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Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening wherever you may be.

Scott Lewton and special guest host Bo Groover here with you on Supply Chain now.

Welcome to today's live stream.

Bo, how you doing today?

I'm just right.

Scott, how are you, sir?

I'm wonderful.

I'm wonderful.

I'm hot.

It's really hot.

It's hot.

I was somewhere up in Antarctica right now, but we should be used to this.

We've been here for a decade or five, hadn't we both?

Exactly.

It's always warm in Georgia in June, July and August.

It is.

And we, you know, we got spoiled with that mild early summer.

But hey, that's okay.

Football's around the corner, folks, despite the heat, the weather, heat.

We got a lot of supply chain heat coming here today on the Buzz where every Monday, 12 noon Eastern time, we discuss a variety of news developments across global supply chain and business news that matters is what we like to call it.

And we've got a terrific show here today.

We're going to dive into some recent research on workforce skill sets and workforce skill set velocity.

We're going to be talking supply chain resilience and some of the most critical factors there.

We're also going to get Bo's take on some of the top supply chain talent and workforce trends that he's seeing all that much, much more.

Bo, it should be a great addition of the Buzz, huh?

I think it's going to be the best one yet, Scott.

Oh, I like that.

You're throwing the gauntlet down right there, buddy.

Challenge throne.

All right.

So folks, stay tuned for a great show now.

You know I got to keep it real around here as we always do.

So folks, today is a pre recorded edition of the Buzz as I'm back on the road, hopefully enjoying a nice adult beverage on the beach about right now.

But hey, we'll be back to live programming next week.

You can count on that.

Okay, so two things.

Y' all know how this works.

Hey, we'd love to get your take in the comments whether you're tuned in via LinkedIn, YouTube, X, Facebook, Twitch, no matter.

Let us know what you think or you'll disappoint Beau.

And secondly, if you enjoy the show today, we'd love for you to share it with your friend, your network, your Aunt Edna up in Idaho, you name it, they'll be glad you did.

All right.

So, Bo, back to the heat.

That's a compelling story right now.

We know a lot of folks are sweltering.

One of the ways we address it is with our sense of humor.

Right.

Because we're used to it down here in the South.

So, you know, I thought as we were talking about, I have lived in South Carolina or Georgia most of my adult life.

But I'll tell you, when we hit start and hit the mid-90s in metro Atlanta, and it seems like it's like 129 degrees, I'm just not used to it still.

But what's one thing with this little fun warmup question, one thing that you do to beat the heat boat?

I'm going to make a highly recommended suggestion.

So it's not always easy to get to the beach, and I'm jealous that you're probably at the beach when this thing is airing, but I like to sit on my back porch, Scott.

Yeah.

And like a swimsuit suit, having a cold beer.

And I, I have a large bucket that I put cold water in and I sit.

So I'm kind of like getting a tan at the beach and I've got my feet in really cold water while I'm having like a cold beer.

It's not bad.

It's not the beach, but it's not bad.

I'm gonna try it.

You know, that's a great idea, and it's interesting.

One of the key paths to overall health is your feet.

You know, when I was in the Air Force, we'd have to wear these boots all the time, right.

With thick socks because you get blisters.

I'd come home, take a hour, but pamper those feet.

It makes you feel so much better.

So I'm gonna steal your technique and report back if it works.

How's that?

Try, Give it a try.

I'd even do a picture.

Okay, about that.

No, folks, I'm not gonna ruin yalls day share pictures of my feet.

But no feet pick, Scott.

No feet picks.

All right, we delivered on that fundamental question.

So let's get down to business.

We got a lot to get to here today with a heavy supply chain workforce theme here on the buzz.

And no pictures of feet.

I can promise you it's a guarantee.

Let's start with change management.

So, Bo, you know, you have really, for decades, you know, driven big change in industry.

And I'll tell you right now, at this juncture here, as the we're here at the end of June 2025, disruption, complexities, innovations.

Because that creates change too.

Ever increasing velocity in terms of the pace of global business.

Gosh.

Organizations are particularly challenged.

Most are with change management.

So be that I would argue planned or.

Or unplanned change management.

Right.

Cause we get both and then some.

What's a tip or two for business leaders out there and their teams in terms of managing all the change.

Yeah.

And one of my favorite topics, Scott, you know, as you mentioned, and I appreciate the graciousness, I have been facing that challenge for 20 plus years.

