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IDEAS FOR LEADERSHIP IN LOGISTICS AND TRANSPORTATION ©<br />
Volume 15, Issue 2, 2009<br />
LogisticsQuarterly.com<br />
Molly DuBois,<br />
Vice President,Transportation,<br />
C.H. Robinson Worldwide Inc.<br />
<strong>PM40032602</strong><br />
Aimee Abengoza, Leader, Agility Logistics<br />
Cruise Line & Marine Logistics<br />
Pamela S. Benkert, General Manager,<br />
WW Operations and Vice President,<br />
Consumer Digital Group, Eastman Kodak<br />
Elsie Blauwhoff, C.P.P.,<br />
Corporate Procurement, Apotex<br />
Rick Blasgen, President and CEO, CSCMP<br />
Valerie Bonebrake, Senior Vice President,<br />
Global Supply Chain Services, Tompkins Associates<br />
David J. Closs, PhD, LQ Executive Editor,<br />
Michigan State University<br />
Bruce Danielson, Executive<br />
Communications Manager, UPS<br />
Jim Davidson, CEO, Wheels Group<br />
Melissa Gracey, President, DTA Services<br />
Bill Graves, President and CEO,<br />
American Trucking Associations<br />
Mark Humphlett, Director of Solutions<br />
Marketing–Supply Chain, Infor<br />
Ann-Marie McIntosh, General Manager<br />
Small Business & Retail Division, Purolator<br />
Michael J. Mikitka, CMP, CAE,<br />
Executive Director, WERC<br />
Diane A. Mollenkopf, PhD,<br />
Associate Professor, PhD Program in Logistics,<br />
University of Tennessee<br />
Tom Nightingale, Vice President,<br />
CMO, Con-way Inc.<br />
Chris Norek, PhD, Founder and Senior Partner,<br />
Chain Connectors, Inc.<br />
Susan L. Oaks, Vice President, A. T. Kearney<br />
Susan Promane, Director of Supply Chain,<br />
Whirlpool Canada<br />
Michael Regan, CEO and Chairman of the Board,<br />
TranzAct Technologies, Inc.<br />
Tracey Raimondo, CITT,<br />
Vice President Logistics, Normandin Transit<br />
Della Sanders, Vice President of<br />
Safety and Compliance, Werner Enterprises<br />
Nicholas Seiersen, B.Sc. (Hons.), M.B.A., P. Log.,<br />
LQ Executive Editor, Senior Manager, KPMG<br />
Kate Vitasek, Founder and CEO,<br />
Supply Chain Visions<br />
Ellen Voie, President, Women in Trucking, Inc.<br />
Kelley Walkup, Division Vice-President and<br />
General Manager, ACS Expedited Solutions<br />
Women In<br />
Supply Chain<br />
Management<br />
(WomenInSCM.com)
W o m e n I n S u p p l y C h a i n M a n a g e m e n t<br />
A Conversation With Molly DuBois,<br />
Vice President, Transportation, C.H. Robinson Worldwide Inc.<br />
Questions for LQ’s Executive Interview Series have been prepared by members of LQ’s Board and friends of LQ.<br />
LQ: Companies continue to outsource<br />
critical supply chain functions<br />
and business processes.<br />
What do you see is the future to<br />
managing these critical relationships<br />
so that true partnerships<br />
evolve? (Kate Vitasek, Founder, Supply<br />
Chain Visions)<br />
Molly DuBois: Trust, commitment<br />
and open communication are critical<br />
to business relationships, both<br />
when times are good and when<br />
times are challenging. Dedication<br />
and exceptional service are things<br />
that we as a company spend a lot of<br />
time talking about, and we believe<br />
our service commitment differentiates<br />
C.H. Robinson Worldwide from<br />
other companies. It is important<br />
that we continue to create value<br />
and to improve upon our services<br />
to meet our customers’ overall<br />
objectives.<br />
From a logistics perspective, there are long-term relationships<br />
between our shippers and our contract carriers,<br />
and our role is to engage with both. We are continuously<br />
developing our relationships. Having the right people<br />
to develop those lines of trust to maintain constant<br />
communication is extremely important: we would not be<br />
in business if we did not have solid, long-term, mutually<br />
beneficial relationships with the 50,000 contract carriers<br />
we work with—we are dependent on their profitability<br />
and success. We view these relationships as a key ingredient<br />
to our long-term success.<br />
We know the current market is especially difficult for<br />
many carriers and shippers. It’s vital to our company, and<br />
to North America’s supply chains, that the trucking community<br />
remains healthy. We work hard every day to find<br />
ways to help our contract carriers and shippers so that<br />
they can be successful and grow their businesses. Our<br />
overall goal is to make sure we all<br />
succeed in the long run.<br />
LQ: In these tough economic times,<br />
what do you see are the most<br />
