Purchasing.com has an excellent article on ex patriot life and considerations for taking an international assignment. This was always something I wanted to do but timing, children and life always seemed to get in the way. If you have the opportunity, take it and give yourself and your family a view of the world that puts American life in perspective. Check it out here.
Eric
Add Freightdawg.com to your social bookmarks!
It's great when two people you know personally receive well earned industry recognition for career leadership and personal commitment. Such is the case with Mike Regan, CEO of Tranzact Technologies and Al Burba, VP of Field Sales for DHL Express.
NASSTRAC recognized both at their annual Logistics Conference and Exhibition in Orlando on April 29th. Regan was recognized as "Regular Member of the Year" while Al Burba was recognized as "Associate Member of the Year".
I serve with Mike Regan on the Board of Directors of the American Society of Transportation & Logistics and know him to be a visionary leader and substantive influence on the direction and strategic value of supply chain and logistics.
Al Burba is a great friend and colleague of mine at DHL and a superior talent for our company. Al's energy and customer care are well known. He teaches his troops by example and has built a reputation for quality in every part of the business he has touched. Al was a major influencer on the NASSTRAC carrier advisory council for the previous two years.
These are good guys getting well earned recognition. Congratulations Mike and Al!
|
Add Freightdawg.com to your social bookmarks!
This is a "Best of Freightdawg.com" article that was published in June, 2007. Since Freightdawg.com has grown considerably since then, I republish the article to a larger audience.
Last year, the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai surveyed almost 300 U.S.-based companies with operations in China and found that the No. 1 business challenge in China was attracting and retaining talented white collar managers.
As China's economy matures, it is shifting from a manufacturing economy to a more service based economy. This is a natural evolution as money moves into the pockets of consumers as a result of China's economic success. Service based businesses increase the demand for skilled, white collar employees with professional management and business talent. The problem is there are just not enough local Chinese with the skills to suit the burgeoning market.
Shaun Rein is the Founder and Managing Director of China Market Research Group, based in Shanghai. Recently he published an excellent article on "How Multi-Nationals Err in China". The article highlights three main reasons why multi-national firms have such difficulty in finding, attracting and keeping local talent.
Two Tiered Pay Systems with Little Opportunity for Advancement.
There is a perception that a glass ceiling exists for local Chinese staff - Western companies often import senior managers from the head office or from Hong Kong or Taiwan to run their operations in China. Many times these people have only limited experience in local customs or market knowledge. This is very frustrating to talented Chinese employees who think that opportunities should be afforded to them to run the business. This is seen as a major cause of job hopping, as Chinese employees see little opportunity for advancement in these businesses.
Imported foreign managers often make considerably more money than local Chinese managers. As a result an imbalanced system of payment exists that many local managers feel is unfair. The best Chinese managers therefore often prefer to work for Chinese firms where they feel this kind of two-tier system doesn't exist. Why work for Google when you can work for Baidu.com?
Chinese Baby Boomers Want a Balanced Life
Younger Chinese workers have experienced three decades of Chinese economic explosion. As a result they want many of the same trappings of a comfortable life that those in the West enjoy. These include more free time, more disposable income and the ability to enjoy both. Quality of life is more important to younger Chinese employees than just a quest for money itself. These Chinese Urban Professionals, or "Chuppies" want the same things young western people do. They know brands, they know fashion, but want it on their terms. That will be a difficult transition for business and Government in China going forward. It is not about "all work and no play".
Education / Training Opportunities
China's educational system is largely based on rote memorization. Chinese employees want and need more advanced education that prepares them for the dynamic pace of business. Younger Chinese employees value education and training. They see it as a link to better pay and quality of life. Firms that can offer educational opportunities are likely to be able to attract better candidates and keep the talent they invest in. Especially prized are overseas assignments for Chinese managers or trainees. American hotel chains such as Ritz-Carlton, Marriott and Starwoods excel at this.
Chinese HR Professionals: Pure Gold.
In a previous article, I highlighted that in addition to savvy business managers, it is critical that multi-national firms hire and retain skilled Chinese HR managers. These are among the most highly prized of all available Chinese business professionals because they understand the local market and can advise multi-national management teams on what it takes to satisfy and retain local talent. Chinese HR professionals often command as much as a 20 percent premium in salary above other Chinese management professionals according to Korn/Ferry due to their rarity.
