The Business School UK at the Logistics Leaders Network Lunch – by Graeme Tucker
Inspiring Logistics Leaders. Logistics leaders focus on getting it done, not why they can’t do it!
I was fortunate enough to attend the Logistics Leaders Network Lunch at Leicester County Cricket Club Yesterday. The event brings together some of the top logisticians in the country to share information and case studies. It was an excellent day, and a chance to talk through some of the learnings from past and the impact of some influences on the industry.
On the drive home I was reflecting on the day. What is clear is that the logistics industry is full of doers. People whose reason for getting up in the morning is to get things done. There was a definite energy in the room around “adapt and overcome”. There were numerous anecdotes where challenges had been identified, met and overcome by these leaders. There are always challenges for logisticians but no one I spoke to was “wringing their hands” about them or expressing a lack of confidence in their ability to meet those challenges.
Discussions in the networking session included:
- Lack of inventory management skills in some supply chains.
- Technology implementation, including drone technology
- The challenge of the last mile
- Succession planning and professional development
The event had several excellent speakers. A common theme from these was the ability to generate an effective solution from when the path wasn’t clear. They were each exceptional problem solvers, relationship builders and organisers. They all had an ability to look at the big picture to scale the operation, whilst also being hands on in the critical junctions. They all got their hands dirty. A further common attribute was the integrity of their goal. They were able to rally others around a cause and generate that valuable “going to happen energy” so vital to the success of a project.
Case studies included;
- Generating the supply chain for Live aids work in Ethiopia and the Sudan from scratch (Peter Acton – Executive Chairman at Logistics Leaders Network).
- Managing emergency response to South Sudan (George Fenton – CEO of the Humanitarian Logistics Association).
- The work of ICMDA Charity supporting the people of Ukraine to get medical supplies. 1000 sets of hospital bed equipment, ventilators, medicines, paramedic kits, medivac vehicles to name a few.
The volumes involved in all of these case studies are exceptional. The timescales and challenges were similarly difficult to address. The logistics industry doesn’t seem to waste time saying why they can’t do something. They are too busy figuring out how they can. Sure technology is going to help us going forward, but it still needs to be implemented and managed. Problems need creativity solutions, knowledge and relationships to solve them. We need to foster and support this skill development.
At the Business School UK we are proud to continue to support the industry with qualifications designed to meet the modern logistics industry needs.
If you would like to talk about our Logistics Management Level 5 & 6 qualifications or our Inventory Management level 4 qualification please drop me a line at graeme.tucker@thebusinessschool.uk.com or visit our website at: The Business School UK