important things a company can<br />
do? (Kate Vitasek)<br />
Molly DuBois: In this environment,<br />
everyone is looking for opportunities<br />
to create greater efficiencies<br />
and cut costs. Our business model<br />
continues to add value, improve<br />
efficiencies and invest in the longterm<br />
success of our customers, contract<br />
carriers, employees and communities.<br />
It’s about being responsive,<br />
flexible and visible, and about<br />
having a sense of urgency in everything<br />
that you do. Also, you can’t<br />
sacrifice or skimp on the things that<br />
you do well. It’s about continuing<br />
to maintain the same service and<br />
value that you’ve always brought<br />
to the table—even during tough<br />
times. Above all, you must be true to your word.<br />
LQ: What members of your management team (if any) are<br />
involved in your long-range planning? (Ellen Voie, President,<br />
Women in Trucking, Inc.)<br />
Molly DuBois: C.H. Robinson is decentralized and entrepreneurial<br />
in nature. We all have a stake in the company’s<br />
success. Therefore, our support in each other’s<br />
growth and planning must always be focused and<br />
unselfish. As a management team, we are open to any<br />
and all ideas our employees have; we believe that we<br />
have been successful for more than 100 years because of<br />
our people. They are motivated and dedicated to continuing<br />
to build customer and carrier relationships and<br />
identify new business opportunities. While the current<br />
environment is uniquely difficult, we remain confident in<br />
our long-term growth goals and opportunities because<br />
of the strength of our people, our business model, our<br />
12 LQ Volume 15, Issue 2, 2009<br />
LogisticsQuarterly.com
market potential and our performance-driven culture.<br />
LQ: American inventor Thomas Edison said, “Genius is<br />
one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.”<br />
Is this true of leadership? Or is leadership ninetynine<br />
percent inspiration and one percent perspiration?<br />
(Kate Vitasek)<br />
Molly DuBois: I honestly think it’s both. I don’t think that<br />
merely inspiring is going to get you everything you want.<br />
Sometimes we work very hard and don’t always see the<br />
results we expected to get. So it is a combination of<br />
inspiring, and then working hard, as individuals and as a<br />
team, to make things happen. Through the great leaders<br />
that C.H. Robinson has had in the past to the leaders of<br />
today, our employees continue to set high standards for<br />
service. The combination of leadership and our employees’<br />
ability to think strategically and then act has helped<br />
make us successful.<br />
LQ: As a leader, how do you strategize for the future, and<br />
what role does envisioning play for you, or within your<br />
organization? (Diane A. Mollenkopf, PhD, Associate Professor, Director,<br />
PhD Program in Logistics, Department of Marketing & Logistics,<br />
University of Tennessee)<br />
Molly DuBois: A lot of our vision is built on interacting and<br />
engaging with the business. We listen to what our<br />
employees, contract carriers and shippers tell us, which<br />
in turn helps us strategize for the future. Of course,<br />
things continue to change and force us to re-evaluate our<br />
priorities. Having a flexible business model, and being<br />
able to quickly adapt to changes in the marketplace, is<br />
key. There is more volatility today than ever. We feel<br />
great about the strength and depth of our team and the<br />
continued effectiveness of our business model.<br />
LQ: As women strive to get ahead, do you have any tips<br />
in an era when training budgets are being curtailed? (Tom<br />
Nightingale, Vice-President & CMO, Con-way Inc.)<br />
Molly DuBois: In the event you find yourself in a situation<br />
to take part in an event with little budget, consider paying<br />
for it out of pocket. If you believe it is the right investment,<br />
then you should feel confident that you will reap<br />
the benefits. I believe that if you choose to invest personally<br />
to gain additional education, join industry associations<br />
and community organizations, or attend conferences,<br />
it is well worth it. There are also many steps you<br />
can take to get yourself ahead that don’t really require a<br />
budget. One thing you can do is find a mentor—formal or<br />
informal—who is going to champion you in your efforts.<br />
