| Overview:
Napoleon Bonaparte once said, “No person can
lead other people except by showing them the future.
A leader is a merchant of hope.” The secret is
to determine what makes one a “successful”
leader and, then, work to develop those characteristics.
This presentation is based around what General (USA
Ret) Colin Powell presented to his staff prior to his
retirement plus some ancillary information, which may
help the audience uncover his or her own talents in
this vital arena. Some the leadership notions revolve
around what it means to be “responsible”,
are experts always “right”, where does ego
fit in the act of leading, and does enthusiasm belong
in the leader’s toolkit. Along the way we’ll
meet the Tates, a family whose members all of us have
seen and, perhaps, emulated as team members.
Each of us is called upon to lead others at one time
or another, in business, church, the community, professional
organizations, the family, or in whatever other venues
where we choose to venture. While no one, in all probability,
spends every waking hour worrying about “What
Ifs?”, if we think about what makes a leader effective
before the “sticky” situation arises, we
can be better prepared to face that situation when the
time comes. As the protagonist said in “Dark Territory”,
a Steven Seagal movie, “Chance favors the prepared
mind.” Considering sound leadership characteristics
may provide the necessary preparation to help us address
our daily challenges.
What on earth does this have to do with how we need
to function in today’s sometimes volatile and
often stressful environment, when our leadership approach
and skills are put to the “test”? Times
of change and new ideas, when coupled with the global
economic and business environment, create high levels
of stress to those in positions of leadership and management.
John Kotter wrote that “Management is about coping
with complexity and leadership is about coping with
change.” While some of the supply chain concepts
and management directions are complex, it is the leadership
challenge which may spell the difference between success
and failure.
Understanding the challenges of leadership and some
of the basic tenets to be considered can prepare one
to help those around him or her to face the changes
and challenges confidently and assist others in becoming
a willing “part of the solution” rather
than drawing back into the past and remaining “part
of the problem”. One cannot effectively steer
a boat by watching the wake – it is far more effective
to keep watch over the bow in a proactive rather than
a reactive mode.
This presentation will provide some food for thought
on the topic of what it takes to be an effective leader.
Then, we won’t have to take Yogi Berra’s
advice, “When you come to a fork in the road,
take it.” We’ll have considered the possibilities
and know which fork has the highest probability of success.
Speaker:
 David
W (Dave) Johnson is currently a consultant in the areas
of training and system implementation. Prior to that,
he was the Manager of Education and Consulting Services
for Bull Worldwide Information Systems' Manufacturing
Solutions organization, where he managed the provision
of education, training, and implementation consulting
services to external and internal manufacturing systems
customers. He has made numerous presentations to management,
user groups, and professional organizations, to include
APICS, concerning leadership, planning, and managing
technological change. He is retired from the US Army
where he spent a large portion of his career involved
in education and high level operational planning and
coordination.
Dave holds a BS in Economics, an MS in Education Administration,
and an MS in Systems Management. He has APICS CPIM Certification,
is a certificated Arizona Community College instructor,
and teaches supply chain and operations management courses
at GateWay Community College and the University of Phoenix
and fundamentals and certification classes for the APICS
Phoenix Chapter. He is currently the Southwest District
Administrative Assistant and a VP-Administration for
the APICS Phoenix Chapter.
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