“I believe ownership, trumps accountability. When people know what they own, they have a different sense of pride, a sense of engagement.”

– Billy Taylor, CEO and President of LinkedXL

The Supply Chain Buzz is Supply Chain Now’s regular Monday livestream, held at 12n ET each week. This show focuses on some of the leading stories from global supply chain and global business, always with special guests – the most important of which is the live audience!

In this special “Manufacturing Monday” issue of The Buzz, powered by OpenText, Supply Chain Now Co-hosts Greg White and Scott Luton are joined by Billy Taylor with LinkedXL. He has a very unique philosophy on successful business – it includes companies and teams “celebrating the red.” The red represents the problems that they did not previously know they had. Once they have been identified, they can be solved, and are therefore worth celebrating.

In this episode, Billy, Greg, and Scott engage in real-time with a live audience to discuss:

· The pace of manufacturing globally as reported in the ISM Manufacturing Report on Business, and what it means for consumers and supply chains

· The growing discomfort many companies have sourcing from and manufacturing in China, and the very real challenges associated with trying to move demand elsewhere

· Why anyone who wants to move forward must first to be willing to take risks and even fail

Intro/Outro (00:03):

Welcome to supply chain. Now the voice of global supply chain supply chain now focuses on the best in the business for our worldwide audience, the people, the technologies, the best practices, and today’s critical issues. The challenges and opportunities stay tuned to hear from those making global business happen right here on supply chain. Now,

Scott Luton (00:31):

Good morning, Scott Luton, Greg white with you here own supply chain and welcome to today’s live stream, Greg, how are we? I’m doing well, Scott. I have a, uh, just a quick announcement to make. I am no longer drinking coffee at all. What changed? I took my blood pressure and it’s like 35 points higher on the top side systolic when I drank coffee. So I know, right, we can’t talk anymore. We can’t. Well, you might talk way more than I do now. Truth. Nothing happens until the coffee maker is done around these parts here, but that’s a t-shirt, isn’t already way a welcome to today’s supply chain buzz, right? Every Monday at 12 noon Eastern time, Greg and I, and the whole team here bring you some of the key news items and developments you need to keep front and center and oftentimes outstanding guests.

Scott Luton (01:31):

And today is just that we have an awesome guest today. So Billy Taylor, president CEO, with linked Excel, also a member of the board of directors with the association for manufacturing excellence. Uh, you’re not going to want to, we should have been recording the pre-show. He is a, he’s a home run home run, uh, guests. And y’all enjoy that here today. Um, now once again, I’m going off script here, but I just, I just want to remind people once again, brought to you by open text, right? The information company, the biggest company you’ve never heard of. Absolutely. And it’s funny, somebody hit me up last week after we were talking about them and said, they’ve been acquiring companies like crazy. How have we not heard of them? So we’re going to ask Mark Morley that question, but we’re going to put him on the spot and ask him the tough question.

Scott Luton (02:22):

That’s right. That’s right. But stay tuned for more details. We’ve got a big event coming up that they are hosting in June and we want to make sure we extend the invite to all of our community members. So a big thanks to the OpenText team. Okay. So Greg, I think we’ve cut. I think I’m looking at my checklist. I think we’ve, we’ve, we’ve, uh, checked most of the things off, except let me grab my pen, our programming notes, right? Yeah. So let’s share a few things with everyone here today, right before we say hello. So today we published an on the main channel supply chain. Now find it where you get your podcast from and entrepreneurially focused, uh, episode where we had Chloe Guidry, Reed, CEO, and founder of higher ground and Pierre Ligier CEO and founder of fleeting and Ben Harrison. I picked their brains, learned a ton. I think I earned a degree in entrepreneurial thinking from Pierre and Chloe, and you’re not going to want to miss it. So check that out wherever you get your podcasts from. And Greg you’ve heard of and think of an interactive with both of these companies, right?

Greg White (03:28):

Yeah, yeah. Both of them. Um, and of course, you know, Ben at the Metro chamber is always bringing us great entrepreneurs and companies like this because which, or Wichita Atlanta is supply chain, city. That’s right. That makes me think there’s actually, you know, I’m working with an, with a incubator lab in, um, in Wichita and there are two sisters that have a working together. Can you believe that working with your sister in a startup and um, they’re they have human capital management kind of tool and they are so in sync with one another, when they did their pitch, it was, I mean, not contrived at all. You could tell it was just so natural. I had to ask them, are you twins? And they said, yeah, it’s like they were communicating subconsciously. So, uh, much, much of that kind of here to these two entrepreneurial minds shared their thoughts. And it’s amazing the alignment that you see between great entrepreneurs. Yes.