Eric
Add Freightdawg.com to your social bookmarks!
Next week, the World Economic Forum will be meeting in Switzerland for the 2008 summit. The theme this year is "The Power of Collaborative Innovation".This message has to do with how well we work together as well as how well we innovate.
There will be more coverage on the WEF in Davos in the coming days.
The video below showcases the issues that will be covered in Davos. This will be the first of a few from the Davos Switzerland WEF meetings.
Add Freightdawg.com to your social bookmarks!
Winners Expect to Win.
I blog about a lot of stuff within the logistics and supply chain space. There are also a few topics that don't seem to be directly attached to my chosen field. I blog about airlines because I love airplanes and my first internship job was with an airline. I blog (sometimes) about character and leadership because I believe in it. More importantly, I think this is an area where I will be a student for my entire life.
I look at the Boston Red Sox and the NFL's New England Patriots and I see two teams of players who expect victory but work at the process. They know how to win because they've done it. That leads to an air of expectation. Also let me say I live in Atlanta, so there is no special attraction to Boston. I just know a winner when I see one!
This is what I know so far.
The secret to being a champion is knowing that the most fun part of the baseball game is when its 3 balls-2 strikes-2 outs..9th inning...last at bat...game 7 of the world series and the winning run is on second base. It is the most defined high pressure point in all of sport. It is also the most mentally played through event by 9 year old boys playing little league baseball there is. Virtually every child imagines hitting the winning run. Running, jumping, smiling, yelling...winning. What's interesting is that no little kid imagines himself popping out to shallow left field. What the kid gets intuitively is that only ONE PERSON gets to be in that special position. Only one gets the opportunity to be the hero.
Then there is "Reality"
Somehow, most of us get the idea that because we are grown ups...we can't imagine victory. Especially we can't pretend or "play" victory. Not So! Did you know that the best pro sports players imagine themselves catching the winning touchdown or hitting the winning run? Did you know that the US Navy flight demonstration team, the Blue Angels and the USAF Thunderbirds literally imagine (as a group!) their airshow? They do this before every single performance. Not many adults want to be the hero. They are too busy imagining failure. Imagining victory is the key to getting it. Pretending Victory is like rehearsing a musical performance. You imagine and you train your mind. How many guys rehearsed the first call to the girl you eventually married? How many sales people rehearsed their presentation in the car on the way to the big pitch? You may still lose, but you won't win if you don't play.
Laws of Attraction
Are popular today as a subject relating to expecting to be successful. My personal belief is that if you work hard and practice hard, you have a right to expect victory. You should imagine it, taste it, expect it. Regardless of outcome, you not only have a RIGHT to fight the fight, but you also have a right to EXPECT to win.
Most people don't work hard. Not really. There are TONS of people who give lip service to whatever sounds PC at the office. I am convinced that if you work hard first, know your material, and rehearse your presentation, you have every right to expect to win.
Two other things also help though... and aggressive pricing department and a good relationship with God.
Eric
Add Freightdawg.com to your social bookmarks!
There are some great studies around lately. The other day I posted an article reviewing Logistics Management Magazines excellent logistics salary survey. In that article I asked some questions about what career paths logistics professionals were taking, and what the demographics were for logistics execs.
Today over at Supply and Demand Chain Executive, they had an excellent profile of the "typical Chief Procurement Officer" for Fortune 500 firms based on a recent study by CAPS Research. While procurement is a wider field than just transportation and logistics, I thought it interesting to look at the compensation and responsibility of this broad executive role.
The influence of CPO's on buying methods across a business is likely to impact how logistics and transportation services are bought. Carriers often fear this kind of strategy will be a "price only" consideration (despite declarations otherwise!!) especially if the CPO has a background where auctions are used for broad based procurement.
CAPS' study shows some basics: the CPO is predominantly a middle aged, white guy. (want to test this theory? Go to Google and do a search of "Chief Procurement Officer" then looked at "Images".) He makes an average of $366,000 bucks a year according to the CAPS Research Study.
