One of the most difficult things to do in the Walmart Supplier industry, particularly in Bentonville, is to make sure that you have the right people in the right jobs.  If your initial reaction is, “Thanks Captain Obvious,” or some other less polite version involving Sherlock Holmes, I totally get it, but stick with me!  When I took on my first role in leadership, I felt bound by the defined roles, titles, and people who sat in those roles. I have since discovered a little creativity, flexibility and a lot of diversity of thought and talent make all the difference in building and developing a successful and happy team.  I want to share a couple of realizations that I have experienced from various leadership roles throughout my career that have benefitted me and my teams greatly.

A great lesson I have learned is to be quick to change your organizational structure and peoples’ responsibilities while patient and cautious in terminating their employment.  I am not saying there aren’t very clear situations where termination is the best or only option, that struggle is real! However, I have found some of the best success stories are where I have identified a person failing in a role and then created the right role for that person to subsidize their shortfalls.  Finding an individual’s talent and exploiting it while supplementing their weaknesses is the ultimate goal…but organizational structure, job titles, role descriptions and hierarchy all stand in the way of fully leveraging your team.  If you have good people you know are failing or underperforming in their roles, don’t let termination be the first choice and don’t let them diminish in those roles. Get creative, redefine roles and responsibilities, reorganize the structure and allow your team to complement each other with their individual talents and experiences instead of demanding them to develop or overcome the pieces of their jobs that they don’t do well or just don’t like!

My openness to change and creativity in moving people, structure and responsibilities brought me to another revelation.  In my first few hires as a leader, I did what I suspect is fairly typical in the hiring process; I selected the best overall candidate who was the best well rounded.  That candidate was someone who was pretty good at everything the team needed, but not necessarily the best or an expert in any singular aspect.  I had built a good team of good people that did a good job.  Unfortunately, my goals and expectations of performance were to be GREAT!  My revelation:  I can only be great if I have people that are great at each core function of the job.  Easy…just hire unicorns that are great at everything.  If you find, like me, that doesn’t exist or you can’t afford them, then the alternative is to hire people that are great at something and then complement them with the rest of the team where they have gaps or weaknesses.  I was going to try to avoid it, but I have to do a sport analogy.  If you had your choice to build a basketball team, would you select the 5 best overall players even if they were all 7 foot tall centers?  No way!  You would find the best point guard, the best shooting guard, the best wing, best center and best forward, and they each would play off of each other’s strengths and weaknesses.  The rules are the same in any industry where you are trying to build the best team possible, but this seems so much less intuitive in our workplace.

The retail/CPG industry has and is currently evolving so quickly that desired skill sets and talents change every day.  There is such a range of experience and skills to build a team, but it can get awkward quickly.  What happens when an industry veteran manages a group of millennials while reporting to a millennial who reports to an industry veteran who…you get it…and have probably experienced it in some form.  This is the beauty of building a team on skill sets and not hierarchy or predefined roles.  Everyone on the team brings an expertise, so let them have it!  Then let their counterparts cover them elsewhere…and you play this game in a constant cycle as your team, talents, and needs change over time.

While I have adopted this strategy and approach for my team, I am surprised and often reminded at how quickly it can get away from me.  I have this position opening…and this is what it requires…and this person is ready for the next thing…so throw him or her in and let’s go.  Frankly, it’s the easier option.  But I have found significant improvement in retention, team happiness, and business results through the constant exercise of assessing talents, reorganizing and reshaping my team.  It definitely isn’t the easier option, but with a little creativity, flexibility, and openness to challenging hierarchical norms, the sustained benefits across your team and your business will blow you away.

Brian Stormes

*Field Vice President, Walmart – Henkel of America

*Title and company of the author reflect their position at the time article was written.

The opinions expressed here by guest bloggers are their own, not necessarily those of Stout Executive Search.

