Last Friday, the Supply Chain and Operations Association (SCOA) hosted a professional seminar for MBA students to learn career advice from an seasoned supply chain professional: John Visser, Vice President of International Logistics at doTERRA. John previously served as Vice President of International Transportation for Walmart, where he was responsible for leading teams that provide strategic direction, talent development, process efficiency expertise and cost reduction support to international markets. He has also served in various logistics and sourcing roles in the US and abroad in Tokyo, Shenzhen, and extensively across Latin America.
He shared with us what a typical day on the job looks like, as well as what some atypical days dealing with gang members working at one of his sites. We walked away with five key insights to keep in mind as we start new careers in supply chain:
- Be all in: Demonstrate your passion by always coming with questions to ask and ideas to share. Make your presence known in the first five minutes of a meeting.
- Counsel with your team: Recognize that your people are your best asset. Show respect for their opinions.
- Maintain life-work harmony: Take care of yourself physically, spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. As a manager, recognize the impact you have on people’s lives. As an employee, take precautions to not let your stress at work effect your family.
- Execute: No matter how nice you are or how hard you work, you need to get stuff done. Don’t confuse efforts with results. Follow through on whatever you said you’ll do.
- Integrity: Decide ahead of time that you won’t accept bribes. Don’t talk bad about your colleagues behind their backs. You will be measured in your moment of weakness.