President of Morai Logistics graduates from QuantumShift™, leveraging insight into effective leadership strategies that will transform supply chains.
On Friday, May 11th, 2018, President of Morai Logistics, Kelli Saunders, exited the doors of Ivey’s Spencer Leadership Centre in London, Ontario. Alongside 39 of Canada’s top entrepreneurs, Saunders graduated from QuantumShift™, a five-day development program designed to propel industry leaders to grow their businesses.
Last December, Kelli Saunders received the 2017 Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Award. Her success in taking a logistics start-up to the multi-million and multi-national level, earned Saunders a nomination into this annual program. When asked to describe her key takeaway, she stated:
The importance of networking with likeminded people who set the bar high to give you that much needed push to continue to succeed.
Effective leadership in 2018 has been a topic of conversation across many industries. According to Forbes Coaches Council, a good leader must recognize ‘when its time to adjust’ and be able to ‘adapt to the ever-changing demands of the workforce’. Due to the expansion of global markets, good business leadership is critical now more than ever. Inspired by her experience at QuantumShift™, Kelli Saunders speaks to four leadership trends shaping economies across North America.
1. Empowering Women Leadership
The movement toward gender equality in the workforce has shown through over the past year, especially in positions within C-Suite. The Forbes Coaches Counsel states that 2018 will see a major focus on placing women in leadership positions. Saunders urges female workers in any industry, to push themselves to network and develop and expand their skills and abilities.
Women need to step up to participate in these types of programs more often. The female attendance for this program was very low (4/40), and independent of gender this program was outstanding for anybody.
From a supply chain and logistics perspective, ‘71% of Global industry professionals believe that women have a different natural skillset’ than men. Therefore, it’s imperative that women are continuously motivated to seek opportunities in leading roles.
2. Fostering Ambition
“Ambition makes your mind expand to dream of possibilities and how to achieve them. It feeds others.” says Saunders. The term “ambition” is an important trait that helps men and women succeed in leadership positions. Forbes contributor, Ashira Prossack, also highlights the need for professionals to embrace and celebrate ambition at all stages of their careers. In her podcast with Let’s Talk Supply Chain, Sarah Barnes, Saunders shared that women will wait until they are 100% qualified before applying to an opportunity. However, their male counterparts will apply even if they are only 60% qualified for the role. Saunders adds,
I think as a female, and as I speak to other women in the industry or outside, we have to take that leap that we can do anything. We don’ have to have all the T’s crossed and I’s dotted.
3. Implementing Core Values
Kelli Saunders states that her experience participating in QuantumShift™ has motivated her to revisit her current action plan and provided the confidence and re-confirmation to scale upward. Start-ups and seasoned businesses that are eager to grow should nurture an environment built on core values. The Globe and Mail states that a company doesn’t have to sacrifice their identity in the process of scaling upward. There is substantial evidence that attributes employee satisfaction and motivation with a ‘healthy culture’ that fosters and demonstrates core values. Aside from ambition, Saunders outlines four additional traits that future leaders should have:
- Patience
- Philanthropy
- Leader-ship
- Autonomy to others to make decisions
“At Quantum, we talked about leaders being warriors or nurturers,’ stated Kelli. Forbes Coaches Counsel reinforces that C-suite leaders should develop ‘their ability to be ambassadors for the values of their companies’. Furthermore, this motivates employees to represent corporate culture as ‘brand ambassadors’.
4.Embracing Upcoming Generations
The contributions made by Gen Y and Gen Z must be considered as the global workforce continues to transform. In Let’s Talk Supply Chain, Sarah Barnes, Saunders explained that by 2020, 50-55% of the workforce is going to be the millennial generation. As a result, leaders must adapt to technology and the change that this workforce see in the future. Research confirms that this year ‘leadership empathy’ will play a major role in nurturing this talent pool. In addition, ‘listening, relating and coaching’ are leading characteristics that should replace traditional ‘command-and-control cultures’.
In conclusion, business leaders who want to scale upward should recognize the need to adjust and adapt to changing markets. Therefore, it is important to participate in programs that promote networking and economic growth. QuantumShift™ empowers entrepreneurs with the tools and resources they need to take their businesses to the next level. Their program inspires professionals to reinvent their leadership style and helps them apply their learnings to grow within their industry.
