Asking for help is a sign of strength

For supply chain professionals, every day brings new opportunities. The volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) world in which we live keeps our work exciting and interesting. However, of late, the unending drumbeat of challenge can seem overwhelming, leaving teams and leaders burned out and exhausted.

Over the last few years, workplace weariness is inescapable. It’s impossible not to be affected by supply disruptions, staffing shortages, shipping bottlenecks and numerous other challenges brought on by the pandemic. In an analysis of its member profiles, from Bloomberg found that in 2021 supply chain professionals quit their jobs at the highest rate since it began tracking the data. While I am most familiar with supply chain, this trend extends to almost any profession.

This is the new normal. Messy, unstable, confusing. The connections and visibility we have fought hard to achieve drive a need for speed that most find uncomfortable…and yet as supply chain leaders, it is our time! No longer do we need to explain what we do. Everyone is an expert. We have a seat at the table and the pressure is unyielding.

Winning in these times requires resilience. How can we bring our best selves to work every day so we can lead?

It starts by recognizing that there is strength in numbers. ?We are not alone. Likely, everyone feels the same. The power of our network is foundational to success in a VUCA world.

Ask yourself – where do I turn when I don’t know the answer? Do I share or do I cover? Are you worried about not knowing the answers? It’s tough. As leaders, we do not want to seem vulnerable. Over the course of the last few years all of us have found ourselves in this position. For me, successful leaders follow a pattern. Here are a few tips I’ve learned through successful leaders:

Gather the facts: no matter how challenging the situation, the simple task of pulling together relevant insights help leaders gain clarity.

Assess the team: do they have the skills and/or experience to solve the problem or are there gaps? Completing a rapid assessment can give you a quick understanding of where you need to focus to drive action.

Outline a game plan: in times of turbulence, having everyone on the same page, understanding the key objectives and what their role is can make all the difference between success or failure. The best plans include clear objectives, governance, guardrails, and cadence. This allows each team the agility to go as fast as they can while having awareness but not ties to others. Being too specific on activities limits creativity and slows everyone down.

Take care of yourself: like the instructions for airflight – put your mask on first before assisting others. I know my worst behaviors flash when I am tired. In those moments, I force myself to break away and exercise, refresh or sleep. We all know the signs of fatigue. Managing energy for performance can be game changing. When we’re exhausted, on edge or just plain hungry because we skipped lunch again, our work can’t help but suffer. Our body might be at our workstation a few hours longer each day, but we aren’t bringing our full powers to the job, and that has an impact on our company and the people around us. According to a pre-pandemic study by Harvard Business Review, workplace stress and burnout is estimated to cost the U.S. economy more than $500 billion dollars a year, with lost productivity amounting to about 550 million work days. Those numbers are certainly higher today.

There’s no one right way - we all need to find what works for us. Maybe it’s exercise, meditation or regular stretch breaks. It could be climbing into bed earlier or unplugging from all our devices for an hour each day. Some of us need to stop skipping meals, others need to stop checking emails after work. And all of us should try find something that makes us laugh on a daily basis.

Ask for help: are there skill gaps on your team? Who might you call to see if they have experienced a similar problem and could offer a suggestion? Do you just need a pep talk? Is there someone who can help you brainstorm? For me, this is most important. Recognizing the power of asking for help is energizing. It releases you from the need to be all things to all people and allows you to leverage the strength of the collective. My external network of industry peers, past colleagues, strategic business partners and educators have at times been my lifeline.

Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness. It’s a leadership behavior and responsibility. At work, all of us are leaders in one way or another, and leadership is about making connections. When we share what we’re feeling inside with the people around us, it creates a sense of trust that translates into a more enjoyable and dynamic work environment.

If this is our new normal, then we need to band together to not only survive, but to thrive. Reach out - you never know until you ask.