Reverse Logistics - Logistics Quarterly

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Hiring Time DOES THIS SOUND FAMILIAR? You need to hire for a key position so you call your recruiter.Soon you have resumes and profiles for several candidates.You set up a few interviews then postpone them when the president calls about another problem.You make an entry in your PDA, reminding you to reschedule the interviews.But you have several meetings scheduled already, so you put off the calls for another week. By the time you look at the resumes again, several of the candidates have moved on to other things. Now you are forced to choose between working with what is left or starting all over.And you are still short on staff and shorter on time for hiring. Do you hire the next person who walks into your office? Everyone who hires has made a hiring mistake. Most managers responsible for hiring have at least one nightmare story of the bad hire they made because they did not have, or did not follow, a rigorous process. They know from experience that their ‘gut feeling’ cannot always be trusted. Recruiters, on the other hand, often write articles saying that managers hire too slowly: the best candidates do not have to wait because they have a number of opportunities from which to choose. It is genuinely frustrating to send a company the perfect candidate,only to watch that candidate go elsewhere because the company would not make the time to make a decision. Excellence always has other options. Obviously,it is difficult enough to find one great candidate for a position without having to find two or three more because you let the great one get away.The key to hiring success is not only to find the right candidate, but to recognize him or her and make the hire at the right time. It is worth taking the steps necessary to recognize a great candidate, and then moving quickly to secure his or her place with your company. Sylvia Bordignon, Human Resources Manager at Challenger Motor Freight, knows that her company’s success depends on the quality of their hiring process. “It’s a fast paced environment and we are growing.We’re not just replacing people.We are hiring new people all the time.Everyone in this company understands that our hiring process is important.” With the support of senior executives, Bordignon has developed a rigorous process that identifies technical skills 36 LQ winter 2003/2004 When it comes time to make the leap to a new job, will you and the company be ready? In this article the importance of timing is identified as one of the critical components in the process. By Dr. Lynn Ferguson & Ross Reimer and cultural fit within a tight time frame.“Nobody can guarantee success,” says Bordignon,“But we do not let great candidates walk away because we did not identify them quickly enough.” The process at Challenger has three key components:interviewing, personality testing, and reference checking. The effectiveness of each component depends on how well it is done and on how well it is integrated with the other two. For instance, interviewing is usually done by two interviewers (Bordignon and the manager hiring) using the same questions for each candidate. Following each interview, the two interviewers compare notes and rank the candidates. Bordignon then moves on to test the evaluation produced by the interview. She explains, "From the interview process we have a particular picture of the candidate. We realize there are more aspects that we do not know and require more information.The next step in the process is to give the candidate a scientifically well-validated personality test(s) to complete.After reviewing the results and checking the references we have a more complete picture of the candidate." What if they do not have enough time for the whole process? Bordignon explains that Challenger never compromises their process. She will speed things up a little if a candidate has a competing offer on the table, but every step needs full attention.“I might push to get the psychologist’s report more quickly, or clear time more quickly to check resumes. But we always respect our process. That’s why it works for us.”The normal time between the interview and a decision is only a week at Challenger; in special circumstances,that can be reduced to several days.“We try to get all the interviews for one position done within a few days.That way we can make good comparisons and get back to the candidates quickly. Sometimes it’s hard, but it’s worth it.” What if you do not have a staff that includes a human resources specialist like Sylvia Bordignon? You can learn from Challenger’s process.Work with a recruiter to find good candidates and evaluate them for skills and behavior through a process that gives you a range of perspectives and feedback.“Our managers are committed to the process because they have seen it work,”says Bordignon.“Once you know that you can identify great people (and avoid mistakes), it is easier to make the time to hire the right way.” LogisticsQuarterly.com
Leadership in Logistics How does an organization respond to the speed of today’s ever changing market conditions and customer requirements? How does an effective leader manage with the speed and agility required for an organization to be successful? They say the speed of the leader determines the speed of the pack, and here are some thoughts to help you stand out and compete. A Personal Approach Leadership is, by its very nature, a personalized approach to an oncoming situation or new opportunity. Leadership is both unique and individual. No two leaders or situations are the same and consequently an approach that may be effective for one leader may not be for another. Leadership in logistics demands a strong vision and commitment, as well as a strategy that can be effectively executed to achieve success.In many ways, as a consulting specialist in Supply Chain Logistics, providing leadership is a critical success factor while working with organizations to develop strategies, plan, implement solutions and solve business problems. Leadership is also required to identify and develop the strategies and skills required to undertake transformational organizational change that is sustainable. As I reflected upon leadership approaches that have been both successful and unsuccessful during my career, I realized this article was a great opportunity to develop a personalized leadership plan that I could use as a basis for continuous improvement, as well as share with professional colleagues. A Leadership Plan Leadership and logistics are both such complex issues.What is the most important aspect of leadership, and what core competencies do logisticians need to effectively and efficiently lead a team? Many skills are needed that can be integrated and used in a wide range of situations. How could I share my perspective on leadership in a way that would have an impact? The LogisticsQuarterly.com By Heather Cartwright answer lies in the same approach needed to eat an elephant….one piece at a time, and to my mind, in a well-planned and well-executed approach. I also wanted to present my personal perspective so it could be easily remembered. Word rhymes worked when we were kids, and were fun to do - if my twelve-yearold daughter can write songs, surely I could put together a word rhyme. And this, fellow logisticians is how the L-E-A-D-E-R-S-H-I-P in Logistics Plan for this article was born. Skills for Success L is for logical thinking. Effective leaders in logistics must determine needs of customers and suppliers quickly and effectively,assessing the costs and benefits to determine the best course of action to meet these needs. E is for excellence. Customers will not accept less than excellence in the quality of the products and services they choose to select from the global marketplace. Leaders must strive for relentless quality, while understanding that continuous improvement is a process, and making wise decisions about the acceptable levels of quality while managing cost effectively. A is for anticipating change. Situations change, people change, everything changes. To be effective leaders, we must be proactive, anticipating challenges, actively managing people and situations, and ultimately striving for win-win outcomes. INSTITUTE NOTEBOOK D is for decision-making. We have to be able to make decisions, without complete information, perhaps without even desirable information. Empathy for, and confidence in, others, as well as experience and intuition, can help us with decisions which may impact people’s lives and livelihood. E is for ethics. We must have strong ethics and values, lead with dignity and respect, gain and maintain confidence from our team. Without strong ethics, leaders are ultimately replaced by those who are more worthy and democratic in the world we live in today. LQ winter 2003/2004 37
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Page 6 and 7: One America, One Vision Changing co
Page 9 and 10: JIM ELLIS B.Sc., P.Log., FCAM, CM i
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Page 17 and 18: Making Sense of the New Hours of Se
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Page 27 and 28: Introduction Traditionally, supply
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Page 31 and 32: CONQUER NEW MARKETS WITH ONE CALL.
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Page 43 and 44: Making An Investment in Learning Th
Page 45 and 46: A COMMENTARY: Changing the Landscap

Reverse Logistics - Logistics Quarterly

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