For most, I believe the line, “the power of the positive,” is relatively intuitive, and is not only a mantra to lead by, but also a mantra to live by. Of course, within leadership skills, I find this to be one of the most effective and efficient enablers when dealing with our teams, business issues, and our own internal selves.   I am not talking about blind optimism here; I am simply talking about being positive.   It seems to me that the human brain is wired to be negative. We anticipate threats and we exaggerate threats. It’s a protective reaction which can be burdensome, especially when we lean too far towards the negative. In general, with positive people, we remember their upbeat nature or “glass is half full” mentality. For me, I also find positivity to be contagious. I’ve seen the knock-on effect throughout my organization as well as with my friends and family. I find myself energized when I am about to engage with people who I know are going to be upbeat, and positive. I also believe I do far more for people that are upbeat and positive towards me.

I believe there are two extraordinarily important traits that work extremely well to enhance positivity. The first is energy. Energy is a critical part of positivity because we must have inner fuel to always be up for what faces us each and every day. Everyone understands negativity zaps your energy. When I feel negative, I feel tired and uninspired to keep pushing. Energy really helps block out the negativity. We can simply move past it in a physical way or continue pushing forward by engaging a positive mental aspect.

The second is perseverance, which is about believing you will be successful. Knowing you are going to keep pushing and knowing you are going to do it well, in general, keeps out the negative and keeps you focused.

I spent a number of years in the world of triathlon racing. From completing a full Ironman race, to participating in an age group race, energy and perseverance are what allowed me to move forward every day and push myself to explore my limits. It’s the same in business.

In our world of volatile retail, I believe positivity can also truly be commercialized. It is easy to understand that you are able to see more opportunities when you are leaning positive than the opportunities you see when you lean negative. Additionally, from a talent attraction and development standpoint, driving positivity can have a fantastic effect on your broader culture. When I am building teams, I consistently look at the positive nature of people when selecting them, and as it relates to career advancement.

Getting to positive isn’t hard either. Starting the day with a “good morning” and a smile, goes a long way to changing your outlook and the outlook of those around you. One of the few things you get to choose every day, from an attitude perspective, is how you start each interaction. I encourage you to find those things that let you start positive. If it’s a morning jog, stretch, or just some cleansing breaths, it’s important to ensure you start in the correct place. Positivity also requires you to be present. When you are present in the moment for people, they will recognize it, and your authentic positivity will land with them.

Life can be challenging. Use your energy and perseverance to unleash the impact and power of the positive.

Steve Schumacher

* Vice President of Sales, Walmart & Sam’s – Unilever

 

 

 

 

* Title and company of the author reflect their position at the time article was written.

The opinions expressed here by guest bloggers are their own, not necessarily those of Stout Executive Search.

If there is one thing that has become a recurring theme in my 10 year Supply Chain career, it is the frequency of “crisis management” situations. I remember starting as a CPFR analyst and having my first “crisis” after launching a very successful new product and running out of stock. Questions I asked myself: “What do I do? How is the customer going to react? Is my reputation ruined with them? How do I get my internal teams to care?”

Challenges like this early in your career can seem like impossible tasks to overcome, but as we grow, we continue to face challenges like this with increased magnitude. Snow storms, power outages, cyber-attacks, labor constraints, and a plethora of unforeseen events will challenge our ability to service our customers. Success is not defined by having zero issues, but it is defined by how our teams navigate our various challenges.

Below are a few key learnings I want to pass on to help you and your team manage more effectively through a crisis:

1. Stay calm and set priorities – A calm leader passes that feeling of safety on to their team, and therefore enables them to make better decisions. Try to stay calm and understand what priorities absolutely must happen and which ones are less important. Trying to juggle all balls during a crisis can mean you drop all of them. Drop a few on purpose here to ensure you keep the important ones in the air.
2. Communicate to external and internal customers – Work quickly to clearly understand the impact. Use your network internally and externally to communicate to the right people depending on the magnitude of the problem. Think of this as an opportunity to build trust and equity by notifying the right people and coming with a clear action plan.
3. Don’t dwell on what went wrong…yet – In the initial phases of crisis management it can be tempting to spend time on what happened and why you shouldn’t even be in the current situation. This can quickly turn into group complaining, excuses, and an overall delay of execution. Keep your “time machine” in storage while your team is in the fray. Stay positive, understanding where we are today and how to quickly get out. You can fire the “time machine” up for the next step and avoid wasting valuable time you need to react and execute in the moment.
4. Perform a post mortem – Once out of crisis mode, clearly understand the root cause of why the initial failure happened. Also take time to think of how you personally could have handled the situation better. Be critical of yourself so that you continue to grow. Ask yourself: “Did I communicate at the right time? Did I involve the right people? Should I have seen this coming? Did I handle the stress appropriately or did I pass stress on to my teams?”
5. Celebrate success across teams – An incredible amount of cross-functional work goes into digging out of a hole, so remember that we do not do it alone. Take the time to recognize the work across teams that it took to get out of the hole. I promise you that your Supply Chain teams will appreciate this piece.

