My ‘Declaration of Love’ for Supply Chain

One of the most frequently asked questions I get from employers is “So tell us Marian, why are you in the Supply Chain space, where do you see this progressing to?”

I’ve had quite a few interviews recently, at organisations with household names, as I search for my new challenge. And I thought, now is the perfect time to share my love and passion for Supply Chain.

The sheer complexity and interconnectedness of Supply Chains across multiple tiers and functions have always fascinated me. Connecting dots, thoughts, and being a mediator working with diverse teams towards a common objective and getting results done collaboratively has always been a joy. Bringing products to life. Seeing the product’s journey an end-to-end lifecycle, from product creation to the place of consumption, and knowing that you’ve played a key role in the process fills my heart with great satisfaction. Then seeing the product out in the wild adding value to many peoples lives — knowing you were part of that journey, that personal story that connects people from all walks of life. Being able to transform input materials into finished products and distribute it in a way that meets customer’s needs or improves user’s experience, has always been motivational to me.

As one of the backbone functions in any organization, deeply rooted within commercial processes and interlinking all other business-related activities, while adding significant value to the bottom line, is quite profound — from a business sense. I especially love its fast-paced and constantly changing global environment which requires one to constantly adjust and always keep in touch with new developments, in the global arena Supply Chain usually plays, the arena which calls for innovative thinking and agility in response to threats and/or opportunities.

The impact Supply Chain has on organizations in driving results and its significant contribution towards a more sustainable and environmentally friendly world is just mind blowing.

I haven’t seen many functions like Supply Chain, where continuous improvement and process optimization are part of the day to day operations, and the ability to solve problems in the usually very complex global supply market environment is the normal standard. I really find tackling this immense challenge so fulfilling.

Supply Chain is one of the few functions that has seen tremendous change over the last couple of years. For example, a steady increase in the adoption of Technological tools has dramatically improved collaboration, systems coordination and end-to-end process visibility across supply networks.

In essence, you could say I am most passionate about driving change, moving into unfamiliar territories, engaging, collaborating and guiding individuals, teams and organizations, on the journey towards mutual success.

The continually changing and evolving Supply Chain environment provide individuals and organizations alike, with the opportunity for progress and sustainable growth. Provided one is receptive to change and therefore ready and willing to keep improving to remain relevant and competitive.

I have, along the way, picked up another passion — leadership. I have discovered through my own experiences over the years, my personal compassionate leadership style. Compassionate leadership, I’ve found, enables an environment where the Supply Chain can thrive. At the very core of this leadership style are important traits such as trust and empowerment.

With my career, I have pursued an ambitious path in Supply Chain Management and through this commitment, I feel I now need to embody something much stronger than I have ever demonstrated.

I believe that now we are on the cusp of change. That Supply Chain is in desperate need of an innovative management shift and that change will come from those that embody Compassionate Leadership and collaboration. This management style has the power to imbue teams with the most human of needs: trust, empowerment, and guidance. This leadership style if urgently needed in the world, but most specifically for Supply Chain, given the interlinked nature of Supply Chain processes which require collaboration between diverse, individuals, teams and groups along the supply network.

Compassionate leadership empowers teams, make employees feel as though they are included, listened to, and appreciated. Through being empathetic employees gain a sense self-value that motivate them to give their utmost best work.

I look to the future with confidence.