| If I were to tell you that the Warehouse Manager | | | | importance by way of production and results, the |
| could be the most valuable employee at a company | | | | way Mark did. In today's drudging economy, holding |
| would you be shocked? I'm sure that your first | | | | down a job is not a given(The average Supply Chain |
| immediate reaction is, "Are you kidding?" How could a | | | | Manager makes between $94,114-$110,305.) On last |
| Warehouse guy, who probably only makes $10.00- | | | | communication, Mark is now helping a Fortune 500 |
| $15.00 /hr, be the Most Valuable Employee at a | | | | company in a Supply Chain Manager role. He has |
| company? What about Sales? What about the big | | | | achieved several SCM certificates, and has developed |
| wigs that are making the 6 figure salaries? | | | | a staff that truly understands how to get the most |
| Well, if you are in tuned with your position, | | | | out of their supply chain. He has instituted a program |
| understand the company, and are staying up to date | | | | that requires his employees to obtain a company-paid |
| with related Supply Chain & Logistic information | | | | certificate, as his belief is that, if he can build |
| that pertains to your company, this is not hard to | | | | character in his people, they in turn will take pride in |
| imagine. I had the good fortune to work with a | | | | their duties. He often says, "Run the business as if it |
| variety of different personalities while I was a courier | | | | were your own, and then and only then, will you |
| at Federal Express, from the janitor to the CEO. I | | | | make the right decisions, and learn from the wrong |
| had the pleasure of meeting a gentleman who very | | | | ones." He has sought out, and put to use a Third |
| much impressed me. | | | | Party Solution, that allows him to utilize Supply Chain |
| The gentleman's name was Mark, and he was not | | | | Optimization to the utmost. He knows where all of |
| your typical "Warehouse Guy". He made the effort | | | | his money is going, and he understands the flow of |
| to learn about his company's business. Not just the | | | | his inventory. |
| typical, "what they make, what they do, or who his | | | | 7 Ways to start raising your status at your |
| customers were..." But Mark new his position well. He | | | | Warehouse job immediately. |
| had very detailed instructions to the other employees | | | | 1) Start asking questions to the various departments; |
| as to how to get the job done in the event he took | | | | understand the different job duties such as Customer |
| some time off. He also had a passion for working in | | | | Service, Operations, Sales, and Production. |
| the warehouse. Mark read so much about Supply | | | | 2) Ask your manager if you can spend a half-hour in |
| Chain & Logistics that his manager asked him, | | | | a specific department. If your time is that tight, and |
| would he be interested in going after a Supply Chain | | | | you only can do this during lunch hour, then do it. |
| Certificate. Although, there was never promise of a | | | | Look at it as an investment in your future. Would |
| pay raise, he became very excited about the | | | | you rather have a shortened lunch, or no job? |
| opportunity. He looked upon it as a way to broaden | | | | 3) If you can take additional supply chain courses do |
| his horizons, and become more of an attribute to his | | | | so, and if your company will reimburse them, by all |
| company. Although I couldn't see the actual effects | | | | means take advantage of it. |
| at first, I could tell in him, that his responsibilities and | | | | 4) Get the notion out of your head that "I'm just a |
| functions were changing. Instead of him being on the | | | | Warehouse guy". If I had a nickel for everytime I |
| docks, working hard, he was now in an office behind | | | | would hear this I'd be sipping Mai Tai's with Donald |
| computers, working just as hard. Instead of him, | | | | Trump somewhere in the Bahamas. Never forget |
| busting through piles of boxes, I began noticing that | | | | that you, and your product, are a major contributor |
| his box pile was ever so dramatically decreasing, and | | | | to a $240 billion dollar a year industry. |
| becoming spread out throughout the week. When I | | | | 5) Become more than a "Warehouse guy", build |
| asked him about this, he smiled and said, "I've been | | | | yourself as a valued contributor to your companies |
| experimenting with J.I.T. (just in time management) | | | | success. Remember, within your position, there are |
| so that I can try to alleviate some of this massive | | | | endless opportunities to help your company thrive in |
| inventory we have on our hands." | | | | this economy. When you show this value to your |
| When the sales staff was invited to Las Vegas to | | | | employers, they will see that, not only can they not |
| celebrate their company's huge 5 million dollar year, | | | | afford to lose your expertise, but that they will soon |
| the CEO asked Mark to join. Mark graciously | | | | need to provide more incentives for you to stay. It's |
| accepted, and upon his trip was presented with the | | | | hard to find a solid employee, especially one that can |
| companies Most Valuable Employee award. WOW! | | | | add value to a supply chain. |
| For a "Warehouse guy"? That's right! | | | | 6) Don't be afraid to challenge the status quo. Just |
| Now can everybody be a Mark? Maybe, or maybe | | | | because a company has been doing things a certain |
| not... But the idea is, that if you can take a vested | | | | way for X amount of years, don't let that dissaude |
| interest in your company's business, start diving in | | | | you from being creative. |
| and learning more about your supply chain, you can | | | | 7) Last, but not least, apply what you have learned, |
| raise your status within the company, and gain | | | | and don't be afraid to make a mistake. |