Scott Luton (04:31):

Amazing and so inspiring. So y’all check out this episode. You’re, you’re not gonna want to miss it. Also speaking of, uh, uh, outstanding thinking and, and critical subjects, uh, supply chain security, especially in that ICT space, we’ve got upcoming webinar that Kevin L. Jackson is hosting in conjunction with our friends over at the telecommunications industry association, uh, supply chain, uh, setting the standard for supply chain security. So y’all check that out April 27th, I believe we’ve got linked in the show notes, make it easy, and we’ll go live there at 12 noon Eastern time. And then Greg, this was, this was one more, uh, quick programming. This was pretty cool. This really made our day, you know, there’s so many different rewarding elements of this journey that we’re all on, uh, that, you know, to share best practices and thought leadership and, and different views and whatnot. And you know, every so often we hear back from our community. We hear back from, from other practitioners folks out there around the world and Aaron Smith tack left a I’ll call it a glowing review on LinkedIn. That was awful thoughts.

Greg White (05:40):

Yeah. Uh, it was inspiring, frankly, because it was like, she couldn’t wait to shout it out. I don’t think, I don’t think the show was quite over when she did it. So yeah, I really appreciate that. And of course is a really valuable member of the community. She’s always got incredible insights to share. So thank you.

Scott Luton (05:58):

Absolutely. Thank you, Aaron. Always, she’s always from what I’ve been able to tell, very upbeat and positive and, uh, you know, highlighting the things that she loves our guests share. And of course, Sandra McCullough McQuillan last week with mandola he’s. Wow. That was several pages of things that, how many

Greg White (06:18):

Pages would you say about 17?

Scott Luton (06:23):

I thought you might’ve got a couple of extras in maybe. Um, well, Hey folks again, today is manufacturing Monday here, the supply chain, but so stay tuned. And just a couple minutes after we, we, uh, tackle a couple of key stories for the manufacturing industry. We’ve got a home run speaker, a guest, Billy Taylor, uh, there’ll be joining us here about 1220. So stay tuned,

Greg White (06:47):

Greg. We’ve got to say hello to a few folks. Yeah.

Scott Luton (06:50):

On this Monday, let’s do afternoon. Peter Boulay and his, uh, the project, the new project manager we’ll have to get an update on how that, that is coming along. Peter hope, this finds, you know, right. Yes. Uh Shariece via LinkedIn. She says decaf, Greg decaf.

Greg White (07:09):

I respect your perspective. Shariece but the truth is I don’t like the taste of coffee that much. And, and part of the problem was I was putting like five tablespoons of creamer in it. So if, if there’s no caffeine, my question is Shariece what exactly is the point?

Scott Luton (07:28):

Oh, I’m with ya. I’m with ya. I mean, Shariece let us know where you’re tuned in from. We’d love to know. I love that. Yeah,

Greg White (07:34):

I do. I’ve gotten that suggestion many times as a matter of fact.

Scott Luton (07:40):

Uh Mohib is where the Sierra good morning from Wichita, Kansas, and Wisconsin, the university, Greg, you did, you connected with their students? I think last Friday.

Greg White (07:49):

Yeah. Friday. I did a guest lecture for IME seven, seven, seven, Dr. Deepak Guptas class. And, and Mohib was the, he was the main facilitator. I gotta tell you, Scott, I’ve never been introduced better. I thought somebody else was gonna give the lecture as he was describing. Wow. That dude’s impressive. And I realized it was just me.

Scott Luton (08:12):

Is there a replay that might be available?

Greg White (08:15):

We’ll have to ask Mohib if they recorded it. Uh, it’s a pretty, you know, it’s kind of an exclusive audience thing had to be there virtually or in person. Okay. You get it. I don’t know. We’ll see. We

Scott Luton (08:27):

Need those Hollywood rights. I’d

Greg White (08:29):

Be happy to do it. If somebody, if it doesn’t, it’s not a short lecture because that’s like an hour and a half long class. It was about 50 minutes of presentation, about 20, 30 minutes of questions.

Scott Luton (08:41):

So Peter is very observant. He likes your soul patch as much as I do Greg. So keep, keep, keep it coming. I love that.

Greg White (08:50):

No, you know what? I’m okay. I had to, I have to confess. I’m aiming for best hair in supply chain right now the unequivocal leader is Rick McDonald, the chief supply chain officer at Clorox. And if you don’t believe me, look him up, dude has the best hair and he’s got a super cool soul patch.

Scott Luton (09:09):

Love it. Gary Smith. Hope this finds you. Well, if I think I saw correctly on social media, vaccines have been completed. You’re going to be back on your bike before you know it so great to have you here with us today. See Joe, Jim Maretta is with us. Hey. Yeah. Uh, welcome. Welcome, right. Uh, let’s see. As Leah you’re to con and of course we love what you share here each and every livestream loved your interview. And, um, thanks for joining us. Thanks for your kind words. Mervin is with us from Dublin. Great to see a Mervyn T squared who holds down the Fort on YouTube. Four says it’s lunch time for supply chain management nourishment. I love that average check. Good evening from India. Looking at you.

