The first and last thing a leader does in a day sets the tone for everything in between. Learn how one leader makes the most of those moments.
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Supply chains live or die by efficiency. So it stands to reason that Bill Michalski — chief solutions officer for supply chain innovator ArrowStream — would make his morning commute productive: he turns his train ride into a mini strategy session, using the time to contemplate solutions.
That's important for Michalski, who leads product management and development and marketing to drive go-to-market initiatives in new technology innovation.
“At some point almost every day, I begin a conversation with: ‘I was thinking about this on the train this morning…’ ”
Learn more about how Michalski starts and ends his days — and why:
FIRST THING: I have a short train ride, but I prize this time and use it very purposefully to take on topics that are outside everyday priorities. I will trace an unlikely product strategy out to its logical conclusion, consider an analogous problem in another market, sketch out interface designs to simplify a complex customer challenge or work through a new messaging approach.
THE EFFECT: People tend to delineate business and creative lines of work, but I think the two are fundamentally identical. You need to create personal creative space in your work to step back, reconsider, reframe and explore. This is the stuff that fuels change, growth and drives a passion for my work.
At some point almost every day I begin a conversation with: ‘I was thinking about this on the train this morning…’ Sometimes it shifts our focus, or propels us forward. Sometimes my team just looks at me like I’ve lost my mind. It’s healthy either way.
LAST THING: There is usually a period of time between my last scheduled meeting and when I head out of the office. I will walk around and find someone I haven’t spoken to in awhile, somewhat at random. I might ask them to share what they have been working on, if anything is worrying them or what they think of a direction we are taking.
THE EFFECT: I learn a lot in these small interactions. Something about the end of the workday naturally leads people to open up just a bit more and share what they really think. It can lead to some pretty significant mutual realizations about our business.
Photos via Shutterstock and ArrowStream.
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