That number in a Fortune 500 company, at the "C level" is low middle ground compared to say, a Chief Marketing Officer or Sales EVP, whose compensation can go from $750,000 to a million or higher at a Fortune 500 firm. Typically the CPO has been at his firm for around 6 years and has responsibility for all purchasing and an annual spend of as much as 3.5 billion dollars!
Whats interesting is that the CPO position is also the career apex for the executive who holds the post. It's not normally a post that leads to the CEO job. Most CPO's either attained the job after retirement of a predecessor or were the first to hold the position.
Download the complete CAPS Research study here. (Caps registration required).
Eric
Add Freightdawg.com to your social bookmarks!
Guy Kawasaki is a venture capitalist and is very famous for his blog. blog.guykawasaki.com. Guys blog contains great stuff! I had it blog rolled for awhile, then after a couple of emails with Guy himself, decided that I shouldn't blog roll Guy Kawasaki for the simple reason that his world (VC finance) and mine (supply chain and logistics) are not the same. He knows little of my world since he doesn't finance in my industry. I know relatively little about his. Dat's cool.
"Respekt.. in the words of Ali G."
I got interested again in Guys site today. He has a post up called the "The Nine Biggest Myths of the Workplace by Penelope Trunk" These are excerpted from Trunk's book called "Brazen Careerist: The New Rules For Success". This is a book that attempts to debunk some business thoughts and practices that Penelope thinks are overrated. My assumption is that Guy Kawasaki agrees with Penelope Trunks missive. That's nice internet validation...but I'm going to "pull a Shrek"...and say "hang on a minute". I think there's more to this than what Penelope Trunk wrote. I agree with some of her listed myths, and some I don't.
Here are Ms. Trunk's listed myths...(followed by my commentary)
You’ll be happier if you have a job you like - Certainly it's true. If you like what you do you are likely to be more creative in what you contribute above and beyond what your pointy haired Dilbert boss says you have to do. Penelope says its all about optimism and personal relationships more than happiness, but if I am optimistic and love my job, I'm going to be happy and even better, I am going to be innovative.
Job-hopping will hurt you - Penelope says it won't hurt. Much depends on the HR person who receives your resume. I'm 45 years old. I've spent a number of years at most of my employers, followed by experience after 2000 in which I've spent a very healthy 2+ years at a few places. I gained major experience at each. Nevertheless, I'm sensitive about the appearance in my resume that perhaps there may have been job hopping. In todays market, changing jobs does not hurt if you can clearly show a trend in experience gained and value driven for each of your employers. You need to be able to articulate the value both in your resume and in person.
The glass ceiling still exists. - HECK YES. It still does. I look at the management boards of many of the companies I have worked for and frankly if you were a six foot plus tall white guy...you had a shot. This isn't just a male/female/white/black deal. This is a body type deal as well. This was especially true in ocean liner shipping even up through the 1990's. Tall, White and Male were the only keys to the executive washroom.
Office politics is about backstabbing - Yes. Is that news? Machiavelli wrote books? Penelope says office politics is about being nice and helping people get what they want. I'm wary of anybody who is too political. Generally speaking I like Penelope's ideas, but there are still plenty of people who smile with their mouths but not with their eyes...beware.
Do good work, and you’ll do fine.- Ahem. Do good work producing new revenue. Then you will be fine. This is especially true in VC backed enterprises. Penelope says be nice and self-promote. I say earn the company some money first...then promote. Depending on your role, saving the company money is as valuable as new money. It all goes to the bottom line.
You need a good resume. - The blog is the new resume. Anybody who wants to be a thought leader better start leading on-line. Having said that you still need a great paper resume. However thats just a ticket to the show. The recruiter you deal with, and most hiring authorities, are going to go on-line just to see what else they can see. Look up your name on google. I bet you'll find quite a lot of stuff! What you find on-line will impact an interviewers perception of you from an experience and a character viewpoint. A blog is an opportunity to demonstrate those qualities on your terms. Please make SURE any facebook or MySpace accounts don't depict anything you wouldn't write at the top of your paper resume.
People with good networks are good at networking. - Good networks make good networkers. Virtually everybody who reads this post should go over to LinkedIn Networks and get busy. Let me reiterate that the blog is the new resume.
These days the thought leaders in any industry will be found on-line and in professional social networks.
