I’m pleased to welcome guest blogger Jason Wheeler, CPIM, CSCP, to “Thinking Supply Chain.” Wheeler is Process Improvement Engineer, Warehouse Operations for Roche Diagnostics Operations and the former APICS chair-elect.

Leaders from nations across the globe are gathered in New York City to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. With an impressive agenda and an equally impressive list of speakers, including Pope Francis, US President Barack Obama, and Chinese President Xi, the United Nations is taking on the issues that confront humanity today.

A couple of weeks ago, I attended GC+15, the United Nations Global Compact conference in New York. While it was gratifying to see how businesses, governments, investors, business associations, universities and the United Nations are working together toward a sustainable and inclusive global economy, it is clear that the major effort remains in front of us.

Last week I had the opportunity to spend time with executives of small and mid-sized manufacturing companies in the greater Louisville, Kentucky area. I was invited to speak at the Metro Manufacturing Alliance (MMA) annual summit at Ivy Tech Community College in Sellersburg, Indiana. My speech focused on workforce development and how important it is for small and mid-sized manufacturers to invest in developing a “farm team” of talented workers who can contribute to the long-term success of companies.

In 2013, I made it a priority to attend more conferences. Since I started working with APICS in 2007, I skipped my own industry conferences to immerse myself in the world of supply chain. I needed to learn about supply chain and why it is critical to business success. I needed to meet supply chain professionals. I needed to understand the various organizations that serve you in the APICS community. Additionally, I still spend a lot of time on the road meeting with APICS partners and customers to understand their perspectives and needs. In the office, my days are packed with managing planning, budgets, people, and more. I have a busy work and personal life, and I know many of you relate.

Jeremy Gutsche was one of the general session speakers at APICS 2013. In anticipation of meeting him in Orlando, I had been spending some time “getting to know him” through his hugely popular website Trendhunter.com. As the site states: “With 40 million monthly views, TrendHunter.com is the world’s largest, most popular trend community.”

In March 2013, I picked up a study conducted by Deloitte and the Manufacturing Institute (MI) titled “Untapped Resource: How manufacturers can attract, retain, and advance talented women.”

There is no doubt social media is changing the way we personally and professionally relate to the world and to supply chain and operations management. In the last eight months, APICS hosted two world cafés exploring the impact of social media on supply chain management.

Defining the total scope of supply chain management—as an association professional, advocating for supply chain professionals—is one of my biggest challenges.

In April 2013, I returned from a truly extraordinary trip to Mumbai for the APICS Asia Supply Chain & Operations Management 2013 conference. We were really pleased with the outcomes. It was a 360-degree educational experience and the participants, speakers, and APICS staff all learned so much.

When this post was originally written on April 1, 2013, I was on my way to Mumbai, India for the 3rd annual APICS Asia Supply Chain & Operations Conference, April 4– 5. Traveling and working in India is a privilege that comes with my job. It also comes with much responsibility for APICS.

The bold headline on the P&G site reads “Connect+Develop.” If you haven’t been there, you need to go. The site is designed to attract partners with whom P&G can collaborate to deliver innovative solutions to the marketplace.

I drink fair trade coffee. Until this weekend, I never thought too much about it. On Saturday I started reading The Practitioner’s Guide to Governance as Leadership, by Cathy A. Trower. Richard Chait, professor emeritus, Harvard Graduate School of Education, writes in the foreword that governance practiced at the highest level allows boards to “find, frame, and focus on matters of paramount importance to the organization’s current and future welfare.” That got me thinking.

I am about to embark into dangerous territory – at least for me – and make a sports analogy. Innovation is about field goals and touchdowns. Both can add up to victory. At least that is how I am summarizing comments to my last post. Bob Trent, Paul Pittman, and Chet Frame write about the process of continuous improvement creating a culture of innovation. It’s about the discipline and, as Chet says, “the daily commitment to working better.” Field goals.

"I am starting to cringe when I see the word innovation. I have placed this word on a list of terms that I maintain that are so overused that they begin to lose their meaning." I know where Bob Trent, who commented on my last post, is coming from.

Winning, earning profits, or creating customer value: What is the best focus for developing supply chain strategy? Commenting on my last post, Joe Wikowski points out Michael Porter might disagree with A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin’s emphasis on winning as the foundation for developing strategy.

Consumer package goods (CPG) companies, such as Unilever and Procter & Gamble, have earned a special kind of admiration in the supply chain world. They are targeting emerging middle class markets and it is their supply chain strategy that makes this a profitable—and enviable—business. Supply chain leaders across a variety of industries and marketplaces want insight into CPGs supply chain strategy.

Dan Castle is a true APICS success story. A longtime member, instructor, and leader, he made a very bold professional transition in 2009 and became the chief quality officer for Tata Communications in India. Dan recently transferred to Tata Quality Management Services, a division of Tata Sons, and he is charged with helping to set standards of excellence to achieve improvement goals across Tata enterprises.

Your comments after my last post, which I greatly appreciate, reminded me of an interesting meeting I had a few years ago. The group was discussing strategy and linkages between corporate strategy and supply chain and operations strategy.

Ask anyone in the field and they will tell you successful supply chain and operations management professionals are skilled planners who know what needs to be done to accomplish their objectives. Tactics are important, they get the job done.