Greg White (09:57):

I have a very good friend. NORML Stephenson from Chennai.

Scott Luton (10:02):

Well, great to have you, uh, tuned in from India via YouTube. Paula is with us again, once again from Kansas city holding down the Fort in, in the Midwest. Uh, let’s see here. Chandra, cot. Hello. Uh, great to have you here via LinkedIn and appeared Joseph Jessup. Good morning from Charleston, South Carolina, the Holy city.

Greg White (10:24):

I am on my way there next week as a matter. So,

Scott Luton (10:28):

Uh, Bob is with us. Hello, Bob. Hope this finds you well, Natalie’s back with us, Rhonda is with us own time. How about that? And Enrique. Yes. As I was sharing with Billy, uh, kind of pre-show and, and Greg, you and I both heard this in Rica is new president of the Billy Taylor fan club. He was raving after meeting Billy for, uh, on Friday morning. So Enrique great to have you here. Of course, hosts of logistics with purpose and supply chain now in espaniol.

Greg White (10:58):

Hey, did you notice that Rhonda is it’s her day off and she’s still tuning.

Scott Luton (11:03):

Wow, Rhonda man. How about major, major props? We owe you a t-shirt and you go, hi, everybody from Guadalajara, Mexico. Great to here. If you go via LinkedIn. Okay. So we got to talk, we got to get to work. Greg. Let’s get into

Greg White (11:21):

Mostly just to get Billy on screen. So let’s do it amen to that. Let’s see this news stuff.

Scott Luton (11:27):

There’s a couple of things that we P again, it’s all about manufacturing today. The manufacturer Monday version of the supply chain buzz here at supply chain now. So if you love manufacturing, you know, raise your hand and give us a, give us an amen. You name it. But we do here. We love manufacturer. A lot of my experience, um, in industry was either in the manufacturing industry or serve in the manufacturing industry. So never met some of the brightest minds, some of the hardest folks, folks that can solve problems like, like nobody’s business. So, um, so in this story, we’re going to start with some good news, Greg. You’re like good news. I love good news. All right. So that’s a great comment. I’m gonna circle back to in a minute. But, um, so in this story, publish a few days ago on Fitch ratings, global manufacturing activity continues to pick up steam. So European manufacturer activity cruising right along in Germany, all time, all time records for manufacturing activity in March all time. That could probably get that part goes back a few years.

Greg White (12:29):

Imagine how can you be more productive than the Germans, right? So yeah, that’s saying something

Scott Luton (12:35):

That’s right. You enjoy their products every day. Don’t we all do. Probably I do. You just happen to have a steering wheel fastened? The one that always give up too much of your personal information. So I’m not gonna, I’m not to go any further. You’ll be getting late number. So again, manufacturing activity globally is just it’s. It’s continued to pick up steam, uh, here in the U S it’s up France, Italy, Spain, UK, all experiencing a ton of growth, uh, course of core strong levels of demand are fueling the activity, but here in the U S and I gleaned a couple of these observations from the manufacturing ism report on business, right? They’re the folks behind the PMI that industry looks at each and every month. So March showed increases over February for the U S manufacturing sector, new orders, production employment, all showed gains, but supplier deliveries are slowing down and at a faster rate, right. And backlogs are starting to creep back up. Yeah. Yeah. I think we all, I was watching on, um, on Twitter over the weekend and one of our friends is getting a new couch and they placed the order three months, lead time for a couch. I was like, wow, how about that? Um, but, but good news, 10 straight months of gains in the U S manufacturing, according to the PMR. So a lot of good stuff there. Greg, why don’t you weigh in? What do you see?

Greg White (14:04):

Well, I mean, I think it’s, it is good that we’re starting to see it. We’re starting to see companies be more and more able to manage the restrictions of, of distancing and PPE and all of those sorts of things and get back to work. And they’re very conscious. It seems many are intentional about, about handling that, uh, at the same time. And I’m just going to toss this out there and we don’t necessarily have to resolve it. But I see this, I see this pretty consistently that we’re starting to see the supply chain kind of, I don’t want to say disrupt, but back up again, my most popular post last week, 10,000 views in two days was about the, the automotive industry, of course, begging for assistance from the government for semiconductors, which we’ve talked about several weeks here. Um, there is a significant shortage there, right?

Greg White (14:59):

I’m not sure that the shortage was as much the catalyst for all of the engagement with that post as the begging for money from the government, um, was, and you can see it when you, when you look at a lot of the, uh, discussion on it. Um, it’s funny, just a real, real quick sidebar. Somebody said, you know, maybe, maybe automotive companies ought to adjust their business model. So they don’t have to go to the government. And I somewhat analytically and somewhat tongue and cheek Hadley said going to the government is part of their business model.

