Opportunities in logistics and the importance of multigenerational leadership

I’d love to start broad, tell us a little bit about who you are and how you came to be where you are now.

I will start out by saying that I am an extremely proud mother. I have two daughters who have inherited my passion for business and are now blazing trails of their own. They grew up with technology and thought that computers came with the house. It’s been incredible watching them trailblaze out into the world. Professionally, I am one of those authentic, self-made leaders. I would describe myself by my intellect and my grit. I like to get my hands dirty but I also look at things from a very high-level so that I can see everything in broad terms. I have a Bachelor of Science in Business, a Master’s in organizational leadership and development, with certifications in MBTI, DISC & Supply Chain management. Currently, I am approaching my third year pursuing a doctorate in Business and Executive Leadership. 

I’ve worked in International Logistics since the 90’s and have had the opportunity to take a deep dive into every aspect of the industry. I am a strategic analyst and apply those skills in every area of my life. How did I get here? Quite frankly, I analyzed the best commute from my university dorm to the highest paying job along a reliable bus route. Certainly the stars were aligned because what was to be a basic job to support my academic endeavors became an opportunity to scale a startup in a unique industry that I hadn’t even considered for my future career path.

What kind of work are you doing now and what opportunities do you see in the future of international logistics?

Logistics is one of those areas that has been disrupted by new technology but is still a relationship driven industry. Companies are now trying to take the tech and the relationships and bring them together. A lot of our organizations are still manual, even today in 2024. People enjoy it that way, it enables them to get things done quickly. At the same time, I'm finding that I'm working with two different sides of the coin. I’m working with the existing relationship-driven industry but also students coming out of university for whom tech is their norm. For our industry not to embrace their expertise and what they have to offer would be an error in judgment. Likewise, a lot of the younger generation is missing skills in relationship building, many of them have missed out on opportunities to build relationships in the past few years. As leaders in this industry, we need to learn how to transfer that tacit knowledge to them and embrace the knowledge that they bring. 

I’m focused on creating a pipeline between the Universities, SME’s and large corporations, to secure micro internships for students as they approach graduation. Additionally, I spend a fair amount of time working with other industry leaders in tech discussing the future implications of the changing global freight ecosystem and the opportunities for industry professionals to collaborate and expand on profitability by driving efficiencies through digital platforms. We are collaborating to develop software solutions that provide easily analyzed, turn-key information to improve utilization, reduce inefficiencies and cost.

Is there anything you wish people knew about a career in logistics? 

This industry is a $350 billion dollar industry and it is still growing. Despite the rise in digitalization, it is still heavily governed by culture and relationships. Logistics is going to be one of the most exciting and developing industries for tech and industry professionals. There are many opportunities to grow and innovate in logistics. 

If you come into the industry, be willing to be bold. Be the person who can analyze and intellectualize as well as the person who is willing to get down and ask the right questions. In logistics, a lot of the issues occur at the people level. If you're not willing to go into your suppliers and see what's actually happening, who’s standing on the line, why was this vehicle delivered to the wrong location or in the wrong color, if you're not willing to do that part, you're going to miss a lot. Just sitting behind your computer is not enough.

You talk a lot about multi-generational leadership, what does that mean to you and what makes it so important and impactful? 

Multigenerational Leadership is more important now than ever. We have four fully functioning generations in the workplace (Baby Boomers, Gen-X, Millenials and Gen-Z), each with the current capacity to lead. The latter two generations bring a plethora of academic knowledge and skill sets that may be foreign to the former generations. We need leaders to be adaptable and understand the value in bi-directional learning among all generations. This mindset of “I've been here a long time, I know what I’m talking about, I know all there is to know”- that’s not going to work with the new generations coming in. It is important for us to recognize, we have to work together. Each generation has knowledge that others may not have. Now that they have exposure to one another will they actually take the time to learn from each other? 

I’m passionate about this bidirectional learning process and I think our industry and others should embrace what I consider bidirectional mentorship. The younger generation will have several older generations underneath them. It's important for everyone to see this as an opportunity to learn something new. Whether you’re managing me or I'm managing you, I bring something to the table that you haven't seen before and you bring something to the table I haven’t seen. 

What advice do you have for others who want to make it to leadership positions like yourself?

My first advice is to take accountability for your own development. Read relevant information about your industry and seek out formal and informal educational opportunities to solidify your knowledge and skill set. Most importantly, freely share what you learn with others. Be a value add to your organization, peers, clients, and vendors. The reward is self-sustaining. I also encourage everybody to learn to use their voice. I work with a lot of young people and one of the things that we work on specifically is using their voice. I give them that platform and provide them the power. They may very well become the manager of generations above them and if they’re looking at these generations as their parents then they’re not going to be able to get things done. Lift your voice as soon as possible, speak up, ask questions, get comfortable in that zone.

What needs to happen to help more women and other underrepresented groups get into tech and stay in tech?

Internally, I believe more women are embracing tech and courageously forging ahead to take their place here. For instance, take gaming. My daughters have been gamers since they were young. Gaming gave them exposure to the male dominated industry of technology very early on. It was something they loved, and gaming provided a culture in which they felt supported, developed a shared language and felt capable to compete. They learned how to navigate that space. Taking that attitude into corporate tech may give women an edge to enter the space with confidence. Of course, building that confidence is only one piece of the puzzle.

Externally, leaders and tech professionals need to support through mentoring opportunities. As leaders, we must find ways to support individuals through ‘sponsorship’. It is our obligation to embrace the next generation and ensure they have the tools to sustain the future. Lastly, inclusivity, mentorship and sponsorship should be ingrained in the culture of organizations to support women in tech. Women are essential to the diverse perspectives required for sustainable success in tech.

Who helped you rise to this role and how do you pay it forward?

I’m an analyst and a strategist. The two individuals who own this company allowed me to touch every facet of their business. Because of that exposure, I was able to see any area that I might be interested in, marketing, operations, accounting, and eventually, technology. I developed their system for them. This industry is so unique because you can develop tech from scratch. I have to bring my success back to my resilience and grit because if you don’t have that, opportunities can fall flat. You have to want it. I’m so inspired by my amazing daughters who have always told me that excellence is non-stop. Success takes grit, resilience, strategy, and just a little bit of luck.

How do you hire? What do you look for in people?

I hire transparently. We spend eight or more hours of our daily lives working. A good fit is essential. That means a willingness to ask and answer uncomfortable questions from both sides of the table. It is not enough to simply qualify on paper – it is important for both sides to be fully aware of their shared values and to be transparent about the areas that require improvement. Throughout my career, I have interviewed and hired hundreds of candidates and have had the opportunity to ask those dreadful questions like, “How would your co-workers describe you if they knew the information would never get back to you?” or “Name a weakness that needs improvement but is still a struggle?” I find these questions to be helpful to understand how well candidates are able to be transparent and vulnerable and I am often waiting for the candidate to pose these questions right back at me when I ask “So, Is there anything you want to ask me?”