I can tell you that I have failed multiple times at following these guidelines during a perceived crisis, but as everyone should, I have tried to learn from my missteps. None of us are perfect, and no one I know possesses a time machine. Take time to reflect so you can use your experiences to ensure the next “crisis” is an “opportunity” to gather your team together and deliver an amazing result.

Clayton Thomas

* Director of Supply Chain (Mass/Club) – Reckitt Benckiser

 

* Title and company of the author reflect their position at the time article was written.

The opinions expressed here by guest bloggers are their own, not necessarily those of Stout Executive Search.

Culture is everything.

Culture should be a fundamental consideration when making a career change. If you don’t put yourself in an environment where you will thrive, neither you nor your company will grow to its fullest potential. Having the right skill set is the cost of entry, very important and necessary, but fitting into the company’s culture is the critical driver of success.

A company’s culture is defined by its shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices. It is important to know the culture in which you best perform. When you are considering change, do your research. Visit the company’s website. What does it tell you about their ethics, principles and values? Visit their social media platforms. What do they say about the company you are considering? Talk with your recruiter to find out all they know about the company. When possible, talk with current or previous team members of the company you are considering.

Here at Stout Executive Search, we recruit exclusively for the Walmart Supplier teams in Northwest Arkansas, so our emphasis is on what it takes to succeed uniquely in this market. When it comes to company culture, the same basic criteria apply. It’s easy to say that suppliers spend at least 50+ hours a week at work. Depending on the role, much of that can be travel outside of the office, and many times with other team members. All the more reason to understand the importance of culture fit.

As long as a variety of people make up teams, there will be a variety of company cultures. This is why before we recruit for a company, we go and visit the local team leader to better understand their culture. And before we present a candidate, we always meet with them in person in our office. Stout believes those sessions are essential to insuring a good fit for both the company and the candidate. Today, more than ever, we’ve seen an emphasis on the importance of placing candidates who are a culture fit.

A Few Attributes to Consider:

1. Leadership Style. The spectrum of leadership can range from traditional to progressive. With traditional leadership, the leader is largely tied to tradition and custom, exercising power from the top of the pyramid down, with a mantra of “we’ve always done it this way.” Progressive leaders who challenge the status quo, are typically risk takers, and may be flexible on work location, hours and method. Servant leadership is another style we’ve seen where the leader focuses primarily on the growth, development and well-being of the individuals on their team. What leadership style has brought forth your best work and efforts? What are the characteristics of the best boss you’ve ever had? You may be versatile and adaptable to different leadership styles but there is usually one style where you thrive.
2. Office Space. In recent years, open floor plans have become the latest craze inside supplier offices. Envision an office space with everyone out in the open, no walls, and no dividers. This layout is meant to encourage more collaboration, but there are drawbacks. Some of the potential issues include noise, interruptions, and distractions. While we know there are complaints coming out of this environment, there are still individuals who have adapted and even prefer an open floor plan over the closed off individual office space. What is the optimum office environment for your best performance? Open space, individual office, or cubicle?
3. Attitude towards “Team.” Team dynamics are another major factor in determining whether there is a culture fit. Does the team spend time together outside of the office? Are they a close-knit team? What is the company/leader’s policy towards progression and development both individually and as a team? Is there a mentoring program inside the company? What does it mean to this company, especially on the local level, to be considered a “team player?” A team motto of “work hard, play hard” may be exciting to some, while for others it may be draining and not provide the same motivation.
4. Community involvement. Northwest Arkansas is fortunate to benefit from the presence of a large number of Walmart supplier companies. Is the company you are interested in involved in a local charity? Do they offer matching donations? Does the company encourage volunteering and/or mentoring as an outreach to the community?

These are all important questions to ask yourself about your target company’s culture when considering a career change.

