (not owning) a large and talented workforce.  We can cut and trim as demand dictates, and we can shoot the lame, who might be holding us back.

But, it's a tricky business.  Even with a new administration in DC, bureaucrats are still lurking in dark shadows and darker alleyways, looking for things to regulate.  And, we can be sophomorically de-pantsed if we get the rules governing employees and contractors wrong.

Danger!  Leading and managing the dominating (or even just emergent) contingent resource base will be, if done as much as half right, much more demanding of committed executives.  Done less than half right, one might just do more harm than good, the triumph of unfulfilled and over-hyped expectations over demonstrable and sustainable progress.

The benefits thing is tougher - for the  "contingent" cohort.  No IRA, no paid vacation, no sick days, little to no health care insurance.

So, the "contingent"  gang is responsible for its own Christmas.  No $50 gold piece from the corporate patriarch, no turkey at holidays, no party for employees' children.  Bring your own stocking to hang by the mantel, and you decide whether you've earned a lump of coal or a gift of fruit in that stocking.

But, seriously, folks, as the contingent option evolves, as technology turns processes on their heads, and as a new generation gains traction while gathering steam, the fundamental nature of work and workers will continue to change.  There will be fewer jobs and more career paths; work will be accomplished in multi-skilled, multi-functional teams, projects will overtake job titles as focused identifiers within organizations.  It's not a matter of values and tradition; deviation is not a sign of the apocalypse.  And, patience will wear thin for the reminiscing that opens up with "When I was a . . ." 

As Time Goes By . . .

Someone, somewhere, in a contingent worker universe is roaring out a "Ho, ho, ho!"  Some days it's the boss; some days it's you.  Whichever, the Ghost of Christmas Future is about to snatch the baton from Christmas Present.

Be ready; be flexible, be resilient,  and drink the good stuff - life's too short to cut corners on things that really count.  As an "at-the-pleasure of" worker, your throughput has to be high-quality, pass volume expectations, and be adaptable to change(s).  

There's no guarantee your contract will be renewed - by a company, by a spouse, or by Santa Klaus.

Amazon Amazes - Again

By Art van Bodegraven | 12/01/2017 | 1:49 PM

Please enjoy the thoughts and musings of our friend, supporter, and long-time contributor Art van Bodegraven Jr., who passed away on June 18, 2017. Art was a prolific writer and had amassed a collection of unpublished blog posts he had planned to run well into the future. To honor his memory, we will continue to post these remaining blogs as he had intended. If you’ve been a fan of The Art of Art blog, check out our tribute.

 

Even though some industry observers believe that Amazon is a flash in the pan, and not a sustainable change-maker, Jeff Bezos' love child continues to give fits to the traditional centers of excellence.  In short, Walmart, UPS, and others are fighting - and losing - the battle of Amazon's usurpation of innovation and takeover of the supply chain, from A to Z.

It began, no doubt, with the Kiva acquisition, which revolutionized (and slashed the cost of) pick/pack performance in DCs by bring goods to processors, rather than walking processors to the goods.

The acquisition has been followed by challenging objectives (not pipe dreams) involving drones, blimps, heavenly DCs in the sky, and pre-stocked DCs, with transcient demand-driven content.

Amazon has continued to create demanding consumer expectations, for those willing to pay a little extra for 1 or 2-day gratification ar more for instant (2-hour) gratification.  The parcel carriers have been, of course, thrilled to fill their trucks regularly with consumers' delights and desires.

Comes now the fly in the soup, the doggie doo on their shoe. Bezos and his friends are not taking their collective foot off the pedal.  Despite protestations to the contrary, Amazon is positioned to be its own parcel carrier - from licensure to fleet ownership.

Think about it, bubbie.  Amazon is ready to go to war with Fedex and UPS.  Does Walmart stand a chance, or will they be killed in the struggle?

This war is about way more than price or obvious cost.

The opinions expressed herein are those solely of the participants, and do not necessarily represent the views of Agile Business Media, LLC., its properties or its employees.

About Art van Bodegraven

Art van Bodegraven

Art van Bodegraven (1939 - 2017) was Managing Principal of the van Bodegraven Associates consultancy and Founding Principal of Discovery Executive Services, which develops and delivers supply chain educational programs. He was formerly Chair of the Supply Chain Group AG, Partner at The Progress Group LLC, Development Executive at CSCMP, Practice Leader with S4 Consulting, and a Managing Director in Coopers & Lybrand's consulting practice. Concentrating in supply chain management and logistics for over 20 years in his 50+ year business career, he has led ground-breaking strategic, operational, and educational projects for leading US and global clients. Art was principal co-author of DC Velocity's Basic Training monthly column for a decade, and was the principal co-author, with Ken Ackerman, of Fundamentals of Supply Chain Management, the definitive primer in the field. His popular blog, The Art of Art, has been a staple of DC Velocity's web site since its inception.



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