Download Volume 15, Issue 2, 2009

IDEAS FOR LEADERSHIP IN LOGISTICS AND TRANSPORTATION
©
Volume 15, Issue 2, 2009
Molly DuBois,
Vice President,Transportation,
C.H. Robinson Worldwide Inc.
PM40032602
LogisticsQuarterly.com
Aimee Abengoza, Leader, Agility Logistics
Cruise Line & Marine Logistics
Pamela S. Benkert, General Manager,
WW Operations and Vice President,
Consumer Digital Group, Eastman Kodak
Elsie Blauwhoff, C.P.P.,
Corporate Procurement, Apotex
Rick Blasgen, President and CEO, CSCMP
Valerie Bonebrake, Senior Vice President,
Global Supply Chain Services, Tompkins Associates
David J. Closs, PhD, LQ Executive Editor,
Michigan State University
Bruce Danielson, Executive
Communications Manager, UPS
Jim Davidson, CEO, Wheels Group
Melissa Gracey, President, DTA Services
Bill Graves, President and CEO,
American Trucking Associations
Mark Humphlett, Director of Solutions
Marketing–Supply Chain, Infor
Ann-Marie McIntosh, General Manager
Small Business & Retail Division, Purolator
Michael J. Mikitka, CMP, CAE,
Executive Director, WERC
Diane A. Mollenkopf, PhD,
Associate Professor, PhD Program in Logistics,
University of Tennessee
Tom Nightingale, Vice President,
CMO, Con-way Inc.
Chris Norek, PhD, Founder and Senior Partner,
Chain Connectors, Inc.
Susan L. Oaks, Vice President, A. T. Kearney
Susan Promane, Director of Supply Chain,
Whirlpool Canada
Michael Regan, CEO and Chairman of the Board,
TranzAct Technologies, Inc.
Tracey Raimondo, CITT,
Vice President Logistics, Normandin Transit
Della Sanders, Vice President of
Safety and Compliance, Werner Enterprises
Nicholas Seiersen, B.Sc. (Hons.), M.B.A., P. Log.,
LQ Executive Editor, Senior Manager, KPMG
Kate Vitasek, Founder and CEO,
Supply Chain Visions
Ellen Voie, President, Women in Trucking, Inc.
Kelley Walkup, Division Vice-President and
General Manager, ACS Expedited Solutions
Women In
Supply Chain
Management
(WomenInSCM.com)
Women In Supply Chain Management
A Conversation With Molly DuBois,
Vice President, Transportation, C.H. Robinson Worldwide Inc.
Questions for LQ’s Executive Interview Series have been prepared by members of LQ’s Board and friends of LQ.
LQ: Companies continue to outsource critical supply chain functions and business processes.
What do you see is the future to
managing these critical relationships so that true partnerships
evolve? (Kate Vitasek, Founder, Supply
Chain Visions)
Molly DuBois: Trust, commitment
and open communication are critical to business relationships, both
when times are good and when
times are challenging. Dedication
and exceptional service are things
that we as a company spend a lot of
time talking about, and we believe
our service commitment differentiates C.H. Robinson Worldwide from
other companies. It is important
that we continue to create value
and to improve upon our services
to meet our customers’ overall
objectives.
From a logistics perspective, there are long-term relationships between our shippers and our contract carriers, and our role is to engage with both. We are continuously developing our relationships. Having the right people to develop those lines of trust to maintain constant
communication is extremely important: we would not be
in business if we did not have solid, long-term, mutually
beneficial relationships with the 50,000 contract carriers
we work with—we are dependent on their profitability
and success. We view these relationships as a key ingredient to our long-term success.
We know the current market is especially difficult for
many carriers and shippers. It’s vital to our company, and
to North America’s supply chains, that the trucking community remains healthy. We work hard every day to find
ways to help our contract carriers and shippers so that
they can be successful and grow their businesses. Our
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LQ ™
Volume 15, Issue 2, 2009
overall goal is to make sure we all
succeed in the long run.
LQ: In these tough economic times,
what do you see are the most
important things a company can
do? (Kate Vitasek)
Molly DuBois: In this environment,
everyone is looking for opportunities to create greater efficiencies
and cut costs. Our business model
continues to add value, improve
efficiencies and invest in the longterm success of our customers, contract carriers, employees and communities. It’s about being responsive, flexible and visible, and about
having a sense of urgency in everything that you do. Also, you can’t
sacrifice or skimp on the things that
you do well. It’s about continuing
to maintain the same service and
value that you’ve always brought
to the table—even during tough
times. Above all, you must be true to your word.
LQ: What members of your management team (if any) are
involved in your long-range planning? (Ellen Voie, President,
Women in Trucking, Inc.)
Molly DuBois: C.H. Robinson is decentralized and entrepreneurial in nature. We all have a stake in the company’s success. Therefore, our support in each other’s
growth and planning must always be focused and
unselfish. As a management team, we are open to any
and all ideas our employees have; we believe that we
have been successful for more than 100 years because of
our people. They are motivated and dedicated to continuing to build customer and carrier relationships and
identify new business opportunities. While the current
environment is uniquely difficult, we remain confident in
our long-term growth goals and opportunities because
of the strength of our people, our business model, our
LogisticsQuarterly.com
market potential and our performance-driven culture.