At Stout Executive Search, culture fit is our number one priority, and it should be yours, too.

Marvelyn Stout

President & CEO – Stout Executive Search

If you look up the word “risk” in the dictionary, the definition is “exposure to the chance of injury or loss; a hazard or dangerous chance.” By that definition, risk sounds terrifying. But does all risk have to be negative? Taking risks can help you learn and grow, both personally and professionally, however, the key to risk taking is making sure that you are taking calculated risks.
Someone once told me that a calculated risk is a risk with a plan. I love that concept because risk is inevitable so it is important to weigh the possible outcomes to determine if the potential gain is worth more than the potential failure. This will allow you to make more educated decisions, reduce your chance of failure and, at the same time, have a game plan if something does not go as expected. Being too risky without planning and weighing possible outcomes is like gambling, which often does not end well. On the other hand, if you are too risk averse, you can get stuck in planning mode and struggle to make a decision while life passes you by. Calculated risk taking is the perfect middle ground.

The first big calculated risk that I ever took was when I accepted a job in Chicago at age 21 and agreed to move to a city that I had never been to. I had just graduated from the University of Georgia and was leaving my friends and family to start my career in the Windy City. I did not know anyone in Chicago so I got online, found some roommates on Craigslist and had the relocation company drop off my belongings at my new home next door to Wrigley Field. Looking back now, the Craigslist choice sounds a little questionable but the risk that I took with this big move paid off in the end. I had a great start to my career, was exposed to a new city, and made some lifelong friends along the way.

Another calculated risk that many of us are familiar with is changing jobs and/or companies. I spent 7.5 years with my first company working on a variety of teams, across functions and in multiple cities but the biggest risk I took was leaving behind the equity and brand that I had built to start a new chapter in my career at a new company. It was a scary change but the challenge was exciting and the potential gain was far greater than the potential failure. One thing I have found helpful during my risk assessment of job change is to look at the amount of change that will be required as you make the move. Will you need to learn a new company? Learn a new function? Learn a new customer? Learn a new city? Try not to change all of those factors at the same time. The transition will feel smoother when you have a couple constants you can lean on.

So whether you are being offered a new job, thinking about moving to a new city or exploring a different opportunity, don’t be afraid to take risks; instead, be a calculated risk taker.

Lisa Bores

* Director of Sales – Nestle Coffee Partners

 

 

* Title and company of the author reflect their position at the time article was written.

The opinions expressed here by guest bloggers are their own, not necessarily those of Stout Executive Search.

Early in my career I learned having an entrepreneurial mindset applies to everyone. You do not have to be running your own business to think like an entrepreneur. Even those of us working for a small family run business or at a Fortune 500 company can benefit from using an entrepreneurial mindset in our day to day. Some of the most successful people I have worked with had so much drive and energy, you would think they owned the company we worked for. But they didn’t. They are also some of the best leaders. They tie their team’s effort to the bigger picture, create space for their team to think outside the box, and drive new ideas and different ways of thinking into the business.

Something I love about entrepreneurs is they hustle and really own everything they do. Think about some of the famous and not-so-famous entrepreneurs you know. The guy running the bike shop down the road didn’t get to where he is today without hard work, hustle and owning both his successes and mistakes.

We can learn from many characteristics of an entrepreneur, but three stand out the most to me. They are: Accountability, Creativity, and Confidence.

Accountability
Entrepreneurs take ownership of the outcomes from their actions. They hold themselves accountable even when they aren’t to blame. It’s their business and they own it, both figuratively and literally. Regardless of the circumstances, they have to see everything through to the end. They see it as their responsibility. We can all do this in our day to day. It can be as simple as following an issue from beginning to end, even if you are not the owner of a task or decision. If the end result is important to you or your customer, you’re accountable. The hard work and hustle mentality mentioned earlier tie back to accountability. Entrepreneurs don’t get by with putting in the minimum. Set your goals high, have a way to measure each goal, own them and over deliver.

Creativity
Taking the path less traveled isn’t always popular or easy. Entrepreneurs go their own way, challenge the status quo and aren’t afraid to make a mistake when doing so. And when they do make a mistake, they are resilient, learn, and move on quickly. Critical thinking and new ideas often come with hard work and are almost never perfect the first time. But, with hard work, the end result often leads to success. Thinking ahead, anticipating questions, and foreseeing possible problems, helps reduce failure from new ideas.