Work hard and good things will come. Yes. This is true. However in the meantime "do humble works greatly and great works humbly". Dare to take advantage of new technology and every opportunity to communicate your personal vision.
Create the shiny new brand of you! - Blog. Nuff said. This is about personal branding.
Eric
Add Freightdawg.com to your social bookmarks!
Steve Hargreaves at CNNMoney.com wrote an article today on 6 ways to lower gas prices. The points he makes are recapped below. They highlight a number of options that all could work, but given the political dynamics of the US Congress, most won't get more than lip service.
I see the fuel cost and sourcing issue as being the most strategic issue of our time. Face it, if you own it...at some point it moved in a truck. Where DC's are placed, where jobs are created and what industries source from what global locations are all influenced by fuel costs. The global influence of OPEC member states is created by our dependency on foreign oil. Further, with the rise of China and other Asian economies, we are competing for middle eastern oil on an ever increasing basis.
"Its going to take a dynamic leader to get these measures done. Not Congress. The President. To me this is the next "space race" type vision for the United States. The President must create a national vision similar to the way John Kennedy declared that the US would put a man on the moon by the close of the decade of the 60's. Private industry working with government can get this done, but not without a mandate and a visionary leader that can work with industry and bring congress in tow"
Six Ways to lower Gas Prices
1. Pass a Carbon Tax - Hard on the poor and big oil. No chance politically. This is a brute force method that would work, but it would hurt.
2. Make more fuel efficient cars - Congress likes this one because it plays well in public. Automakers hate it. By 2020, automakers are likely going to be forced to produce vehicles that get 35 mpg or better. This one could save the US 3 million barrels of oil a day.
3. Fuel Alternatives - using biofuels to ease demand for gasoline. Congress is said to be pushing a requirement for up to 20 percent use of biofuels such as ethanol by 2020. Ethanol has a way to go before being practical because of the volume of plant matter that would have to be grown and processed to meet US demand. However, I recently wrote an article on use of animal fats rendered from meat and poultry processing that could also supplement ethanol. Tyson Foods and ConocoPhilips are engaged in trials now on this. Imagine if McDonald's and Burger King contributed the fat reserves from their waste?
4 - Make more gas.- Oil companies make more money by controlling fuel availability, thus driving prices up. Exxon Mobil is the most profitable company in the world. There is a reason why. This idea mandates creation of more refineries and requires certain production levels to keep supplies plentiful. Good luck with this one. Big Oil will fight it. Environmentalists will fight it. Nevertheless, some new refineries are a good idea. The last refineries built in the US were constructed over 30 years ago. Katrina took out her fair share of those.
5 - Build a gasoline reserve. - The government maintains a 700 million gallon strategic oil reserve. However there is no gasoline reserve. Gasoline is a refined product derivative of oil. So if the government releases oil from the strategic reserve, as it did from the Hurricane Katrina disaster, the oil still has to be refined before it can be distributed and sold as gasoline. The problem of not enough refineries means a bottleneck is created in the refining process. We need to do this one.
6 - Drill for more oil - The US has oil reserves. Both off the US east and west coasts as well as in pristine parts of Alaska. At some point we will have to tap those. Anybody who has been to the beach in Southern California has seen the oil platforms just off shore from San Diego to north of LA. This one wont be popular especially with environmentalists for all the usual reasons. Some of this is probably going to have to happen anyway...but it won't be popular.
What do you think? Vote in the poll and leave comments!
Eric
Add Freightdawg.com to your social bookmarks!
Practical ways to be a Good Leader.
Roger Darlington is a citizen and business consultant from the UK, whose web site has run since the late 1990's. His experience on a range of subjects makes it worth reading AND worth repeating here.
"Remember: leadership skills and techniques can be learned. You don't have to be a natural leader. Very few people are."
Know your team. At some point, every day, walk around the office and say "Hi" to everyone who works for you. If you're not in the office that day, call and see how people are.
Meet your team. Regularly - daily, weekly or monthly, depending on your place and type of work - have meetings of all the members of the team. Keep these meetings short, focused and action-orientated.
Train your team. Every team member should have at least two days training a year. Newer and more senior colleagues should have more. If they don't ask to go on training sessions, suggest some suitable courses.
Grow your team. Through varied experience and regular training, you should be developing each team member to be more and more confident and more skilled.