And I think, you know, one of the underlying principles that we operate under is everyone on the planet will follow good leadership.

Right.

It doesn't matter.

We have a lot of conversations about generations and this generation and that generation, everybody on the planet will follow good leadership.

And in our school of thought, there's two things.

So number one, be absolutely relentless on chasing clarity.

So if I go into an organization And I ask 10 people, why do you exist?

What are you trying to accomplish and what does winning mean?

My litmus test is do I get the same answer ten times or do I get ten different answers?

Right.

So.

So that clarity, you can't overwork clarity.

And just a quick side story, I was talking with somebody who we've worked with lightly, right.

We've been coaching them lightly.

We had the best month last month that we've had in seven years.

And I said, what are you doing?

He said, I have not got off the clarity bus for the last five months.

So he's been just hammering it and the result was they've had the best month that they've had in seven years.

So it's like, dude, I would pay you to record that and send it to me.

And, and I think the other thing is equally important is, is communication.

Right.

We're in such a fast paced environment and we've got so many distractions.

This little computer that we all carry around is nothing but a distraction machine.

Right.

And people get excited.

Well, you know, I sent them an email or you know, I told them at the meeting and it's like, guys, you've got to repeat that thing every time over and over and over.

And don't ever stop talking about the mission or the goals or the objectives, whatever those things are.

So it's clarity and commun are the two, in my opinion, most important things when you're talking about change management.

Because people need to know where you're going so they can buy in.

Yeah.

Need to understand how they fit into it.

And when you get those two things done, change management is, I don't want to say it's on autopilot, but it's kind of organic at that point, you know?

Yeah, that's been there, done that.

Expertise, clarity and communication and it cannot be overstated.

Kind of to your point, on that last little nugget you shared, I'd make that a third one.

The what's in it for me?

Right.

And really addressing and communicating that value proposition for why we are undertaking certain initiatives.

There's a wonderful chief supply chain officer that once told me, Bo, he said we measure.

Given all the initiatives and the constant emphasis on roi, return on investment.

Of course, I like to also measure ROE return on energy because anything we do takes energy.

Some little bit, some a lot of it.

And if folks don't see that payback on what they put their blood, sweat and tears into, you can lose folks.

Right.

Lose momentum, lose people from the organization and then some.

So excellent.

What a great starting point here.

Clarity and communication as we're fighting through all sorts of change out across global industry.

All right, Bo Groover, let's do this.

I want to tackle a couple of news articles and get your take on them.

And then here towards the second or half of the show, we're going to get you to weigh in.

Since you got your finger on the pulse of of certainly global supply chain, you're going to weigh in on some trends that you're seeing from a talent and workforce perspective, folks, today, it's going to be a heavy theme of supply chain workforce.

Let's dive into this first article.

Does that sound like a game plan, Bo?

Heck yeah.

Let's do it.

Did I communicate that with clarity and the what's in it for you?

You did it.

You brought it, buddy.

All right, let's tackle this first one.

So interesting research here from our friends over at HR Brew.

A Josh Burson company analysis spanning six industries over four years shows that companies emphasizing how quickly employees learn new skills where they outperform peers.

Beyond just focusing on deep expertise, that doesn't cut it these days.

Having a deep bent.

Gotta have more.

The research led to six key strategy pillars that leading companies commonly held.

I'm gonna walk through these, Bo, and then we'll get you to respond.

Give us your take.

Number one, treat AI as a catalyst for growth, not just cost saving.

Number two, normalize continuous innovation in all roles.

It's a team sport.

Number three, redesign workflows to better align with evolving skills.

Number four, prioritize talent density teams with complementary and evolving skills.

Number five is embed change management.

What we're just talking about to drive organizational agility.

Number six, deploy AI powered HR systems for Agile talent and skilling.

So, on that note about a more successful approach to AI, one Bursin analyst said this, and you see it there at the top of the headline quote.

We all know that the AI that we have today is the worst AI that we'll ever have, end quote.

It's a great call out.

And so by saying that, the analyst was really highlighting the fact that skill development velocity is more critical because AI capabilities will continue improving very, very fast.

All right, so, Bo, there's a lot there, but your overall response.

Yeah, I think all six were great points.

And I think it's the velocity component, as you mentioned.

You know, it feels like our world just keeps getting faster.

