On Nov. 4, 2022, five corporate leaders from the ingredient supplier, contract manufacturer and CPG sectors of the dietary supplement industry participated in an important panel discussion at SupplySide West.
These leaders discussed and shared business challenges they faced during the Covid-19 period of supply chain disruption, and some effective strategies to overcome the latter challenges. It was a panel like no other.
The session, “Supply chain strain causes business interruption,” was moderated by Natural Alternatives International Inc. (NAI) founder, chairman and CEO Mark LeDoux.
Each company leader shared his or her challenges and “wins” in an engaging and transparent manner, all offering hope, and providing resilient examples to the industry on how they overcame the disruptions. Their stories included: not getting raw ingredient shipments on time or at all; uniquely navigating and negotiating port deliveries of goods; tackling transport and storage issues; and of course, having to undertake very hard discussions with customers about lack of ingredients or product manufacturing and shipment delays.
Resilience, persistence, endurance and collaboration were among some of the key factors that sustained their businesses and partnerships through the pandemic—factors which continue as core values for them all today.
Toward the end of this very “edge-of-the-seat” engaging panel discussion, a question was posed to the panel regarding the people in their lives who contributed to impacting their resilience and leadership styles. The atmosphere in the room shifted to a hushed lull as each leader delivered their personal story, describing the “who,” “when” and “how” of the influencers in their lives.
You could feel the energy in the room turn to one of profound captivation. These leaders lifted the curtain on the “humanity” of the supply chain. Suddenly, the supply chain became a living, breathing, feeling model—of people and lives, equal to each other and the audience.
The discussion quickly became relatable for everyone. The supply chain was no longer just a concept, or chain of transactions, or a “thing” or “system” to be managed. It was visibly transformed through these leaders as they interacted with each other on the panel and with the audience about their lives and the impact of their leadership within their own spheres.
Suffice it to say, it was not surprising to find they all shared certain core values. One of those shared values was a focus on people, including their staff, customers, vendors and consumers.
The pandemic unquestionably was greatly responsible for negatively affecting businesses throughout our industry and globally. It also accelerated the need for alternative solutions.
However, Covid-19 surely accentuated the need for greater awareness of and connection with the people we serve and lead. Let us commit to modeling what these leaders authentically shared on that stage, always being mindful of the value of people in our lives and businesses, and how we show up to serve and lead them—not just in times of challenge, but always.
Heather Fairman is CEO of DF Guardian Consulting Inc. and has over 30 years of executive leadership and management experience in regulatory affairs, quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) lab environments in the dietary supplement, functional food, biologic, over-the-counter (OTC) pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. Fairman is a sought-after independent consultant and go-to speaker, a transformational thought leader, writer, educator and trainer. She can be reached at [email protected]