Great leadership has little to do with technical or educational knowledge - Take a risk!

In 2008, after twelve years with Whirlpool Corporation in various engineering capacities, I embarked on a new and exciting adventure into infant formula with Mead Johnson Nutrition.  At the time, I believed that my analytical skills would translate and help me in my new endeavor in capacity planning, but worried that I would lack critical management skills, specific to my new industry.  Within just a few short weeks, I was already actively contributing to various problem-solving sessions and offering suggestions for improvement.  After only a few months, I was tasked with development of a new, global master planning role and leading supply chain projects.  In six short years, I mastered four separate roles within first planning and then regional and global purchasing. This was very reaffirming. It greatly enhanced my self-assurance and enabled me to start to see myself, not just as a competent engineer and project manager, but also as a leader.

Examining Peter Drucker’s premise that “only 10% of management has to be fitted to the organizations specific missions, its specific cultures, its specific history and its specific vocabulary” absolutely supports my personal experience and journey.  I believe that the 90%, which Drucker describes in “Management Challenges for the 21^st Century” as generic, meaning no real differences in tasks and challenges, are apt to be basic tactical skills, applicable to all industries and occupations, and most importantly to leadership.  In essence, I believe that Drucker is supporting what I have learned first-hand, management is about applying good fundamental learning and knowledge, mixed with excellent leadership attributes, and very little about the specific industry, education or occupation that you pursue.

This was further demonstrated when I transitioned to Berry Global in 2015. Tasked with creating a global integrated planning solution to improve customer service while optimizing inventory investment, it was my first foray into a holistic approach to supply chain management. Previously, I had lead in more tactical, subject matter roles that required a deep understanding of the specific function, be it manufacturing, planning or sourcing.  As part of the Integrated Planning Center of Excellence, I found that I was required to leverage not just my first-hand knowledge of supply planning, but, more importantly, to communicate a message, a shared vision for improvement, for what the future could look like if everyone worked together. 

In “What Makes a Leader” by Daniel Goleman, he writes, “It’s not that IQ and technical skills are irrelevant.  They do matter, but mainly as ‘threshold capabilities’; that is they are the entry-level requirements for executive positions.” (2004)   I believe this is exactly what Drucker is alluding to when he asserts that managing a Roman Catholic dioceses is amazingly similar to running a retail chain.  Specific technical knowledge is important but only as an order qualifier to borrow a term from marketing.  What makes the management professional successful is his leadership ability.

Too often, we choose to be imprisoned by our background: what we have studied or where we have worked.  Beyond this, too many companies fail to realize that diversity is not just about gender or race.  Rather, a keen understanding that great leadership has little to do with technical or educational knowledge, helps both employees and businesses to capture diversity of thought, approach, understanding, and experience by venturing beyond traditional candidates.  Why can’t I hire someone from industrial controls who has demonstrated great leadership by implementing an IoT project even if I am a packaging supplier? Why can’t I put my name in for a supply chain strategy position in healthcare if my background is white goods? Fundamentally, we need/want leaders who can energize us, champion change, and take our business to the next level.  Success is not measured by the check boxes on your resume, but rather by your accomplishments, the tangible actions, activities or results that you nurtured.

 In closing, I issue the following challenge to both employee and employer:

1. Look outside of your current industry for energetic, progressive, and dynamic employees/employers.
2. Focus on diversity of experience.  Our experiences are defined not just by our gender and race, but also our geography, cultural influences, education, and work history.
3. Do not be afraid to take a risk. Stretch yourself by considering a change of industry or function.  Stretch your company by considering someone with a proven track record, but without deep subject matter expertise.

Christine (Reed) Barnhart 

REFERENCES
Drucker, P. (n.d.). Management Challenges for the 21^st Century.  Harper Collins Publishers, Inc.
Goleman, D. (2004) What makes a leader? Harvard Business Review