Dear Members, Partners, and Friends,
As I look back on 2020, I reflect on how our lives have changed… The global pandemic brought pain and loss to many of us, and for almost all, our daily lives, family time, and work also changed. But we’ve made it to the end of this difficult year, not on our own, but by reaching out to one another, as we always do in our organization. I found it very rewarding that in my role as President, people, and companies were reaching out – so we were able to directly make a difference to our members, community, and industries. I am truly grateful to lead and be part of the ASCM (formerly APICS) Chapter for the Greater Houston Area. I became prouder of our organization.
This pandemic reminded me of the quote: ‘leaders are forged in crisis’ – early last year we were executing our strategic plan and scheduled major supply chain events in mid-March, but then the pandemic crisis and everything had to be canceled. To successfully navigate crises, strong leaders quickly get comfortable with widespread ambiguity and chaos, recognizing that they do not have a crisis playbook. Instead, they commit themselves and their followers to navigating point-to-point through the turbulence, adjusting, improvising, and re-directing as the situation changes and new information emerges.
Leaders need to understand that they will make mistakes along the way and that they will have to pivot quickly as this happens, learning as they go. During his long, dark winter on The Endurance, ‘Shackleton’ constantly responded to changing circumstances. When his ship got stuck, he shifted his mission from exploration to survival.
Crises took a toll on all of us. They are exhausting and can lead to burnout. Thus, one critical function of leadership during this intense turbulence is to keep your finger on the pulse of your people’s energy and emotions, responding as needed. For this reason, reprioritizing and redirecting efforts to mission critical activities was key to our success.
I feel proud that we have strengthen our foundation at ASCM’s Houston Chapter with a solid platform for growth! All of us, officers, members, instructors, students, and staff — have had to adjust, change, adapt, learn, and achieve in a time of deep trepidation. From my view, I can say that we came together on all fronts to ensure that our organization continued to be a place where we – Learn. Grow. Lead.
What I learned from last year, is that “we are stronger than we think.” We are emerging stronger from this! We — all of us — will be remembered for how we manage ourselves and others through this crisis. How will you, your team, your organization, our society connect, persevere, and progress? How will we emerge from this experience collectively stronger? This is our community!
In closing, please check our class schedules and discounts we are offering. Plan to prepare your skills in 2021. I am also committing to 3 full scholarships for the certification of your choice – send me a brief 650 words essay to president@apics-houston.org explaining your reasons to receive this scholarship and what you would do with it.
Looking forward to a great 2021!
All the best,
Dave Cabello
President – APICS Houston
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