The Big Sigh

Every morning, I log into LinkedIn.

Usually, I Sigh.

This morning, I saw the celebration of another list of supply chain leaders with stack-ranked performance in my feed. Really? Let me ask: "Do we need another list of supply chain leaders disguised as a marketing campaign for a supply chain human resources or a consulting firm?" Are we that stupid? Top women in the supply chain? I say not so fast. When we have true equality, we will no longer have a list celebrating women. My advice? Let's not pander and patronize women, says an old gal—let's recognize women as equals. That is just my take. Can we put this energy currently focused on list development into mentoring students or helping new hires succeed?

I also see a continuous stream of smiling pictures gumming up my newsfeed from many conferences. Most are of consultants and technologists getting together—dinner, drinks, and a selfie or two round out the day. We have the golf shots and the pretty pictures by the pool. And let's not forget the booth shots thanking the team for their hard work at the show. But let's stop and question, "Where are the business leaders in the pictures?" The conferences are primarily funded by technologists trying to stimulate leads. They are pay-for-play. Do pay-for-play conferences help the industry? I think not. And is it my imagination, or do all the booths look the same? I would love to see technologists invest the funds they spend on trade shows for product innovation, open design networks, and education. These investments would be far more successful in building market share—just my opinion.

I also see an increasing number of podcasters attempting to be newly anointed supply chain celebrities. Do you think they have ever loaded a truck, signed a bill of lading, recalled a quality hold, or experienced the Monday morning production meeting? The collective belief is that if a podcaster talks to enough supply chain leaders, they can become experts. I will let you make your own decision, but for me, there is no substitute for experience. I am tired of swirling opinions; can we return to sharing content? And while I am at it, I believe the best content is served in front of the firewall, not behind a paywall. For organizations spending time gating content to count the number of clicks, I think that we are missing the larger opportunity for pull versus push-based marketing. Do clicks really build leads, or are sales driven by brand insights? I think not. Can we return to building the brand by sharing intellectual content, building effective relationships, and focusing on client success?

Lastly, I sigh with every article from an academic or technologist touting the benefits of digital transformation and the adoption of digital technologies. Does anyone know what a digital technology is? I don't. Have you seen a clear digital strategy? I ask all the time and never get a clear answer. So, let me ask, "How can we measure what we cannot define? Can we stop the nonsense?" Can we step past the hype, focus on clear definitions, and build a better supply chain?

So, if I had a magic wand, I would stop the list building and the funding for pay-for-play conferences. I would ask every technology and consulting partner to rethink marketing based on the principles of pull-based marketing. But I don't have a magic wand, and it is possible that I don't understand how the world of vacuous definitions spread by podcasters with little supply chain experience helps us. And while a list stack ranking supply chain leaders lifts egos, I question, "Do we really need more executives with big egos?" I will let you decide.

Ding. OOOPs. Got to go. Amazon is delivering my magic wand.