Can You Share a Specific Moment or Experience From Your Transition From Student Life To Your Professional Career That Significantly Influenced You?
Daystar University Career Day

Can You Share a Specific Moment or Experience From Your Transition From Student Life To Your Professional Career That Significantly Influenced You?

The next question that I was tasked to answer at The Daystar University career day was, "Can you share a significant transition you experienced during your journey from student life to working in supply chain management, and how did it shape your approach to your profession?"

I started off my career as a process analyst. I was part of an Operational Efficiency project. 90% of my job was standing in the rain and the sun with the truck drivers, glass sorters, warehouse coordinators and forklift drivers and interacting with the customer service, logistics, warehouse and manufacturing teams.

Sure, my academic qualifications got me the contract, but truth be told, that is not what got my contract extended and a permanent role offer 9 months later.

One of the tasks that I was assigned was ensuring the office fridge stayed stocked with soda and water. I remember feeling unhappy about this as I perceived it as a mundane task at that point in time. But the process of requisitioning for soda and water required for me to interact with supply chain, warehouse and sorters.

What I did not know was that, as I worked in the hot sun in the yard, as I interacted with various colleagues, from shop floor to senior management, I was building relationships.

At the end of my contract, the contract was extended on the strength of the relationships I had developed with stakeholders from cross-functional teams.

Through all this, I learned some invaluable lessons:

  • Humility is key
  • Respect is non-negotiable
  • And relationships are the secret sauce to supply chain success.

All the training that I got during the transition phase has anchored me as I integrate my statistical background with supply chain planning and operational excellence.

Of the +18 projects that I have worked on in the course of my career, I can confidently attribute the success of these projects to the lessons that I learnt in that first job in the yard.

Stakeholder management is key

Humility is an anchor. A social power. And a social currency

Treat everyone with respect regardless of their title and or position in the company. You never know who is vouching for you in the conversations that you are not a part of.

For those of us who have made the transition, "Can you share a significant transition you experienced during your journey from student life to working in supply chain management, and how did it shape your approach to your profession?"

Alexander Muthiani

Esther Muchiri

Joel Chacha, MPRSK, MMSK

Danstan Akwiri, Msc.

Lucy Nondi, FIA

Glen Moss

A supply chain ?? student enthusiast aspiring to be a supply chain leader promote sustainability?? solutions, digital wave transformation?????? and mastering operations????

11 个月

Great piece Noelyne Mumbi ??????truly, l picked a lesson small small jobs prepares you for great opportunities laid from the experience and skills gained??

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