Feature Article
Succeeding in Today’s Challenging Market
Is your company feeling the effects of the latest economic challenges? Are you struggling to stay ahead of your competition and continue to innovate while looking for ways to manage infrastructure, resources and costs? Consider that even amidst these shifting economic conditions, some companies are succeeding and producing breakthrough results. How are they doing it?
Today’s leaders are getting back to basics and focusing limited resources on innovations within their core markets. Successful companies have shed ancillary activities and instead chose to bring a critical eye on their core business. This means talent shifting, investment prioritization and a healthy application of leadership decision making to ensure continued innovation and preservation of that which has brought them ongoing profitability and market value.
These companies understand that a focus on the customer is the critical differentiator. Companies that ensure their resources are focused solely on delivering value for the customer are the ones winning today’s business and mindshare. Companies willing to put revenue at stake and enter a mutually beneficial gain-share relationship are those creating and winning opportunities. Putting your money where your mouth is shows a level of customer commitment way beyond standard billing practices.
Does your business operate at the top-end of standard business practices? If so and your clients can benefit from these practices, then show them the way and put revenue at stake to ensure your team delivers. Nothing says partnership more than being willing to share in the gain and, or, failure of a business outcome. It’s this level of commitment that sets you apart and builds a valuable ongoing business relationship.
Don’t try to be all things to all customers. Know when you’re operating outside your core business and build a stable of qualified partners to bring a complete solution to your customer’s needs. Your customer depends on your team, partnered or not, to deliver so you must conduct the diligence to ensure a qualified team of able and available resources to meet the need. Delays from the application of ineffective resources cannot be tolerated by the customer and it’s your role to ensure this does not happen.
Your core business is yours to retain or lose. Are you willing to sacrifice your bread and butter to engage in other opportunities? It’s a choice only you can make but one which shouldn’t be explored halfheartedly especially in today’s uncertain climate. Focus on your core, maintain and build strong and valued customer relationships and ensure you partner to broaden your capabilities. Your customers will thank you for your commitment with increased business now and in the future.
If you find yourself uncertain how best to define your core competencies, build a structure of prioritization, and resource allocation then we invite you to consider engaging the Supply Chain professionals at ASIL. Call us today and let us help you achieve new areas of profitability and success in this ever changing economic climate.
Contributed by Warren White
Spotlight
High Performance Executive Teams
Business success is driven by people. People coming together for a common purpose create the foundation for a team. There are thousands teams that exist in the business world. Many teams may be deemed successful, but not necessarily high performing.
Today’s focus is on High Performance Executive Teams. Ok it sounds like an oxymoron especially I light of the big business challenges that we have been reading about for the past few years, but there are quite a few excellent examples of teams that have done great things…Google, Apple, and many others.
Whether they were leading a business turn around, or creating a new industry, or over achieving their goals, these high performing executive teams have some common ingredients.
Some key ingredience for High Performing Executive Teams:
-
Size Matters - Keep them small 7-10 members or alignment gets fuzzy
-
All at risk to each other - fail or win together, one hole can sink the ship
-
Challenge the status quo - complacency leads nowhere / look for early warning signs
-
Debate vigorously – always with respect, in order to learn more from the debate
-
Make timely fact based decisions – don’t’ over analyze or under estimate the need for facts
-
Balance short and long term needs – customers and shareholders expect continuity
-
Eliminate back to back to back meetings – they lose creativity and productivity
-
Be Honorable and Trust Worthy – no temporary lapses in integrity
-
Time together – it does make a difference when you are solving together over time
No doubt that you can name other ingredients. As you continue to build your team, look for ways to strengthen the bonds. Start by asking a simple question; "Is your executive team high performing?" An honest evaluation of your team could lead to new ways of working together to reach for higher performance.
If you are not sure how to get started, then the professionals at ASIL, Inc. can provide an independent perspective to help get the ball rolling. The opportunity is to learn about your team and begin to see the potential that is waiting to be tapped. Team on!
Contributed by Peter Pazmany
Industry Trends
Carbon Mapping for Distribution Managers
Distribution Managers have seen their job responsibilities grow to encompass more and more functions. Now, as the world moves toward reduction of CO2, they will have carbon mapping become a part of their job. They will be tasked to measure their company’s current CO2 emissions and begin mapping strategies as to comply with the expected new EPA mandates as they apply to their company’s Supply Chain.
One of the many indicators of the shift that will be needed are the discussions surrounding the Kyoto Protocol. While the US is not one of the 180 countries that have signed the treaty, the U.S. House of Representatives have passed the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009. This legislation establishes a cap-and-trade program and mandates that the U.S. must reduce the amount of CO2 in the nation’s atmosphere by 17 % from the 2005 levels. The Senate is poised to pass a similar bill. When these laws and regulations are passed, industry leaders will be scrambling to comply.
So, what has been the effect on industry? We see companies such as Wal-Mart challenging their suppliers to reduce their carbon footprint by developing a sustainability index (an ASIL Newsletter article from December, 2009). They have already surveyed over 100,000 suppliers to determine if reduction targets have been set. If you are one of those suppliers, chances are that there will be a carbon reduction mandate in your future.
The will be leveraging work that has already been done by Carbon Trust in the U.K.
It’s not just the big retailers that are on the move toward carbon reduction. An example,
Stonyfield Farm of Londonderry, N.H. has been actively working in the area of finished goods transportation by improving planning and utilization of its private fleet. They have accomplished significant emission reduction by reducing number of trips, miles traveled, using more efficient equipment, switching from road to rail, and even moving distribution centers.
Do you have the knowledge and skills to launch a successful carbon reduction program? Do you need help in determining a path to follow? Call the Supply Chain Professionals at ASIL to help get your Carbon Emissions program on track.
Contributed by Michael Singleton
Our Software Products
Click on the links below to view ASIL, Inc.'s MAX Partnering® self paced software demonstrations:
Strategies and Execution - This demo depicts the tools that organizations can utilize to embrace change effectively and implement it successfully.
Self Assessment Sample Questionnaire
- This demo will enable you to respond to a small sample of self
assessment questions focused on change management and create a Heat Map
of your responses to see areas that may need attention. The Driving
Complex Change® methodology addresses the six areas of Direction,
Ability, Incentive, Resources, Structure, and Action that can impact
your effectiveness of change management.
This Newsletter is delivered in electronic format to reduce our carbon footprint. If you must print it, please share and recycle.
