Richard Branson - an Effective Supply Chain Leader

Final Project-You are the Leader

An effective supply chain leader has to have many great characteristics to deal with employees and customers. Richard Branson always says ` If your staff is taken care of they will take care of your customers`. Therefore, five important characteristics that a great supply chain leader are:

 -communication abilities; being able to get the message thru employees and knowing how to talk to customers to keep their business or win them over,

-relationship building; good relationships in the workplace will create a better working environment and as a result staff will be more productive,

 -motivational to others; it is a known fact that motivated staff increases the organizations productivity and competitive advantage,

 -visionary; probably the most important, it`s important to articulate your vision of the future to your staff. There has to have a reason for them to be productive. Doing this right, staff will look at you as a mentor.

-empathy towards others; it helps knowing what others are feeling and how to react to the situation. Staff will be more helpful and productive if they know that you care for them.

If I was to rate myself, on five important supply chain leader characteristics, it would be has follows (1-need great improvement to 5- no improvement needed):

The one thing that I feel needs the most improvement is the Visionary characteristic. I rated myself low on visionary because I was rushed into a leadership role after being at my current organization for only 2 weeks. I had never worked for a school board and the whole company structure/culture was new to me but my manager saw the potential in me.

I see myself in my manager and he has been my mentor. Even though we are not in the same building (I am now at the schools and he is at the head office) we talk on the phone every day and go for lunch when it is possible. He has shown me the purpose of the organization and how our work will impact thousands of students and staff members. Sometimes what we thing are small issues are big issues for someone else. That is why we have to know the environment we are working in.

I have already started my pact to improve my visionary (mentor) characteristic. I have enrolled in the SCMA program. I am currently doing Module 1 and Workshop 1 and will be using what I have learned to better myself. I also make an effect to talk to my mentor (manager) every day. He has been at the organization for 20 years, started as a custodian and now he is management. He understands every aspect of the organization and is full of knowledge.  When we converse, I am like a sponge. I absorb every bit of knowledge that he transmits during our long conversations.

This Thursday after my first day at the Workshop I call my manger and debriefed him in what I learned. He is very impressed with my commitment to better myself. Especially since, my organization will not pay for my courses because I have not been at the organization for more than 3 years.  

On Friday, after the workshop, I went to my manager’s office and we had a great conversation. I told him that I would like to become a mentor and transmit the organizations vision to new staff members. I feel that most new staff members are only there for the pay check and they should be there for more than pay check.  My manager agreed. So, next week I will be training a new employee and if it goes well I will be one of the trainer for our department. It will be a great way the welcome the new staff members and become a mentor to them. Especially since I myself am new to the organization and have been given that responsibility. It will show them that the organization is willing to promote within.