Podcasts of First and Second Generation Pioneers

My work to record the voices of the second and first-generation supply chain pioneers continues. My goal is simple. In the interviews, I am asking senior leaders to share career advice for the next generation and reflect on their choices during their careers. I have recorded fifteen in this series now and I will continue to add more over the next year to help companies build teams in the pandemic.

In my work with companies, my greatest struggle is working with leadership teams and consultants who think they know the answers to today's supply chain problems. I find most traditional leaders are not open to new outcomes. They wrongly believe that the past practices will improve today's supply chains. This all-knowing attitude steals the oxygen, or creativity, from the air. Over the last decade, there has been a lack of recognition that supply chain balance sheet performance moved backward, not forward. Companies invested in technologies and shiny objects but did not improve outcomes or work processes for their teams.

Here I capture the voices of Annette Clayton, CEO and President of Schneider Electric North America, and Philippe Lambotte, SVP of Tonal. Annette and Philippe are both innovators. I would encourage all leaders to align with the energy and innovation omnipresent in the interviews of these two leaders.

Now president and CEO of Schneider Electric North America, Annette Clayton put herself through college repairing trucks with her dad. She used this knowledge to become a leader in automotive manufacturing. Her experience in automotive helped her to move to Dell and then Schneider Electric.

In 2011, Annette established the most influential supply chain strategy that I have ever witnessed for her team at Schneider. Even after her promotion to general management, her work on the strategy at Schneider continues. I like her thoughts in the podcast on transformational leadership.

Philippe Lambotte, SVP of Tonal. I first met Philippe in 2005 when he was at Kraft. As a senior leader at Kraft, Merck, J&J, and Mattel, I asked Philippe to share insights for the team onboarding a new leader. He shared great advice along with his lessons learned on the first sixty days of onboarding into a new organization and establishing a new strategy.

Listen to Philippe as he describes the cultural differences of organizations and how to improve outcomes.

My mission continues. There needs to be a greater focus on putting the oxygen back into the air. To drive success through the pandemic and redefine processes to be more sustainable, we need leadership to drive meaningful change.