LQ: American inventor Thomas Edison said, “Genius is
one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.” Is this true of leadership? Or is leadership ninetynine percent inspiration and one percent perspiration?
(Kate Vitasek)
Molly DuBois: I honestly think it’s both. I don’t think that
merely inspiring is going to get you everything you want.
Sometimes we work very hard and don’t always see the
results we expected to get. So it is a combination of
inspiring, and then working hard, as individuals and as a
team, to make things happen. Through the great leaders
that C.H. Robinson has had in the past to the leaders of
today, our employees continue to set high standards for
service. The combination of leadership and our employees’ ability to think strategically and then act has helped
make us successful.
LQ: As a leader, how do you strategize for the future, and
what role does envisioning play for you, or within your
organization? (Diane A. Mollenkopf, PhD, Associate Professor, Director,
PhD Program in Logistics, Department of Marketing & Logistics,
University of Tennessee)
Molly DuBois: A lot of our vision is built on interacting and
engaging with the business. We listen to what our
employees, contract carriers and shippers tell us, which
in turn helps us strategize for the future. Of course,
things continue to change and force us to re-evaluate our
priorities. Having a flexible business model, and being
able to quickly adapt to changes in the marketplace, is
key. There is more volatility today than ever. We feel
great about the strength and depth of our team and the
continued effectiveness of our business model.
LQ: As women strive to get ahead, do you have any tips
in an era when training budgets are being curtailed? (Tom
Nightingale, Vice-President & CMO, Con-way Inc.)
Molly DuBois: In the event you find yourself in a situation
to take part in an event with little budget, consider paying for it out of pocket. If you believe it is the right investment, then you should feel confident that you will reap
the benefits. I believe that if you choose to invest personally to gain additional education, join industry associations and community organizations, or attend conferences, it is well worth it. There are also many steps you
can take to get yourself ahead that don’t really require a
budget. One thing you can do is find a mentor—formal or
informal—who is going to champion you in your efforts.
Seek him or her out to provide you with open and honest
feedback on your abilities and plans.
Finally, just play the part; go out there, get involved
and get exposure to new areas, knowledge and experiences. If you perform with confidence you will show that
you are eager and willing to do what it takes to get
ahead. What’s important is to be creative and innovative. Find new ways to meet your customers’ and managers’ expectations.
LQ: Are you mentoring or do you have a mentor?
Molly DuBois: Throughout my 16 years at C.H. Robinson I
LogisticsQuarterly.com
have been fortunate to have many strong mentors that
have helped me in my career. I felt so strongly about the
value of mentoring that a colleague and I developed the
Leadership Networking Circle, an informal group mentoring program. The C.H. Robinson Leadership Networking
Circle is an internal peer-networking program designed to
help develop and support women and nurture leadership.
It encourages and assists women participants to increase
their business interaction, develop relationships that
align with our values and culture, share best practices,
and focus on individual development. We are pleased that
the program, which has been running for four years now,
has shown great success year after year; on an annual
basis, about 12 to 15 women participate. Employee
engagement and retention is extremely high among the
participants; their self-confidence has increased and several of them have been promoted to management roles as
well as various leadership functions.
There are also individuals whom I seek out within my
current organization to assist me with my continued
development. I also engage with a group of women outside of my company on a regular basis. These women
work in my local market and are highly successful. I have
found this is a great way to share experiences and seek
insights and ideas on how to continue to focus on our
development and careers. Additionally, I have had the
opportunity to spend time with many of our employees,
sharing stories and offering advice.
LQ: How do you select mentors to help you in your logistics career? What advice do you have for selecting mentors? (Pamela Benkert, General Manager, WW Operations and VicePresident, Consumer Digital Group, Eastman Kodak)
Molly DuBois: I have had several informal mentors
throughout my career, and have taken every opportunity
to learn from them.
Some of the key characteristics I look for in a mentor
are credibility, experience, a successful track record, and
a willingness to give back to others.
I have been fortunate to work for managers who recognized my drive to succeed through my work ethic and
desire to make a difference, and they made a point to
invest time in my development. This has been a great
help in the past and continues to be today, as I appreciate the importance of having a champion.
I have been able to reflect on a lot of advice that has
been given to me throughout the years. One of the greatest pieces of advice I received came from one of the members of our board of directors who was speaking to a
group of women at our organization two years ago, and
her advice was: “play the part.” I have done just that at
C.H. Robinson, and from that have found many new
opportunities. I didn’t wait for somebody to tell me how
to move forward; I stepped up, did the job and “played
the part.” It required me to take risks, and I had to believe
in myself when I wasn’t sure whether anybody else
would. I realized that I would make mistakes, but I had to
learn from them and move on.
LQ ™
Volume 15, Issue 2, 2009
13
Resilience
What do you need to endure today’s economic
challenges? A stable transportation provider
who can help you withstand the turbulence.
As financial pressures weigh on companies
large and small, C.H. Robinson is hard at work
to help every customer control their costs. You
can rely on us for more options, better strategies,
and practical solutions—everything you need to
maintain maximum efficiency.
[email protected] | 800.323.7587
©2009 C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. All Rights Reserved.