Confidence
Be comfortable being uncomfortable. Whether you’re presenting facts in front of a group or bringing your new ideas to a meeting, your body language and tone are a significant indicator to your audience trusting you and believing in you. Acting confidently, even when we are unsure, is key to our success. Appearing confidently can be the difference between being perceived as good or bad at something. In the end, confidence builds trust with others which can help drive the results you’re looking for on a certain project. Find a mentor or peer to bounce off your ideas, to help you anticipate questions from your audience, and to build your confidence through practice.

Start your week thinking about how you and your team can adapt an entrepreneurial mindset. Don’t have accountability to a P&L? Everyone in the organization impacts the P&L. Everyone should be aware of their impact to the P&L and act like they own it, just like the owner of a successful small business, analyzing and understanding how each penny is spent, and the value it creates. Already think you are fully accountable and owning your function? Dig in a little deeper to better understand your contribution to the business, search outside of your function and realize the impact you have cross functionally. Tired of doing things the same old way? Change it up. Bring a new idea to the table. You might be surprised the energy it can create within your team and organization.

Jill Schneider

* Customer Supply Chain Lead Manager, Walmart – Mars Petcare US

* Title and company of the author reflect their position at the time article was written.

The opinions expressed here by guest bloggers are their own, not necessarily those of Stout Executive Search.

It wasn’t until I moved to Bentonville and assumed leadership at a satellite office that I discovered what it really meant to lead a team. In my previous roles, I had always been based at a corporate headquarters and, unknowingly, enjoyed all the luxuries that came along with working at this location. Departments such as Finance, HR, Facilities, etc., helped to ensure I could focus solely on my job of running a team and ensuring our customers were happy. What I discovered quickly in some cases and longer in others is, you don’t appreciate these departments and their functions until you are without them. Further, it highlighted an important element of leadership. The reality was simple. If I insisted on being a part of everything, I was going to slow the team down and I was only going to get a fraction of what I wanted to accomplish, accomplished. This was not the type of leadership I was interested in.

In theory, I have always accepted the idea, you can’t grow people if you are micro managing. They need room to grow and make their own decisions, or as it may be, mistakes. But practically speaking, in a high pressure environment, with high internal and external expectations, this can at times feel like an impossible approach. Whether it is communication on a key issue to a retailer, or correctly framing up a large internal opportunity, the initial response of most leaders is to take the reins and get it done. However, giving employees the ability to shine through with these opportunities and providing higher levels of independence, is single handedly the most important, if not daunting task, many managers face.

No doubt, there is a degree of feeling like you are letting go but really you are letting people rise up … letting them take a larger role in defining their day and ultimately their career. We all want to go to work every day, focused and motivated to do our best. Personally, the way I most often obtain this feeling, is by knowing I have the freedom to make decisions, with the understanding, my boss is going to back me up, maybe not always agree 100%, but back me up none the less. This is something I strive to pass along … the concept of getting people motivated and operating at 100% because they are proud of the job they do, because they have ownership over their work.

What I have learned is, if people are not empowered to make decisions, and occasionally mistakes, then they are not given the ability to truly and completely own their business. If you want someone to really take ownership, of all the good and all the bad, you need to allow that person to put their personal stamp on it. Of the countless lessons I have learned, this has proven to be the one that has driven me and the team forward, the fastest.

Tom Kelly

*Vice President, U.S. Sales – Spin Master 

*Title and company of the author reflect their position at the time article was written.

The opinions expressed here by guest bloggers are their own, not necessarily those of Stout Executive Search.

Let’s be honest. All of us in the consumer-packaged goods industry do basically the same thing. We’re trying to sell more items to our retailer and drive consumption on our portfolio to grow our company’s sales. So, what differentiates one company from another? How do we create a competitive advantage for our company when it comes to finding and recruiting top talent? And more importantly, what is it about our company that will help us to keep that top talent we spent time, effort, and money developing so they continue to grow sales? Values. Values should not be something we just post on a wall. They must be kept relevant throughout daily conversations and during work projects. We need to remind our people that the going will always get tough, and when it does, we will never ask them to do anything to violate our company values or force them to undermine their own integrity.

