MHI Solutions Improving Supply Chain Performance
There might not be anything more valuable in business than true perspective. If you don’t have it as a leader—if your view is blinkered and narrow—then your work will suffer, as will your business. On the flip side, those who are able to gain a clear‑eyed view of their field and the broader world around them will forever improve and help their organization improve with them.
You can’t get that kind of perspective staying insulated and only looking inward. You need to actively engage and be curious with the larger community, and I often have found that kind of community with peers and partners in industry organizations like MHI. They have provided me with meaningful ways to hold the kind of compelling conversations that can shift my perspective and broaden my understanding of the critical issues of the day.
Personal Growth Alongside Industry Advocacy
I have been fortunate enough to be involved in a range of groups both within MHI, such as the industry roundtable and the CEO network, and outside MHI, the Young Presidents Organization, that have offered access to communities of fellow professionals that inspire me. A common theme that links all these groups is the value of both personal growth and learning to build better teams and organizations.
When you surround yourself with people who are in strong leadership positions, and you trade your views on leadership, you learn from each other in impactful ways. It leads you to routinely challenge yourself with the question, “How do I become the best leader I can be?” Hearing real‑life examples from peers—hearing their stories—has prompted me many times to reflect on my path and my decision‑making. It drives me to be better. It’s impossible to have these discussions and then be content to simply be “good enough”—you’ll want to be great.
As these communities push us personally, they also push our businesses. One of my biggest takeaways from my involvement with MHI is the necessity of building a culture of continuous improvement in your organization. You have to get better every day. That’s something that we’ve done our best to instill in our people—and our organization—at UNEX Manufacturing. In the current marketplace, you don’t have a choice.
In the best communities like MHI, personal growth aligns naturally with industry advocacy. Since the pandemic, the supply chain industry has been in the spotlight like never before. That has made it particularly important for those of us in the field to be willing to put on our “industry hat” and work to advocate for our entire industry and not just our individual organizations. You can’t rely on telling that story on your own. You need help. Having MHI and the community that it has built allows us to tell our story in ways that resonate.
In the case of MHI, the service that each of us provides the organization with our time and commitment is paid back many times over with the benefits that we receive from our participation. That balance is also true and instructive for how we, as businesses, can engage with our communities. As we bring a sense of service to our communities—collaborating with schools, fellow businesses and a variety of community‑focused organizations—we benefit from that outreach with a dedicated workforce and a supportive region that takes our health and well‑being seriously.
Understanding Where Our World is Headed
I don’t think the rate of change that we face today has ever been this fast. Sophisticated technological solutions are transforming our industry—and then transforming it again. Without help, it can feel impossible to keep track of these transformations and to view them with any clarity. Fortunately, the networks that emerge from strong communities help us get a handle on it with confidence.