Motivating Supply Chain Professionals

By: Luis Perez

     Who are the most pivotal people in your organization?  Depending on your company, the answers will vary.  However if you make or sell products, your list should always include your logistics employees.

     In today’s information-rich world, it’s easy to forget how hands-on logistics still is. After all, products still exist, and at some point they do have to be handled and moved.

     Just as important, it’s easy to lose sight of how critical it is to have quality professionals handling your product every step of the way. While warehouse workers, forklift operators and truck drivers may not make as much money as your CEO or director of marketing, the truth is, these individuals wield an incredible amount of power because they control the fate and condition of your supplies, finished products and orders. 

     With that in mind, here are a few suggestions to help manage and motivate your supply chain management professionals. 

Give them big-picture perspective

     There’s a popular story about two bricklayers who were performing the same kind of work at a large construction site.  When asked to describe their assignments, one replied that he had been hired to lay bricks.  The other replied that he’d been hired to build a cathedral.

     Never underestimate the motivational power of big-picture perspective.

     In order to inspire optimal job performance, tell your supply chain employees how significant their jobs are.  Keep reminding them that they’re not just laying bricks by picking orders, filling boxes or...

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