A good example of this commitment to values is my current company, The Campbell’s Soup Company. Four years ago, Campbell’s went through a massive restructure that significantly altered the demographic makeup of the company. Almost overnight, Campbell’s had a higher percentage of millennial employees than ever before. After this swift shift, Campbell’s began the journey to reexamine its core values – were those values still relevant in a changing environment? Campbell’s determined that the company needed new values that would better represent the new faces of Campbell’s.  With this decision, Campbell’s made sure the new values were created by Campbell’s employees, for Campbell’s employees, to capture who Campbell’s is and how Campbell’s operates.  The employees who helped to create these new values modernized the verbiage and made the wording more accessible and less formal.  When the new values were unveiled, they were embraced immediately and became part of everyday conversations within our buildings.

I heard the story about this “Values” work shortly after I joined Campbell’s in April 2018. I was impressed that Campbell’s had even thought to ask whether their core values were still relevant to a younger generation of employees. More striking, the company leaders had taken the time and effort to update the values, thereby helping to ensure a strong connection among employees going forward.

Last year, I was looking for a new job in the CPG industry. After 14 years in the industry, I had just returned from a sabbatical year of traveling, so was completely unencumbered during my job search. I interviewed with several large CPG companies, and I ultimately chose to join Campbell’s Soup Company. It was the values of Campbell’s that attracted me, that differentiated the company from others. During the Campbell’s interview process, I spoke with 14 people either on the phone or in person, all with different amounts of tenure ranging from two weeks to 20 years. Everyone I interviewed with referenced Campbell’s values such as “Do Right & Be Real” and “Own it Like a Founder”, during our discussion. Most cited the values as their reason for joining Campbell’s. These consistent references made it clear to me that the value of Campbell’s “Values”, what I consider their True North, is woven throughout the organization and held dear at every level of leadership. That True North was the deciding factor when I chose to join Campbell’s.

What do you value as a person? Does the company you work for value similar things and does that make you passionate about working there? If so, then shout it from the rooftops! Remind your team members every day of how important they are to the company. As a Team Leader, I try to remind my team we’re doing more in Northwest Arkansas than just “selling stuff to Walmart.” Help your team understand what their True North is so they can always come back to it when the decision-making is difficult, and they are unsure of what to do. Equally important, remind yourself of the value you bring to our industry. If what you do every day is based in strong, meaningful values, then you are improving the landscape for your team, your customer, and your consumers.

Kate Hoffman

*Team Leader, Walmart and Sam’s Center Store – Campbell’s US Sales

 

 

 

*Title and company of the author reflect their position at the time article was written.

The opinions expressed here by guest bloggers are their own, not necessarily those of Stout Executive Search.

Whether in life or business, storms will come and go.
Those with strong anchors always seem to best weather the storm. Strong family ties, community connections, or sense of self, are anchors that support overcoming personal obstacles. But what about strengthening the business anchors? Beyond the business school principles of solid acumen, fiduciary controls, and management theory, what do the best local teams do to align themselves and their products in the most defensible positioning?

Strong family ties in business should be considered the alignment that a local sales team maintains with its corporate support groups.
The local team must ensure dissemination of forthright information at the highest level of the organization, even when it’s less than positive. Developing trust across the family that the issues are bigger than the people involved, and are as such, best solved cross-functionally. Holistic solutions begin at the early stages of the value chain and in the best cases, improve as each respective function provides input.

• How often does the entire customer team visit HQ for all-day work sessions?
• Is the customer team lead included in S&OP meetings (in person, video, or conference)?
• How often do brand teams engage with the local team and buyers collectively?
• Do you conduct cross-functional store visits when working with HQ teams?

Community connections in the business application represent alignment with your core consumers and developing of ongoing reciprocal communication.
Maintaining this anchor will always ensure that regardless of the strategy shift a retailer may consider, your product, or brand relevance, is an important piece of the category solution. Although this will require revisiting strong family ties, the local team can help drive urgency throughout the organization as well as managing specific retailer shopper marketing efforts.

