We are talking about managing your supply chain team and with me this week giving us some tips, we have Alma Arzate.
For those of you who don’t know, Alma’s had a fantastic career in supply chain by no means over yet. She have been in electronics, automotive, you know, pharmaceutical and now a director in supply chain and pharmaceutical.
Watch the video below as she shares her experience in managing a supply chain team.
Supply Chain Management Roles Tips
Rob: So I know one of the things you’re really passionate about is you know, managing your team and developing people. And may be people are watching this video who are… maybe they’ve just stepped up to management roles in supply chain or they’ve been at it a while. What are some of the tips that you could share about motivating people and supporting people?
Alma: Yeah! No, no, you hit it right in the head because you know, for many years, Rob, I’ve been focusing my time and the energy to lift other people at work and also externally, not just at work. But I have mentees that are actually working at other companies. So I’ve been a people leader for more than 15 years. So in supplies, 25 people leader for more than 15 years. So I have had recruited, manage the performance of and retain talent for many organizations in Mexico and US and Canada. So I have managed teams of like 3 people you know all the way to managing teams of over 160 professionals.
So my team, my current team, let’s talk a little bit about them. Because I have to give them props, they comprise of many different backgrounds and pretty much all the generations are represented. So I have managers reporting to me that finished UNI a few years ago while others are getting close to retirement. So how do I manage these many generations? How do I manage you know, these very diverse team where coming from different cultures, etc.
Situational Leadership Model
Alma: So I’m a big fan of the situational leadership model. And I’m pretty sure proud being around supply chain for so long, you have heard about it. So using the situational leadership model and it was, this is not new concepts, it was actually developed originally in 1969. So it has been around for a while, but like using this model means that I try to meet people where they are, you know. Then support them according to their performance readiness level in regards of their ability, their willingness to manage a task, a function objective. So it basically recognizes that there is not one-size-fits-all approach and the part I like the most as a leader is that it allows me as a leader to adapt our behaviors and provide direction to match the uniqueness of each situation and each individual.
So for example, you know, if I have a very high like a high potential individual that was an expert on the prior role, but I’m actually promoting that person 2 levels up in a role that he had never had before. Then I need to spend more time with that person, right? Like we need to be available. We need to be accessible. I need to be a little more directive than I want to be just because that person is learning. It doesn’t matter that that person was very capable in the prior role. This is a new role, this is a new challenge. It’s 2 levels up. I have to be closer to that individual and then, you know, have that person goes into that whole development curve and readiness curve. Then you start taking a step back. You know, a step back. But if our audience here on this episodes doesn’t know about the situational leadership model. Please visit… they don’t pay me for this okay. So situational.com that’s basically their website. So you wanna learn a little bit more about that model.
Ways to Develop People
Alma: Of course, there’s many ways to develop people, right? We already talked about like, we’re going to talk about, like coaching, the mentoring, the training, all the job assignments, right? This one might be like a bit of a common sense, Rob but sometimes it’s like, you know, common sense is or underrated. So I clearly ask my team to share their perspectives, right? So like I set up an expectation of openness, transparency, continuous improvement, right? I reward them for bringing forward their ideas, their creative ideas but I also reward them for implementing those ideas. So I like to create an environment where everyone feels they can offer constructive and candid feedback. It doesn’t matter like I, you know, we just went through our performance review cycle. I asked my team members to report to me what feedback do you have for me, right? What should I do more or less of, stop doing, start doing, continue to do right. It’s important for me as a manager to be in tune with what they need from me. And they’re saying no, I mean, like you’re super available. I don’t know how you do it. You’re always very busy. But if I tap to you on teams, if I text you, if I send you an e-mail you’ll respond right away. That’s important to them, right? So as a manager you need to make sure that you’re meeting the mark. Makes sense?
Rob: Yeah, yeah, that’s great. I love your perspective on these things.
Addressing Hiring Challenges
Rob: You know, I was just having a thought in the back of my mind that sometimes it’s not smooth, you know and sometimes it’s our fault. Maybe we’ve made a poor hiring decision and sometimes you have somebody in the team who’s maybe impacting the harmony of the team. Maybe not pulling their weight. Really not kind of working out in the team. How do you address that? I mean, there’s the brutal approach which says, you know, higher slow take care hiring people. But if it’s not working out fire fast. I always see if you’re having to let someone go. I see that as a personal failure and that we haven’t hired right. We haven’t managed them right, but what’s your view on that? If you have someone who’s just not working out?
Alma: Well, you need to ask yourself, is a person not working out because that person is not in the right place to flourish. You know that person that’s like, you know, those skills that he or she bring brought to the table because you hire that person for a reason. You saw something in that person that you said “this person is going to be a good fit for my team, a good feed in this company”. So not all is lost.
I have had people that I have to potentially move around. And say okay, why don’t we give this person an opportunity here? I think it might be a better use of that person’s skills. And you know what? It has worked out. Not every time, but it does work. It does work out from time to time.
Now, there might be some other possibilities there where you know, that person is really to your point of pulling their weight. And it happened to me with someone on the floor and what I had to do unfortunately, is to your point, I cannot allow you know someone that is bringing the performance of the team down to continue because number one, it looks like… the people are talking. It’s like management is not just effective, they don’t care about us. We need to stretch more, you know to do the work of this individual that is not carrying the load. So we have to make tough decisions right from time to time, but I rather honestly, I rather give the person the opportunity. And you know, maybe performance improvement plan, maybe moving to a different role, maybe something simple not even aware you know that they’re being perceived that way.
I remember, this was a case of a close friend of mine where I had to intervene. I had to intervene. I really like her. She was not reporting to me, but I know in the management meetings she was being talked about as being resistant to change. And I raised my hand and I said “can I talk to her?” You know, I have a good relationship with her. I’ve had my doubts that this manager was like the male manager that she was reporting to wasn’t really being brutally honest with her. So I have to raise a hand and said “can I just… please before you do anything, can I just talk to her?”
And when I did Rob, she was completely surprised. She’s like Alma, I can assure you, no one had ever said what you just said to me. I feel bad because you know, she was really emotional about.
But you know what? She was on fire. Yeah, she was like, “if this is what they think of me, I’m gonna show him wrong”. You know, this is not what I’m about. And she did a complete 180 on their eyes. Even as a leader to be honest, sometimes you have to step in and help out other people that might be struggling.
Rob: Yeah! And I think that’s something that you learn as you get into management and leadership that you know the day-to-day stuff is the easy stuff. It’s these difficult conversations that really…
Alma: Right!
Rob: I think the standout leaders are really good at those you know and saying “look this role is not really working out. You know, let’s try something else”. You know it’s that’s supportive, but strong leadership and not just letting people go, having you know, trying different options and stuff. So yeah, I think that’s a great perspective.
Watch the full video to learn how to amplify your voice as a leader.
Related articles on this topic have appeared throughout our website, check them out:
- Women in Supply Chain – Imposter Syndrome – with Alma Arzate
- Top Tips For A Successful Supply Chain Career with Alma Arzate
- Supply Chain Coaching – What is it and Why Use a Coach with Trent
- 7 Key Supply Chain Leaders’ Skills and Why You Need Them