And again, back to the generational workforce changes.

The young folks now grew up with computers in their hands.

Right?

Right.

So you and I were around when the computer showed up.

Right.

And the first cell phone had no computing.

It's like I could dial without a cord, but that's it.

So it's really about how quickly can your organization embrace and adapt.

And, you know, I'm still talking to people who are resisting AI.

They're like, well, we're not ready.

And what about this and what about security and what about that?

It's like, guys, it's coming whether you like it or not.

Your opinion does not matter on this.

If you want your organization to survive, you have to learn to lean into it.

And so having people that are, you know, that are a mile deep and an inch wide on a topic, unless they're doing brain surgery, I think becomes less and less valuable compared to the group of people who just know how to figure stuff out.

Right.

And we work on that.

That's a hard skill to kind of figure out.

But what we need is a bunch of highly versatile, really capable, aggressive people who doesn't matter what you throw at them.

They're going to use AI, they're going to use computers, they're going to use the Internet, they're going to use their social media and figure out how to get this thing done.

The companies that embrace that and increase their internal velocity absolutely are going to dominate the future, in my mind.

Yeah, a lot of good stuff there.

We did a live stream earlier with Jake Barr, whose nickname is the John Wayne of global supply chain.

All he needs is a cowboy hat and you couldn't tell apart.

And Corinne Bursa, who one of her mantras beyond, it's a great time to be in global supply Chain.

One of her mantras is facts, not feelings.

I love that.

Really important.

But they both, especially Jake was trumpeting this fact of we've got to wrap our heads around this never normal phase we're in.

We're not going back.

We're not going back to the pre pandemic days.

We're not going to be able to put the genie back in the bottle in terms of what our people want right here in 2025 and beyond.

We've got to lean into how AI can improve the quality of work and really take stuff off of our plates.

Including one of my favorite powerful trends that is driving change across global supply chains in so many ways as AIs continue to evolve and get stronger and stronger is orchestration.

Because orchestration not only, you know, we're all after optimizing our decisions and helping our team optimize their decision making faster, more confident and better decisions.

But the great thing about AI driven and technology driven orchestration is it takes lots of those decisions off our plate and makes them autonomously gives us time back.

Bo, as we like to say in Georgia.

That dog will hunt, huh?

Absolutely it will.

All right, so let's see.

That was.

Folks, we're going to drop a link to that last article.

Check it out from our friends at HR Brew.

Give us your take on what you think.

Do you agree with these six pillars?

Do you disagree?

We'd love to hear from you.

All right.

But I want to move into this next piece here from our friends at the World Economic Forum who pose an important question.

How resilient can any supply chain truly be if its workers are vulnerable?

I would argue not very resilient.

So get these figures.

Some 2.4 billion workers.

Billion workers are estimated to be at risk due to fire.

And that's just fire, floods and exposure to extreme heat.

That doesn't include other billions of workers that are exposed for other healthcare related risks.

So how are we addressing those risks and others?

Well, not very well, according to some research.

Get this boat.

Some data suggests that only 6% of adaptation funding.

So investment in organizations to meet a wide variety of evolving challenges.

Right?

Adaptation funding, new term for me, maybe for you.

Only 6% is going to health related initiatives.

The World Economic Forum points to studies that show that companies that embed health resilience into workforce and operational planning, well, they're better prepared to navigate disruption to their supply chains.

And one key recommendation that really rings in my ears is let's invest in workforce health planning as much as we do cyber attacks or natural Disasters or other types of operational disruption.

That makes a lot of sense to me.

But, Bo, your take here.

Yeah.

And, you know, I don't intend to be controversial, Scott, but sometimes I am.

Here it comes.

It feels like we're in the middle of a bit of a renaissance where people are starting to pay attention to health differently.

Nothing against the medical field, but after Covid, when I started really kind of paying attention and listening to what was being said and talked about and done and the things that we've learned post Covid, about the communication and the holding back of certain information and the pushing out of other information.

Yeah, I think people are starting to pay attention to what they eat, their sleeping habits, their dietary habits.

You know, we've almost conquered smoking, right?

Smoking.

You don't.

You rarely see people sitting outside with cigarettes.

When I was 25, there was groups of people, you know, passing the cigarettes around.

And so I think there's a healthy renaissance happening where people.

It's our responsibility, right?