• In addition to physical shelf presence, how do your products represent on the digital shelf?
• How are your brand teams creating brand communities within your portfolio?
• Have you defined your specific consumer brand relevance and communicated to the retailer?
• How are you illustrating strong consumer connectivity across your brands to the retailer?
• Can you create mutual upside between your brands and the specific retailer?

The nature of a dedicated local supplier team is to create penetrating relationships with the retailer. Relationship development is easier said than done, as personalities vary and often shift between responsibilities. However, not losing sight of what your brands and products represent to your consumer base is critical. At times, retailer strategies misalign with your brand/product strategies causing local business decisions that could potentially disrupt the most important value of your brand/product that, being the connection it has with the consumer. Maintain a strong sense of brand and product positioning.

Not surprising, the foundations of storm protection in our personal lives, is very similar in our business environments.
The day to day tactical exercises required to maintain a local supplier team operation, should also carefully incorporate very specific actions to improve strong family ties (HQ Resources), community connections (Create Brand Communities), and foster an unapologetic commitment to protect the brands and products for the sake of the consumer.

“Fix your roof when the sun is shining” (John F. Kennedy, 1962).

Jeff Hendrix

*Senior Director, Walmart Team Lead – Riviana

 

 

 

*Title and company of the author reflect their position at the time article was written.

The opinions expressed here by guest bloggers are their own, not necessarily those of Stout Executive Search.

I was fortunate to live in Maui, Hawaii, where I learned to surf. It’s not an easy skill to learn but when you catch the perfect wave, it is exhilarating. One of the critical skills in surfing is “alignment”. This is Identifying the right wave, making sure you have the “right of way”, and a myriad of other skill sets. For the past 20 years, I have been part of supplier teams, where our success or failure has been based upon “alignment” with Walmart. Webster’s Dictionary defines alignment as, “the act of aligning or state of being aligned”. And like surfing, it’s not an easy objective to achieve. So how do you achieve alignment with Walmart?

Be the expert.

Hawaii is “ground zero” for expert surfers. Let’s be clear, the experts in the CPG industry live in Northwest Arkansas. So how do you be the expert? A few key points:

• Review Walmart’s quarterly report, 10-K, 8-K and related financial information. This information can provide substantive information and insights to current and upcoming strategies. This information is available at www.sec.gov/ or www.walmart.com
• The answers are in the questions. Business reviews have evolved where financial metrics are now only part of the process. Today more than ever, the probative questions from Walmart buyers provide the insights to tactical and strategic initiatives and opportunities for alignment.
• What is your brand growth at Walmart compared to rest of market?
• Are your products (IOPD) available in store, online, grocery pickup and delivery?
• On a granular basis, how will Walmart’s focus on private brands impact your business?

As Walmart’s priorities evolve, being the expert is critical to achieving alignment.

Catching The Right Wave:

When I was learning to surf, I wanted to catch every wave! What a disaster. I didn’t have the skill set or experience. I soon learned to be patient and “align” with waves that were smaller and broke slowly. As my skill set improved, I surfed faster, larger waves, and occasionally, rode the unbroken face of the wave.

How do you insure that your company’s skill set and experience align with the “right” opportunities at Walmart? This can be an uncomfortable dialogue as you focus on the realities of your company’s product development, manufacturing, replenishment, and logistic capabilities. If you’re not in alignment, you will need to provide the leadership of “loyal opposition” within your company. This can be the most difficult aspect of growing your business at Walmart, but remember, “hope” is not a strategy. The inability to execute flawlessly is an expensive proposition, not only financially, but for you and your company’s reputation.

When you do “align” with the right opportunity and successfully execute a product launch, new item authorization or other initiative, it is like surfing a perfect wave. Exhilarating! Success is also very empowering. This is an opportunity to share the key learnings, validate strategies, and build trust with your internal support team. This opportunity is invaluable.

At the end of the day, you’re the expert in creating shareholder value and ultimately responsible for everything that happens or doesn’t happen at Walmart. Simply put, the success or failure is on you!

Martin Greene

*Director of Sales, Walmart – Carl Buddig & Company

 

 

 

*Title and company of the author reflect their position at the time article was written.

The opinions expressed here by guest bloggers are their own, not necessarily those of Stout Executive Search.