Seek him or her out to provide you with open and honest<br />
feedback on your abilities and plans.<br />
Finally, just play the part; go out there, get involved<br />
and get exposure to new areas, knowledge and experiences.<br />
If you perform with confidence you will show that<br />
you are eager and willing to do what it takes to get<br />
ahead. What’s important is to be creative and innovative.<br />
Find new ways to meet your customers’ and managers’<br />
expectations.<br />
LQ: Are you mentoring or do you have a mentor?<br />
Molly DuBois: Throughout my 16 years at C.H. Robinson I<br />
have been fortunate to have many strong mentors that<br />
have helped me in my career. I felt so strongly about the<br />
value of mentoring that a colleague and I developed the<br />
Leadership Networking Circle, an informal group mentoring<br />
program. The C.H. Robinson Leadership Networking<br />
Circle is an internal peer-networking program designed to<br />
help develop and support women and nurture leadership.<br />
It encourages and assists women participants to increase<br />
their business interaction, develop relationships that<br />
align with our values and culture, share best practices,<br />
and focus on individual development. We are pleased that<br />
the program, which has been running for four years now,<br />
has shown great success year after year; on an annual<br />
basis, about 12 to 15 women participate. Employee<br />
engagement and retention is extremely high among the<br />
participants; their self-confidence has increased and several<br />
of them have been promoted to management roles as<br />
well as various leadership functions.<br />
There are also individuals whom I seek out within my<br />
current organization to assist me with my continued<br />
development. I also engage with a group of women outside<br />
of my company on a regular basis. These women<br />
work in my local market and are highly successful. I have<br />
found this is a great way to share experiences and seek<br />
insights and ideas on how to continue to focus on our<br />
development and careers. Additionally, I have had the<br />
opportunity to spend time with many of our employees,<br />
sharing stories and offering advice.<br />
LQ: How do you select mentors to help you in your logistics<br />
career? What advice do you have for selecting mentors?<br />
(Pamela Benkert, General Manager, WW Operations and Vice-<br />
President, Consumer Digital Group, Eastman Kodak)<br />
Molly DuBois: I have had several informal mentors<br />
throughout my career, and have taken every opportunity<br />
to learn from them.<br />
Some of the key characteristics I look for in a mentor<br />
are credibility, experience, a successful track record, and<br />
a willingness to give back to others.<br />
I have been fortunate to work for managers who recognized<br />
my drive to succeed through my work ethic and<br />
desire to make a difference, and they made a point to<br />
invest time in my development. This has been a great<br />
help in the past and continues to be today, as I appreciate<br />
the importance of having a champion.<br />
I have been able to reflect on a lot of advice that has<br />
been given to me throughout the years. One of the greatest<br />
pieces of advice I received came from one of the members<br />
of our board of directors who was speaking to a<br />
group of women at our organization two years ago, and<br />
her advice was: “play the part.” I have done just that at<br />
C.H. Robinson, and from that have found many new<br />
opportunities. I didn’t wait for somebody to tell me how<br />
to move forward; I stepped up, did the job and “played<br />
the part.” It required me to take risks, and I had to believe<br />
in myself when I wasn’t sure whether anybody else<br />
would. I realized that I would make mistakes, but I had to<br />
learn from them and move on.<br />
LogisticsQuarterly.com<br />
LQ Volume 15, Issue 2, 2009<br />
13
Resilience<br />
What do you need to endure today’s economic<br />
challenges? A stable transportation provider<br />
who can help you withstand the turbulence.<br />
As financial pressures weigh on companies<br />
large and small, C.H. Robinson is hard at work<br />
to help every customer control their costs. You<br />
can rely on us for more options, better strategies,<br />
and practical solutions—everything you need to<br />
maintain maximum efficiency.<br />
resilience@chrobinson.com | 800.323.7587<br />
©2009 C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. All Rights Reserved.