Yes, the government needs to be involved, and yes, we need to put funding.

Yes, we need to educate people.

The problem, and some of it is caused by social media, and I think some of it is cured by social media is that the quality and consistency of the information that's coming out can't always be based on who's got the biggest bank account.

Right.

And so whether it's the organizations leaning into how do we help our people be healthy, Right.

Let's get them gym memberships.

Let's do nutrition education.

Let's talk about natural and homeopathic remedies where we're talking about the food that you eat.

Don't eat processed sugars and all of that stuff.

So, absolutely, I think it's critical.

But again, I don't know that it's the place of the government other than to facilitate education, because what I grew up learning from the government about what I'm supposed to eat is horrible.

It is so far away from reality of what is a healthy diet and healthy nutrition guidelines and all that stuff is like, man, I have been programmed by very bad data.

I don't.

I don't think it's nefarious.

I don't think there's anybody evil behind it.

Right.

Man, when you start peeling that onion, it's like, goodness, great.

Everything that I thought was completely wrong.

Now I've got to go reeducate, educate myself.

And I'm, you know, I'm 50 plus years old.

It's late for an old dog like me to be learning this stuff.

You know, you shared a lot.

And I don't think you're controversial at all.

One of the great things you mentioned, the pandemic, and I think one of the wonderful, and there's, there's silver linings that I think is still paying dividends now.

Although you could also make the case, on the other hand, that we've forgotten some of those tough lessons we learned in business and otherwise during the pandemic.

But practically optimistically speaking, one of the greatest things I loved about the pandemic is its renewed focus on businesses really looking for the safety of the critical workforce that keeps global supply chains moving forward.

And I hope that's a lesson that we'll never forget because there's a lot of inherent risk and lack of safety in a lot of different sectors related to global supply chain, just to nature, production, other things.

And you know, going back to the opening question that this article here poses, you know, if we're all after true resilience, true resilience, even in this golden age of global supply chain tech that we talk about all the time, we don't achieve operational resilience without a big focus on taking care of our people.

And not just like to your point, dietary and what I'll call like the physical side of our health, but mental well being.

Business leaders can have a direct impact in protecting that work life balance which is so important.

And that's where we were talking about last week on the Buzz.

A panel of young leaders in the trucking industry were kind of sharing some of their findings.

And when you think about trucking and you think about how much isolation you have, right.

There's a growing expectation maybe that companies offer some sort of mental health resources.

That's a great development.

I think.

So anyway, the roll up point there and get you to respond and react to it is as important, you know, going back to the importance of clarity and communication when it comes to change management, I would add as important to the success of businesses is how we take care of those that make that business happen.

Your final thoughts there?

I agree completely with everything you said.

And I heard a, or read a quote recently and it just hit me like a hammer.

It said, your manager will have more impact on your health and mental well being than your doctor.

Wow.

Really?

It makes sense, right?

Because I don't go see my doctor every day.

I deal with my manager pretty much every day.

And recognizing that sense of responsibility that the folks who are listening to this who serve as a manager, please recognize the enormous responsibility that you have for the wellbeing of your people.

And it's not all about the company wellness plan.

It's not all about the company's responsibility.

How do you engage your people, how do you lead with empathy?

How do you listen and recognize if somebody's struggling?

And rather than coming at them and saying, scott, why are you screwing up?

It's like, hey, Scott, man, is everything okay?

Are you okay?

Genuinely giving a crap about your employees is so incredibly important.

And there is a business benefit, right?

Because if your people know that you really care about them, they're going to give you their all.

They're going to be committed, they're going to be loyal and all that good stuff.

So it's one of the beautiful things that God put together for us, man, when we genuinely care, it always comes back to us.

It comes back to us times 10.

So absolutely fired up about that and recognizing the impact that you have on your team members.

Mental health and overall well being is a tremendous responsibility.

So I hope everybody recognizes that.

It's not just a title and a job and extra work.

It's I'm doing something really important.

Well said, well said.

That's a great point.

Your opening point there about how managers can truly have a bigger impact on their team members.

Well, being more so than their doctor, that should be a wake up call for a lot of folks out there.

So, folks, check out this great article.

It'll make you think, just like me and Bo.

I think it's thought provoking.

There's lots of suggestions.

There's, there's more upcoming research on this.

So y' all check it out.

Give us your take on those items.

