How do you develop and retain talent in your supply chain team?

Developing and retaining talent in supplychain management requires the following: 1.Developing career paths: It is important for new hired to know that there is a path which include trainings, certifications that will keep them focus on the path they have chosen. 2.Growth opportunities: retaining existing supply chain talent will reduce the cost associated with recruiting and training new personnel. It is important to that internal growth is key to retaining talent in supply chain management. 3.Provide competitive salary and benefits 4.Offering a good work-life balance 5.Avoid micro-managing style 6.Give room for them to identify problems and suggest solutions that can help streamline operations and improve customer services.

In my experience “spot audits” have helped to increase accuracy among team members. With corrections made in real time with the team member, it has helped to improve consumer satisfaction.

Sending employees to external training programs or asking them to do e-learning is a waste of time and money if this is not part of a well-designed / structured approach with “pre-training”, “in-training” and “post-training” activities. Among good practices, consider the use of business simulations to immediately apply the learning, follow up projects for trainees to apply the learning when they are “back to the office”, assigning a mentor to support trainees in implementing the new ways of working.

We've established an employee-centric approach as the primary focus, with the aim of fostering a customer-centric business environment. Recognizing that understanding talent needs is as crucial as understanding customer needs, we've implemented a post-transaction feedback process for our SCM staff. They are asked: Did they gain any valuable insights from the transaction? Do they believe our SCM process requires enhancements? Was data visibility adequate during the transaction? If the transaction faced delays, what were the reasons? What challenges did they encounter in managing the transaction, and what improvement suggestions do they have? These questions encourage continuous learning,

Investing in training and development is a clear indicator of an organization's long-term vision. Such investments are crucial because they arm employees with the skills and knowledge needed to tackle future challenges. In a rapidly evolving business landscape, organizations that do not prioritize learning risk becoming obsolete. Take, for example, Kodak. Once a dominant player in the photography market, they faltered because they didn't adapt to the digital revolution in time. They missed recognizing and responding to technological shifts, leading to their decline. Similarly, just as our bodies require protein for growth and repair, our minds need continuous training to evolve and stay relevant.

Retaining talent is primarily a manager's responsibility, not just the HR department's. Often, people don't leave companies; they leave their managers. This underscores the importance of interpersonal relationships within an organization, which can be even more critical than increasing sales volume. Investing in human values is essential, especially for SCM managers. Given the challenging nature of SCM roles, errors can occur. However, as a manager, the approach to addressing these mistakes and communicating them to the staff is pivotal. In most cases, errors aren't made intentionally but result from gaps in processes, training, or the environment.

Prioritizing the career advancement of your SCM team is key to long-term retention. If team members perceive stagnation in their leader's growth, they may doubt their own growth prospects under that leadership. Growth isn't just about monetary incentives; it encompasses embracing new technologies and processes that enhance efficiency. A holistic approach to development, considering all facets of personal and professional growth, is essential. Engage with your SCM staff, ask about their five-year goals, and understand their needs to achieve those aspirations. Based on this feedback, work within the organization's framework to formulate a tailored career advancement plan for each member.

To develop and keep talent in your supply chain team, you can focus on providing training opportunities, offering career advancement paths, and creating a positive work environment that values employees' contributions. This approach helps in nurturing a skilled and motivated team.

Mentoring (and/or coaching) is a very efficient way to ensure retention of your most valued talent and mainly limited to “high potentials”, “early stars” and senior leadership. Developing internal schemes for Mentoring & Coaching has advantages and limitations. In my opinion, internal coaches and mentors will always be limited in their interactions with mentees because they somehow have “a skin in the game” and usually will have difficulties to have the receiving person "think out of the box". The mentee will be more open to speak freely and openly with an external mentor who is completely unbiased with the company objectives and culture.

Retention is nurtured through a positive work culture, recognition, and providing avenues for career growth. Regular feedback sessions ensure alignment with individual goals and organizational objectives.

Acredito que delegar com uma dose de autonomia, deixando de lado o "microgerenciamento", instruindo e acompanhando a evolu??o das atividades e promovendo o desenvolvimento da equipe no dia a dia. Além destes pontos, um grande diferencial é dar feedbacks construtivos a sua equipe, buscando o desenvolvimento do time como um todo e também apoiar os objetivos pessoais dos profissionais do seu time. Estas a??es trar?o um sentimento de pertencimento e reconhecimento, logo tendo as demais condi??es básicas e necessárias: reconhecimento financeiro, boas condi??es e ambiente de trabalho, este é um bom plano para a reten??o de talentos.