Aside from education and experience, what are the most important characteristics to look for in a new DC worker? In a new logistics manager?
EXPERT ANSWERS:
Tompkins International, Supply Chain Consultants
The two most important characteristics of DC workers today are the ability to learn and adapt to change and a track record of staying with a company over time. The ability to learn and adapt is critical to workers keeping up with the continuous stream of change. The mindset of staying with a company over the long haul is necessary to combat high turnover found in many companies.
The most important characteristics of Logistics Managers is a broad base of supply chain knowledge and some level of international exposure. Both of these characteristics will allow the manager to quickly and effectively contribute to the company’s success.
Aside from the importance of the relevance of a candidate's background to the requirements of the position to be filled and feedback from personal references, job history (the # of companies for which the candidate has worked in the past five years), trade & professional certifications, participation in trade & professional organizations and career goals should be carefully vetted. Further, and particularly for supervisory and manager-level positions, interviews by prospective peers and colleagues should be conducted to assess the "chemistry"
Aside from education and the required experience, some of the most important characteristics to look for in a new logistics manager are:
- “Team player” is an overused term, but creating and maintaining a cohesive logistics organization with strong morale requires colleagues with a “we” mindset;
- Good people skills and communication skills;
- Strong analytical capabilities that enable him or her to understand the trade-offs between different costs and service levels that are inherent in many logistics management decisions;
- Ability to understand the “whole picture” rather than just the direct functional areas that a logistics manager may be hired to oversee. “Whole picture” means both the logistics organization and its components, as well as other parts of the organization with which logistics regularly interfaces;
- Driven to continuously learn more and to continuously enhance their own skill sets;
- Enjoys challenges
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