Okay, so, Bo, we're moving fastly and furiously here today on the buzz.

As we've established, you've got your finger on the pulse of many things in supply chain leadership circles.

Want to double down on these continued workforce themes.

The people that make up the holistic global supply chain industry is indeed my favorite part.

I was getting interviewed here recently.

Beautiful.

And it was a, it was a.

For a podcast, but it was an audio podcast, so there was no video element.

Right.

And as we wrapped the AV guru that was kind of sitting in, making sure we're.

They were capturing the good content.

He was like, man, next time that's gotta be video.

You're really passionate about these people.

And I guess I was demonstrating it.

You know, I tend to do that talk.

My hands.

Your hands go, yeah, right.

Oh, when the hands are going, you know, we're talking about some good stuff.

But one of the points I made there Bo and I bet you I know you can relate because, you know, we've known each other for a long time.

I was talking about when I was in metal stamping and really folks don't know enough about metal stamping.

I don't think it can be really complex when you're making complex parts, going to vehicles or furniture or construction, you name it.

And I was always, always amazed with the tool builders.

It is amazing.

It's an art form.

But anyway, as we were navigating the challenges that come with projects, new parts or whatever, we'd have that all hands meeting.

And you had supply chain there, you had tool builders there, you had production, you had quality warehouse, you name it.

This cross section of sheer talent, right?

People all aligned on the mission and all working together to solve a problem that kindred spirits and that camaraderie is, it's addictive and you don't find it every, every industry, you don't find in every element and chapter of your journey.

And I'm telling you that through several, mostly manufacturing organizations I was a part of.

That's always stuck with me.

And so when we talk about safety of our people, we talk about the success and the well being, you know, even in this age of technology everywhere, man, that's North Star of the people.

So I know you agree, respond to that, I'm a prompt you on three key things, but respond to that.

We're aligned there.

I know, right?

A hundred percent.

And I'm sure that there's a lot of industries that claim to feel that way.

You know, I haven't worked in every industry but the salt of the earth, gritty kind of people that work in the supply chain because it's hard.

I don't care what your role is in the supply chain.

If you're in the office purchasing, if you're on the shop floor working, warehousing, if you're putting stuff together, it's hard.

And so I think there is that kind of trial by fire, right?

If we go through that thing together and you and I've gone through some stuff together, right?

In the right setting, in the right industry, you come out stronger, you don't come out weaker, you don't fracture things, you come out stronger.

Because man, we went through it, we solved that problem, we overcame that obstacle and you know, I'm just wildly passionate about the supply chain because it literally makes the world go round.

It just doesn't.

The world stops without the supply chain.

And we saw that during the pandemic.

It's like, man, what is happening in our world.

And so I'm wildly passionate about the folks who choose this as their career.

And, you know, just thank God for them.

It's not an easy industry.

There's a lot of easier ways to make a living, but I don't know that they're that rewarding.

Because of the camaraderie you mentioned, because of the chance to solve a different problem every day, because of the relentless nature of every day, you're going to deal with something crappy.

There's something going to hit you upside the head almost every single day.

Right?

And you got to, you got to be cut out of a certain piece of cloth to keep coming back to that and saying, man, I'm, I like this stuff.

I like to be challenged.

I want to figure stuff out.

I want to solve problems.

So true.

It's so true.

So along these lines, and then I promise I'm a prompt you.

National Supply Chain Day, April 29th.

Every year, folks, we get our day.

We need to have more than one, but we get our day.

And along these lines of what Bo's talking about and what I was sharing earlier, join our movement to recognize, celebrate, and uplift the people, especially that make global supply chain happen.

So you can learn more at supply chain now.com but April 29, every single year.

Okay, all right, Bo, I promise.

I'm getting there.

I'm getting there.

I'm having too much fun talking with you.

So you are in the thick of things.

Work with a lot of leading organizations, a lot of people, of course, helping folks solve problems, drive change, hire and find talented people.

And I want to double down on all things workforce related here today.

So if you think of, if you built a short list of three trends that our audience really has got to know more about that are priorities right now in the marketplace, what would those three of those trends be?

Well, I think it's.

It's a bit of a renaissance, and I'm hoping your audience will join in, if they haven't already.

We've got to be talking to young people about not everybody needs to go to college.

I think we've done a huge disservice over the last 20 or 30 years of.

It feels orchestrated.

