Tracey Raimondo CITT
Vice President, Logistics
Normandin Transit Inc.
Napierville, QC

   After more than 15 years of running her own successful logistics operation, Tracey Raimondojoined Normandinwhere she now heads up the logistics department for the Quebec-based firm. She says joining a management team after her years of owning her own company has allowed her to see what it takes to maintain and motivate staff.
   When we sold our company to Normandin, it was an interesting transition for us. You could say that we went from being owners to employees. Joining a larger executive team was a big decision, but the company offered an environment that reflected our own belief in teamwork and respecting each employee’s interests and needs. The power of this approach is obvious when you consider that 80 to 90 per cent of the people on staff at Normandin have been here at least seven years.
   Whether you are an independent operator, or part of a larger company, it is important for leaders to recognize individual personalities. They must create an environment that accommodates their people in a way that draws on the strength of their personalities and skills.
   This has been especially important for a company like Normandin, since it has gone through very rapid growth in the past 10 years. In fact it was ranked fourth among the top 50 companies in Quebec for creating the largest number of jobs in the last five years.
   With 330 employees, it is perhaps easier for us to accommodate individual styles. We are able to listen to what our employees have to say firsthand. Managers and executives make it a point to be in the middle of the action, accessible to everyone, and always ready to hear about their day-to-day challenges and ideas.
   Our business can expect a number of challenges in the months to come. The weakening U.S. dollar and the rising cost of fuel, for example, are just some of the many issues that will have a serious impact on our industry. What we can’t afford is to take our people for granted. Leaders need to focus on going the extra mile for their people to make sure they are happy and actively engaged in the company’s success.

Don Borsk
Chief Operating Officer Metro Retail
Supply Chain Solutions
Toronto, Ontario

   With more than 25 years of logistics experience in all aspects of the retail industry – from store level to 3PL – Don Borskhas extensive know ledge of what it will take to drive supply chain success in the future. A key element in creating the leaders of tomorrow is understanding the foundations we need to put in place today.
   Technology change is pretty much a common theme when you talk to industry professionals about labour shortages these days. It is increasingly evident that we require a different level of skill sets than before. Unfortunately, given that just about every other industry out there is going through the same technology evolution, we’re all chasing the same talent. When you ask what we think of as technology in our warehouses, we tend to think in terms of computers, inventory control techniques and the drive for quality. Obviously there is a need for people who can handle these complexities moving forward.
   But coupled with that are the qualities that we tend to overlook: that is, the intuitive skills that come with experience. In other words, the common sense stuff we as leaders learned over the past two or three decades. It is what allows us to recognize good distribution centre practices and understand what is right or wrong. I’ve often found that management may be educated on theoretical practices, but often has difficulty grasping those important basics.
   In order to get the level of expertise at the higher level, we must put more focus on lower level education. There is a strong need to understand and improve the quality of many of the basic training requirements. We must also be able to benchmark skills in order to understand their value. Our role as leaders is to put together a set of standards and accreditation programs so that employees can judge the quality of those programs, and employers can, in turn, judge the quality of the employees they hire.
   While many are focused on the higher levels when it comes to recruitment and retention, they would be better served to put more effort in lower level jobs. By far, the majority of jobs in the supply chain industry are at non-management levels. More importantly, we need to ensure that the supply chain industry presents a recognized and appealing career path for the generations to come.

Arthur Mesher
Chief Executive Officer
The Descartes Systems Group Inc.
Waterloo, Ontario

   Art Mesher joined Descartes in 1998 and assumed the role of CEO in 2004. Before joining the company he played a leadership role in a number of logistics initiatives, and believes that an important aspect of good leadership is the ability to support teams in transition.
  Over the years, Descartes has been involved in a number of acquisitions. I’m pleased to say that we’ve had an extremely successful track record when it comes to maintaining and integrating the leadership talent that comes with that. In fact, since I joined, of the 16 companies we acquired, only one founder bowed out of the organization.
   We’re especially proud of that track record given that founders and management teams are often resistant to the idea of integrating with a new and larger entity. Entrepreneurship by its nature does not lend itself to adapting to changing business models. At the same time, it is that energy and enthusiasm that is so valuable to logistics operations today.
   The ability to orchestrate a successful transition speaks to two key elements of strong leadership. One is commitment. A strong leader simply won’t walk out the door and leave their people to fend for themselves. For the most part the management teams that have joined us have been 100% committed to helping their people transition to a new business model.
   The other is vision. Everyone who has joined Descartes is in synch with our commitment to the concept of ONE (one networked enterprise) serving a global logistics network. They realize the value of dealing with a strong company that is focused on customer service and expanding our global presence.
   In any integration effort, narcissistic or heavy-handed CEO behaviour simply won’t lend itself to fostering change. We can’t afford to forget that underneath every strong founder and/or key personnel of a successful company is a group of really good people. That means when primary management does decide to step aside, there is a strong “underbelly” of really strong, qualified people to take up the reins. The key is to harness that next generation that sits underneath those top managers by offering open communication, training and support. Only then can we create a business that is much more than the sum of its parts for years to come.