If i were to tell you that the Warehouse Manager could be the most valuable employee at a company would you be shocked? I’m sure that your first immediate reaction is, “Are you kidding? ” How could a Warehouse guy, who probably only makes $10. 00- $15. 00 /hr, be the Most valuable Employee at a company? What about Sales? What about the big wigs that are making the 6 figure salaries?
Well, if you are in tuned with your position, hop over to this site understand the company, and are staying up to date with related Supply Chain & Logistic information that pertains to your company, this is not hard to imagine. I had the good fortune to work with a variety of different personalities while I was a courier at Federal Express, from the janitor to the CEO. I had the pleasure of meeting a gentleman who very much impressed me.
The gentleman’s name was Mark, and he was not your typical “Warehouse Guy”. He made the effort to learn about his company’s business. Not just the typical, “what they make, what they do, or who his customers were… ” But Mark new his position well. He had very detailed instructions to the other employees as to how to get the job done in the event he took some time off. He also had a passion for working in the warehouse. Mark read so much about Supply Chain & Logistics that his manager asked him, would he be interested in going after a Supply Chain Certificate. Although, there was never promise of a pay raise, he became very excited about the opportunity. He looked upon it as a way to broaden his horizons, and become more of an attribute to his company. Although I couldn’t see the actual effects at first, I could tell in him, that his responsibilities and functions were changing. Instead of him being on the docks, working hard, he was now in an office behind computers, working just as hard. Instead of him, busting through piles of boxes, I began noticing that his box pile was ever so dramatically decreasing, and becoming spread out throughout the week. When i asked him about this, he smiled and said, “I’ve been experimenting with J. I. T. (just in time management) so that I can try to alleviate some of this massive inventory we have on our hands. “
When the sales staff was invited to Las vegas to celebrate their company’s huge 5 million dollar year, the CEO asked Mark to join. Mark graciously accepted, and upon his trip was presented with the companies Most valuable Employee award. WOW! For a “Warehouse guy”? That’s right!
Now can everybody be a Mark? Maybe, or maybe not… But the idea is, that if you can take a vested interest in your company’s business, start diving in and learning more about your supply chain, you can raise your status within the company, and gain importance by way of production and results, the way Mark did. In today’s drudging economy, holding down a job is not a given(The average Supply Chain Manager makes between $94, 114-$110, 305. ) On last communication, Mark is now helping a fortune 500 company in a Supply Chain Manager role. He has achieved several SCM certificates, and has developed a staff that truly understands how to get the most out of their supply chain. He has instituted a program that requires his employees to obtain a company-paid certificate, as his belief is that, if he can build character in his people, they in turn will take pride in their duties. He often says, “Run the business as if it were your own, and then and only then, will you make the right decisions, and learn from the wrong ones. ” He has sought out, and put to use a third party Solution, that allows him to utilize Supply Chain Optimization to the utmost. He knows where all of his money is going, and he understands the flow of his inventory.
Get the notion out of your head that “I’m just a Warehouse guy”. If i had a nickel for every time I would hear this I’d be sipping Mai Tai’s with Donald Trump somewhere in the Bahamas. Never forget that you, and your product, are a major contributor to a $240 billion dollar a year industry.
Become more than a “Warehouse guy”, build yourself as a valued contributor to your companies success. Remember, within your position, there are endless opportunities to help your company thrive in this economy. When you show this value to your employers, they will see that, not only can they not afford to lose your expertise, but that they will soon need to provide more incentives for you to stay. It’s hard to find a solid employee, especially one that can add value to a supply chain.
Earl White is a National Account Manager, with One Stop Logistics a third party Logistics company based out of Watsonville, Ca. He has been in Sales for over 15 years and works with many sales reps to help them gain better footing when it comes to the elusive practice of working with clients. He enjoys being able to pass on many of the skills he has learned from Top Salesman in the industry.