It feels like it was kind of this movement where every kid has to go to college or else they're less than.

Oh, God, he's going to the military.

Oh, he's just working at the factory.

Manufacturing is cool.

The supply chain's cool, man.

We've got automation, we've got technology, we've got robots, we've got the Internet connected to everything, and everything's talking.

And I think we, the collective, we that love this space have got to be engaging.

Talking to high schools, talking to trade schools, talking to those, you know, junior senior, sophomore, high school kids about, hey, look, you have more options than just going to college.

Right?

And so I think that's a trend I seem to be hearing and seeing more and more people.

I'm getting talked to, invited to a lot of podcasts about workforce development.

How do we engage the next generation?

I think we can help people, right?

Rather than us sitting around and complaining that the young folks don't want to get into manufacturing, the reason they don't is because we've been telling them not to.

Okay, so we own that.

Let's fix it.

We created it, let's fix it.

But really quick, on that note, I stole this from somebody forever ago about this notion about how parents are young people's first consultant.

They're guiding them.

They're putting their impression in their worldview.

Oftentimes, hey, I'm a father, I get it, I do the same thing.

But we did create this because we're steering people away from this.

You know, manufacturing these days, sure, there's some sectors that, you know, there's more elbow grease involved than others, but many ways you're just saying a lot of portions of modern day manufacturing is high tech, high tech, clean tech, it's engineering, it's creative, it's problem solving, it offers great careers, great pay, great promotion, oftentimes great benefits.

And you're right, we've got to serve.

I think the main point you're making, I think if my reading or listening comprehension is, is on par, is we've got to serve as better ambassadors for global supply chain, all the sectors involved in it, and be able to tell the story better, the accurate story better.

Is that right?

It is.

And you know, playing on your earlier points got about you a lot of goodness, right?

There is a camaraderie, there is a sense of team and a sense of spirit that comes out of working in this field because it is a tough field, but it literally makes the world go around.

So I hear a lot of people, you know, the younger generation's got to have a purpose.

How about keeping the world moving?

Is that a big enough purpose or not?

You know, it's funny to say, but it's like literally, it makes the world go round.

Trucking, warehousing, freight, cargo, manufacturing.

It literally makes the world go round.

So it's a Pretty big purpose to make sure people have food and clothes and shoes and medical supplies.

It's like, how big of a purpose are we talking about?

Because this is a massive thing that we're working on here.

No doubt.

Well said.

And one last thing before we move to your second key trend is, is it takes, you know, all of us should not assume the type of talent that manufacturing, supply chain, logistics, sourcing, you name it, all of the holistic definition of global supply chain needs folks from all walks of life.

They don't just need engineers.

We need creative folks.

Right.

Help design packaging campaigns, help tell the story of global supply chain.

I am biased, but there's truly something for everything in this incredible, very special, noble mission of supply chain.

So, Bo, all right, I think we got the first one down.

So the second trend that is important to put on radars right now, what would that be?

Embracing technology.

And I'm going to jump ahead and tie my third one embracing technology.

But don't lose your people.

Okay?

Right.

So I see a lot of companies kind of looking for that silver bullet or this panacea that, you know, this software, this program, this app, this whatever is going to solve all my woes.

And I have yet to see that.

I've been working in manufacturing for 25 plus years.

I have yet to see the, the silver bullet occur.

So leaning into AI, leaning into automation, leaning into technology.

Yes, yes to all of it.

Fama.

However, don't do it at the expense of your people.

And I see a lot of companies that are going that direction, but they're doing a really terrible job of communicating.

We're back to the change management part.

You know, we think of automation.

If it's dumb, dirty, dull and dangerous, we ought to be talking about automation.

Otherwise we ought to have humans involved so they can respond, so they can react, so they can see what's happening and make judgment calls.

Right.

So the trends that I see are correct is yes, we have to lean into technology, but we can't do it at the expense or cost of losing our people through it.

Yep.

I like it.

And I think as I was listening to your second and third points there, second and third trends there I think of in this sea of technology.

Right.

The sea of technology.

And it's not just global supply chain that is getting hit with these tidal waves.

Technology, life is changing.

The device you called out 20 minutes ago that I've got here sitting right in front of me.

Yep.

I'm telling on myself that.

And none of us even knew we needed an iPhone.

That's amazing.

Anyway, it is so important for leaders out there.