Set objectives for each team member. As far as possible, these objective such be SMART - Specific Measurable Achievable Resourced Timed.
Review the performance of each team member. At least once a year - at least quarterly for the first year of a new team member - have a review session where you assess performance, give feed-back and agree future objectives and training.
Inspire your team. Consider making available a motivational quote or story every week or month [for lots of good quotes click here].
Socialize with your team. Have lunch or an after-work drink with them, especially when a staff member has a birthday or there's another reason to celebrate.
Thank constantly. The words "Thank you" take seconds to say, but mean so much.
Praise constantly. The words "Well done" take seconds to say, but will be long remembered and appreciated.
Communicate constantly. Don't assume that people know what you're doing, still less what you are planning or thinking. Tell them, using all the communication tools to hand: team briefings, electronic newsletters, organizational newspapers.
Eliminate. Too often we do things because they've always been done. Life changes. Consider whether you could stop doing certain things altogether.
Delegate. You don't have to do everything. Develop your team members by training them to do more and trusting them to take over some of the things you've been doing.
Empower. A really effective leader sets clear objectives for his team members, but leaves detailed implementation of these objectives to the discretion and judgment of individual members of the team. As Second World War U.S. General George S. Patton put it: "Don't tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results”.
Facilitate. A confident leader does not try to micro-manage his team, but makes it clear that, if team members need advice or assistance, he is always there to facilitate and support.
Be on time. Always start meetings on time and finish them on time. Natural breaks keep people fresh. Short meetings concentrate the mind.
Be seen. Don't just talk the talk, but walk the walk. So visit each unit or department for which you are responsible on a regular basis. Don't do this unannounced - you are not out to undermine other leaders or catch out staff. So arrange with the unit leader or departmental head when you'll visit and ask him or her to walk round with you.
Make time. Managers are often very busy and this can deter people from approaching you, so make time for people and be approachable. People will appreciate you taking five minutes out of your busy schedule, especially if you act on/listen to what they say.
Really listen. Many of us - especially those who think they are important - don't really listen, but instead think about what they're going to say next. Give the person speaking to you your full attention and really take on board what they are saying. [For more detailed advice on listening click here]
Accept honest criticism. Criticism is hard to take, particularly from a relative, a friend, an acquaintance or a stranger - but it's a powerful tool of learning. Above all, assess criticism on merit, without regard to its originator.
Think strategically. The doers cut a path through the jungle; the managers are behind them sharpening the machetes; the leaders find time to think, climb the nearest tree, and shout "Wrong jungle!" Find time to climb the trees.
Have a mentor, someone doing similar work in the same or a similar organization with whom you can regularly and frankly discuss your progress and your problems as a leader.
Have a role model, someone who can inspire you to be a truly great leader. If you can't find one, study Jed Bartlet as the American President in any episode of the television series "The West Wing".
Constantly revisit and review these tips. In his seminal work, "The Seven Habits Of Highly Effective People", Stephen Covey puts it this way: "Sharpen the saw".
Plan your succession. You won't be there forever and you may not be in control of the timing and circumstances of your departure. So start now to mentor and train at least one colleague who could take over from you. Nelson Mandela did this (with Thabo Mbeki) - so should you.
Eric
Add Freightdawg.com to your social bookmarks!
I recently posed a question to my LinkedIn network requesting opinions on which US universities had the top supply chain and logistics programs. The answers I got weren't suprising. Stanford, University of Tennessee, Michigan State and Penn State featured predominantly. Others such as Georgia Tech, Georgia Southern and Auburn also got good comments. Take the survey to add your own 2 cents!
The article below from Logistics Management Magazine highlights an increasing desire by senior supply chain managers to grow their own internal talent rather than hire newbies straight out of the academic halls.
The University of Michigan has a Master of Supply Chain Management degree that takes seasoned employees from other parts of a business, and combines their manufacturing or engineering backgrounds with an advanced supply chain degree. The thought is that these cross trained employees will bring a faster ROI than younger "supply chain only" employees whose background is only based on university learning.
Whats your opinion? Is it better to cross train from inside than hire new grads? Add your comments below.
|
Add Freightdawg.com to your social bookmarks!
Recent Comments