“Reality Check: What We Now Know”

March 19, 20142 minute read

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Strengthening Women’s leadership in supply chain is the subject of a report issued by AWESOME (Achieving Women’s Excellence in Supply Chain Operations, Management, and Education), an initiative launched in January 2013 by Ann Drake, CEO of DSC Logistics. The report, Reality Check: What We Now Know, is based on the presentations and conversations recorded at the first AWESOME Symposium in May. Drake calls it “listening-based,” i.e., listening to senior people talk about what they think are the issues.

The report focuses on what senior executives are saying about strengths, obstacles and strategies in women’s leadership. The participants believe that women are extremely well-suited for the supply chain of the future because they are good at building and inspiring teams, and at seeing the big picture and communicating that vision to others. They see one of the primary obstacles as the profession’s image that makes it less appealing to young women choosing a career, saying that’s important to heighten the visibility of the field and let people know it’s becoming a field in which women can thrive and succeed. They believe that women should own their careers, build their own skills, help develop young people coming along the pipeline, and connect with each other. The report contains many more insights and observations from symposium panelists and participants.

Reality Check was introduced by Drake in October 2013 at an AWESOME-CSCMP (Council of Supply Chain Professionals) panel presentation at the CSCMP global conference in Denver. It was sent initially to more than 400 leading women in supply chain and is available online at www.awesomeleaders.org.