We talk about this a lot, be so focused on what problem we're trying to solve and then starting there and then letting that be your guide to finding the right solution, technology or otherwise.

Bo, I don't know about you, I've seen plenty of this in my career.

Still see it to this day.

Leaders want the shiny object, latest, greatest technology that's making waves.

Wherever they got a me too, they can't control that me too feeling, and they go out, source it and they throw it over the fence for the operations and the execution team, supply chain team to figure out.

No wonder we've had record setting levels of burnout in industry.

And that's not just the only factor.

But you know, if folks, when you impress upon people the technology they've got to use and tell them to go find a problem, we're going in the wrong direction there, I think.

Bo, your quick comment before we move on?

Absolutely.

I've seen more than a few examples, Scott, where they've launched a new technology or whatever.

And when I dig into the process, I found out that all the workers have got Excel files and they've got this stuff off to the side to make this hunk of crap work they were told to use.

Wait a minute.

We spent $3 million on this piece of thing and now we've got, you know, secret Excel files that only one person knows how to operate to make this thing work.

It's like, guys, come on.

This is the opposite of continuous improvement, right?

There's a better way, There's a better way.

And eventually, eventually, you know, spreadsheets get beat up all the time.

But that's another one we've done to ourselves, huh?

But we'll see.

I've met some folks and maybe telling on myself when my dead cold hands, maybe finally it's when I'm gonna let go of some our spreadsheet approach.

But I digress.

All right, so, Bo, I want to ask you about something y' all have got coming up.

You spend a lot of time on developing teams, developing people.

You know, kind of goes back to that first article where we talked about the velocity of skill set development, how important that is.

Thought it was a great call out.

But before I get you to tell us about this training session you've got coming up, you know, one thing that we didn't really talk about is your industry.

We kind of glazed over it, you know, you, I believe, correct me if I'm wrong if I ain't Got any of this wrong.

We've known each other for a long time.

Former plant manager with Nordson back in the day.

I think that's when we met.

Yep.

You were, I think, a manufacturing executive with the company that was formerly known as Rock 10.

They've rebranded themselves in recent years.

But my point being is you've been there and done it.

You've been in the trenches.

You've managed those folks doing great work in the trenches at the plant level and beyond, an enterprise level.

And I think all of that has helped you build training systems and training classes that fit the need of what you've seen making stuff happen requires.

So, Bo, let's start there and then tell us more about this.

I think this popular new training system you've been rolled out that you've gotten a lot of good response on.

Yeah, absolutely.

Thank you for that.

And, yeah, I have.

Right.

So this is my life's work.

So for 25 years, literally 25 years this year, pursuing excellence.

Right.

So continuous improvement is kind of where I got my start in manufacturing.

Continuous improvement on lean Six Sigma stuff.

And what I kept seeing and hearing over and over is companies will take a really good operator and assume because he or she is a good operator, that he or she will make a good supervisor.

And so they take this person and kind of throw them in the deep end.

Like, all right, you've been working side by side with this group of people.

Now you're managing them, and there's very little to no development of those new managers.

They're trying to figure it out.

It's hit or miss.

If they've got a good mentor, it's very hit or miss, usually a miss on the way that they're developed.

So my colleague and I, who's an organizational psychologist, just launched GSD Manager Training.

And GSD stands for Get Stuff Done.

And you can substitute stuff for other words if you choose to.

And so what we've launched is an online platform to help those managers, whether they're new or they're seasoned.

They just want a sounding board.

They need a place to talk about, hey, I don't know how to have this conversation, or I've got an employee that's behaving like this, or I've got a problem over here.

They're reluctant, right or wrong, to go to their boss and say, hey, I need help, because they don't want to seem like they don't know what to do.

No offense to HR people out there, but sometimes they're more on the, hey, don't get us sued.

Right, right, right.

I can't call the guy a jackass.

Okay, roger that.

But how do I have the conversation?

Because he's really screwing stuff up.

And so what we've done is launched a series of monthly trainings.

The next one is coming up August 4th through the 8th.

And it's based on the premise of before you're going to manage others, you must first learn to manage yourself.

And that is, how do you get your mindset right?

How do you have daily disciplines, how do you do time management, how do you communicate effectively?

And so it's really manage yourself, manage others, and then get out of the weeds.

And so once a month, there's a week long training session.

