Several weeks ago, during our Charlotte Regional, I was struck that two senior industry veterans said essentially the same thing about their work, "I love talking to my customers. I hate talking to my company". Amazing. They compete with external supply chains and die inside company silos.
AAPN members love the slide we use in presentations that shows the 'connect the dots' supply chain - all those links, the interconnection, the companies. But what about the retailer or the brand? How many dots do they have? Although all companies compete as supply chains, most still work within their silos, blocked from the enlightenment of others within their own company. The following article argues about how to overcome this restraint. I believe it was a former HP CEO who once said, "If we knew what we know, we'd be three times bigger".
To overcome this requires stamina. Someone has to be in charge with the liberty to be ruthless. Someone has to pay for it because it will cost. There has to be a stable process that works because otherwise people will give up.
Reading the following article early this morning, one definition in it struck me - is AAPN an 'adhesive'? I think we are!
Cross-Silo Leadership
HBR: MAY–JUNE 2019
Though most executives recognize the importance of breaking down silos to help people collaborate across boundaries, they struggle to make it happen. That’s understandable: It is devilishly difficult. Think about your own relationships at work—the people you report to and those who report to you, for starters. Now consider the people in other functions, units, or geographies whose work touches yours in some way. Which relationships get prioritized in your day-to-day job?
We’ve posed that question to managers, engineers, salespeople, and consultants in companies around the world. The response we get is almost always the same: vertical (not horizontal) relationships. Read More