- Report this article
Burke Hoover
Burke Hoover
Accelerated MBA Candidate at the University of Arkansas
Published Nov 30, 2023
+ Follow
This semester, I had the opportunity to take a Supply Chain Leadership Colloquium at the University of Arkansas, led by Dr. Donnie Williams. The course has been a deep dive into the real-world complexities of Supply Chain Management and throughout the semester we've been fortunate to hear from several industry leaders. This week, myself and Jackie Weidner had the honor of introducing Julie Reilman, VP of the Coca-Cola Sam's Club Team. Julie's career, spanning an impressive 30+ years, has seen her take on 10 different roles across two major companies, Proctor & Gamble and The Coca-Cola Company. Her journey began at P&G, where she started in Plant Operations and Project Management in St. Louis, and progressively took on diverse roles including Health Safety and Environmental Manager, Plant Logistics Distribution Leader, and eventually several strategic leadership positions focused on Walmart’s customer supply chain and innovation. In 2019, she transitioned to The Coca-Cola Company, where she has continued her trajectory in customer solutions and now leads as VP of the Sam’s Club Customer Team. Julie's extensive knowledge and insights offered a substantial learning experience, and I'd like to share three key takeaways from her presentation.
1. Adapting to Diverse Roles and Embracing Challenges
Julie's career path exemplifies the benefits of embracing diverse roles within a career. Her journey, characterized by various roles at Proctor & Gamble and Coca-Cola, illustrates the importance of adaptability in a field that is constantly evolving. This adaptability isn't just about changing roles, it's about immersing oneself in new environments, learning different aspects of the business, and understanding how each aspect of the supply chain affects the overall operation. Julie's experiences reveal that success in supply chain management often depends on a person’s ability to navigate through uncharted territories, learn from these uncomfortable opportunities, and apply insights across different contexts. Her approach demonstrates how such versatility can lead to a better understanding of the industry, which is a clear advantage in today’s dynamic business world.
Recommended by LinkedIn
2. Key Qualities for a Leader in Supply Chain Management:
Julie highlighted several key qualities crucial for success as a leader. She emphasized the importance of agile decision-making, a skill vital in the fast-paced and ever-changing supply chain environment where leaders must quickly respond to market shifts and supply disruptions with informed and strategic choices. Equally important, according to Julie, is the ability to foster collaborative leadership. The capacity to build and maintain trust-based, cohesive teams across departments and even companies is essential for achieving effective outcomes. Additionally, Julie pointed out the need for strategic foresight in leadership, specifically the ability to anticipate future trends and challenges and to prepare the organization accordingly. This quality involves not just understanding the current market, but also projecting future scenarios and developing strategies that align with the company's long-term goals. Together, these qualities – agility, fostering collaboration, and strategic foresight – form the foundation of effective leadership.
3. The 5E Leadership Framework:
Julie’s introduction of the "5E" leadership model provided a framework for understanding and applying effective leadership in a corporate context. This model, consisting of Envision, Engage, Energize, Enable, and Execute, offers a structured approach to leadership that is both practical and adaptable. She elaborated on how envisioning involves not just setting goals but inspiring a shared vision among team members. Engaging and energizing involve actively involving team members in this vision and fostering an environment where everyone feels motivated and invested. Enabling is about providing the necessary resources and support, while executing focuses on the practical implementation of plans and strategies. Julie’s application of this model through various roles offered practical insights, demonstrating how these principles are effectively implemented to drive success and innovation in a corporate setting.
In conclusion, Julie Reilman's talk was a deep dive into what makes a great leader in the world of supply chain management. Her emphasis on agility, collaboration, and foresight isn't just professional advice, it's a call to embrace change, work together, and think ahead. These insights, coming from her extensive experience, are inspirations for all of us aspiring to make our mark in the business world.
Like
Celebrate
Support
Love
Insightful
Funny
24
2 Comments
Julie Reilman
Coca-Cola Sam's Club Team Leader
8mo
- Report this comment
Thanks, Burke! It was great to meet you.
2Reactions 3Reactions
See more comments
To view or add a comment, sign in
More articles by this author
No more previous content
- Embracing Transformational Leadership Dec 14, 2023
- Embracing Leadership Wisdom: Insights from Nick Saban's Playbook Oct 30, 2023
- Clifton StrengthsFinder: Discovering My Leadership Potential Sep 17, 2023
- What do Supply Chain Interns Work on? Oct 25, 2022
- What are the Benefits of Interning in Supply Chain? Oct 5, 2022
- What is an effective Supply Chain? Sep 14, 2022
No more next content
Sign in
Stay updated on your professional world
Sign in
By clicking Continue to join or sign in, you agree to LinkedIn’s User Agreement, Privacy Policy, and Cookie Policy.
New to LinkedIn? Join now
Insights from the community
- Leadership What are the benefits and challenges of using balanced scorecard as a leadership tool?
- Manufacturing What are the best strategies for manufacturing professionals to prepare for leadership roles?
- Quality Management How can you sustain TQM and leadership development efforts over time?
- Business Operations How can you improve your strategic thinking skills as an operational leader?
- Lean Manufacturing How can you use takt time to optimize leadership development activities?
- Manufacturing Operations How can Manufacturing Operations leaders improve delegation skills?
- Thought Leadership Here's how you can navigate between thought leadership and traditional leadership as an executive.
- Performance Improvement How do you demonstrate the return on investment (ROI) of leadership development using Kirkpatrick's level 4?
- Leadership What do you do if your decision-making process as a leader needs prioritization?
Others also viewed
- Unpacking Lean Leadership - Identifying Potential. Project7 Consultancy 2mo
- How Timeless Leadership Laws Shape Tomorrow's Supply Chain Lily Raccasi 9mo
- Manage Lean leadership when you become the leader you ought to be on the inside Thomas Thorsted 8y
- Characteristics of a Lean Leader Quentin Gurney 8y
- Unpacking Lean Leadership Part 3 - Nurturing Lean Leaders for Business Sustainment and Retention Project7 Consultancy 1mo
- 3 Traits That Define Lean Leadership Collin McLoughlin 8y
- 5 Prime Supply Chain Leadership Practices to Transform Your Business Lamaa 1y
- How to Make Lean Fail?: 1. Leadership Commitment (or Lack Thereof!) Naveen Narayanan 7y
- Defeat your conventional management behavior or it kills your Lean transformation Thomas Thorsted 8y
- Lean Leadership – the most misunderstood pillar of Lean culture? Adrian Smith 5y
Explore topics
- Sales
- Marketing
- Business Administration
- HR Management
- Content Management
- Engineering
- Soft Skills
- See All