We also do some free, you know, kind of kickoff sessions sporadically through that period.

But it's really about taking a few minutes to step back and say, all right, I'm not trying to talk about that particular order or that particular customer or that particular project, but how are we working as a team?

How am I doing as a manager providing guidance to my employees?

And so the feedback's been awesome.

People are like, thank you.

We need training like this.

I didn't have a place to go.

And this community is forming where people are talking to each other, they didn't know each other.

Different industries.

Supply chain, we've got some lower military folks in there, we've got some construction folks in there.

So it's really like.

And hearing somebody from a bank describe something that a guy in a warehouse is like, man, that's a great idea.

It's like, boom, here we go.

This is magic right here.

This is good stuff.

Love it.

And there we have so much opportunity for cross sector information and best practice sharing.

Tremendous opportunities.

Banking, warehousing, that's an intriguing one.

Healthcare and supply chain, I've seen magic work there too.

Tremendous opportunities.

So I've seen Beau in action.

We've probably met over 20 years ago and we conducted a lean boot camp.

Because I saw him in action, I'm like, more folks need to hear from Bo Groover.

And that's what we did.

Right.

And we were very successful.

And you're Mr.

Reliable is what I like to call it.

So you put Bo, put his team in front of people, good things are going to happen.

So, but we're going to be sharing the link to this.

And it's pretty inexpensive as I recall, right?

It's very inexpensive and we tried to make it as unobtrusive as possible.

Scott.

So generally we call it a lunch and learn so it's over five, five days.

It's 45 minutes every day from like 12:30 to 1:15.

So people are already eating lunch.

They can hang out and eat lunch and, you know, engage with the process.

Very, very affordable.

And you're getting access to a 25 year season veteran and a industrial organizational PhD that talks about team dynamics and self management and team management and communication and all those things that we need.

And it's very much just like this, Scott.

It's, it's a conversation.

It's not death by PowerPoint.

It's, you know, some dude in a, with a pipe and a beard and spectacles, you know, standing up on stage.

Theoretically, here's how you manage people.

Now this is like, dude, this is how you get to the real stuff.

I like it, I like it.

All right, so folks, check it out and if you do report back, give us your take on the experience.

But again, me and Bo go way back and I admire his approach and I love the notion of starting on ourselves before we start on others.

I think that is a powerful, powerful concept that more folks could probably benefit from.

Okay, all right, so Bo Groover, we're dropping a link to that training session that'll be in the chat.

It'll probably also be in the show.

Notes, folks, if you're listening versus viewing.

And how can folks track you down though, Bo, apart from this training session, how can they track you down?

Bo groover?

Absolutely.

So LinkedIn is probably the most straightforward way.

There's not a lot of Bo Groovers out there.

That's too.

Nor should there be.

The world only needs one.

But I've been Bean, Grover and Bugroe and so it's Bo Groover with two O's and then probably our website is the second most straightforward one.

And that's www.tes as in the effective syndicate.

T e s.r u n.

Okay, I.

Like it, I like it.

Well, folks, big thanks, Bo Groover.

Today was a great episode of the Buzz and I look forward to having you back as we continue to challenge people on the need to not just develop their team, which is important, and offer those development opportunities, but we've got to always be learning, as a dear friend used to talk about.

So, Beau Groover with the Effective Syndicate.

Thanks so much for being here today, my friend.

Thank you for having me, Scott.

It's been wonderful, man.

It's great.

It has been, it has been really enjoyed the topics and this very People Focus Workforce focused edition of the Buzz.

Big thanks to Amanda and Trisha.

Behind the scenes, helping to make it all happen as they do every single day.

Most importantly, big thanks to our global audience for being here with us.

We're going to be live back with you again next week for the buzz.

You can count on that.

One of my favorite things to do.

So, folks, hope you enjoyed the show here today, but you all know the challenge.

You know the homework.

Yeah, Bo, I give out homework assignments, but it's important.

You got to take one thing.

You heard here today from Bo Groover and there's lots and lots of great options.

Take one thing, share it with your team.

Put it into practice.

Deeds, not words.

That's how we transform how business is done.

So with that said, on behalf the entire team here at Supply Chain Now, Scott Luden, challenging you.

Do good, get forward.

Be the change that's needed.

We'll see you next time right back here on Supply Chain Now.

Thanks, everybody.

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