Supply Chain Leadership at Work

A true leader in supply chain is someone who can successfully turn aspirations, such as impacting the bottom line, into tangible results, like building stronger supplier relationships and reducing costs. While effective communication skills, confidence, and a positive attitude can be accredited for great leadership, it requires more than these aspects alone to be considered a remarkable leader.

Honesty

To be considered dependable in the supply chain management industry, a leader must be honest so stakeholders. This applies to both suppliers, as well as internal departments, to best align expectations and build strong relationships. When managers are honest about where they stand, colleagues, clients, partners, and suppliers alike will consider them a genuine individual and the relationship will benefit from this security. 

Creativity

While a supply chain leader must be able to take control in situations of chaos and serve as a central authority, they also need to be able to think outside the box. It’s important for leaders in general to be collected and sensible, and a source of reason but in order to do so effectively they must be able to think quickly. A leader who can ‘be handed lemons and make lemonade’ is someone that earns further respect by their companions.

Trust

Delegating assignments to the respected groups or individuals is a crucial responsibility of any good leader. To set up those around you for success not only guarantees an overall quality of work for yourself as the leader and your team as a whole, but it also demonstrates the trust you have in your team members. Not only will they be grateful at your attention to their strengths, but when everyone is preforming at their best it reflects positively on your organization. This can be easier said than done, but if utilized the results will be significant.

It's the combination of these qualities that are continuously applied in unison that differentiate someone who is in a leading role from a truly great leader. Each year the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) honors a select few of excelling supply chain and procurement professionals as Emerging Leaders for their outstanding contributions in the industry. This year, Source One’s Diego De La Garza is a recipient of the CSCMP Emerging Leader Award and will be recognized for his accomplishments at the annual CSCMP Annual Conference being held next week in Orlando, Florida. The CSCMP Annual Conference brings together a global community of supply chain management professionals from wide range of industries. Companies expected to attend include Blue Apron, Ciena Corporation, Johnson & Johnson, PepsiCo, Pfizer, and more. 

De la Garza is also a featured speaker during the event, presenting a session titled Sourcing from Mexico- the Supplier Development Challenge, as well as participating in the “Fact vs. Fiction- Generation Stereotypes” panel. Attendees of the conference are also welcome to stop by the Source One Booth #118 to learn more about Source One's portfolio of procurement services including Strategic Sourcing, Nearshoring, Procurement Transformation and more.