Scott Luton (15:34):

It’s true. It’s true. Well, you know, but that topic continued to dominate headlines in manufacturing and beyond really for months to come. So it’s been fascinating to watch how companies are trying to get around in all, in all sectors, right? Cause chips go in everything these days.

Greg White (15:51):

Well, and any disruptions we see, I think a lot of the experts that we can trust, like Laura says Siri and others have have said, those disruptions will be temporary. They may be substantial and they may be relatively long-term, but they are not permanent. So we’ll continue to see these disruptions from supplies of raw materials and componentry and that sort of thing. But it won’t be permanent. I hope I’m right, because we’re about to bring somebody on and just a few minutes slammed me to the turf if I’m wrong.

Scott Luton (16:23):

Um, all right. I wanna, I want to share a couple of quick comments here before I move to the next story. So Jen is tuned in also via Ireland. Great to see, uh, Janet, tell us what city you are in. Uh, Enrique says also be aware, Greg, as I’m going after best hair category to now that he knows

Greg White (16:39):

I don’t have a chance, I don’t have a chance. He’s got that. Those sort of Euro wavy locks thing going on. I’m I’m out.

Scott Luton (16:48):

Uh, that’s about it, Tommy, uh, tuned in via Chattanooga, uh, across LinkedIn. Great to have you here, Tommy. Yeah. Uh, let’s see here, David is with us Dave and talk about manufacturing. I wasn’t

Greg White (17:00):

Sure it was an official day

Scott Luton (17:03):

Without David. It can’t be the official livestream, Rhonda, uh, Russ calls Rhonda and overachiever for tuning in on her day off. So I hope this finds you well, it’s been too long. Great to see you here. Uh, let’s see fatigue, uh, via Turkey. Great to see you here with us today. Uh, and then I’m going to share this from Rhonda. You know, we talked about some folks getting vaccines, second vaccine

Greg White (17:28):

Last night off

Scott Luton (17:31):

Two hours and waiting our turn fooling around the line, anticipated the weights. It took some time off the vaccine for folks at the Cardinal stadium. She’s an Arizona is from 6:00 PM until 6:00 AM due to the heat, the long wait, but well worth it. Well

Greg White (17:46):

To be ready for tomorrow, about 16 hours,

Scott Luton (17:50):

Six to 16 hours after you get the second dose, it hit you. Yes, that’s what I’ve heard. Uh, then Voss the canvas. Um, apologize if I got that wrong tuned in via Kenya. Great to have you here with us today. Okay. You bet it is beautiful. Um, I’m gonna, if my slide will work here, we’ll see too many mice here, Greg too many mice. Um, all right. So number two. So this is an interesting, very interesting story. You know, it’s really tough, Greg, as we talked pre-show to get really, um, a finger on the pulse data on what’s going on in China, sometimes even in the manufacturing industry where there’s global brands that are taught up there, but finger on the pulse. That’s very diplomatic Scott. Yeah. Hey, Hey, we try, we try, according to this article does, because when we won’t talk about that, the Chinese manufacturing environment, we’ve certainly talked a lot about that through the pandemic as, as, um, a variety of topics came up and, and, uh, procurement sourcing shifts and, and other, uh, uh, topics have come up.

Scott Luton (18:57):

But according to this article via Arabian business, China continues to face a big Exodus of manufacturing activity. Shannon Brandau says, don’t believe what you hear in these surveys and the opinion pieces that are out there that, that we’ve all have read and try to get gleanings from the X’s from China, she says, is picking up pace specifically a couple of things they point to here, they point to Taiwan firms are leaving China in droves to costs going up and the trade war amongst other things between us and China. Secondly, the recent rise of concern on slave labor in Xinjiang province, which has particularly impacted the global fashion industry. Uh, Greg, as we’ve talked about here, many brands are demanding that their suppliers thankfully avoid Chinese cotton due to slavery concerns, right? Yup. Yup. Um, here’s the tricky part though? One of the reasons why we can’t, it’s tough to really get good, uh, boots on ground information because for global business leaders that are considering any sourcing moves, they got to watch the words carefully because otherwise they might face retribution from the Chinese government Swedish, for example, Swedish clothing, brand H and M was essentially banned from the Chinese internet over some remarks that they made.

Scott Luton (20:15):

Uh, one of their executives made around slavery. Uh, other fears include the nationalization of assets by the Chinese government, big time exit fees, or perhaps even corporate ransom. So, uh, no wonder I choose my words carefully to make sure you’re committed, committed right before you, you want to have your plan B in place before you say anything? Um, excellent point. Yeah, for sure. One last point and Greg, I know you’re dying to share some thoughts here, but, uh, I think one important distinction and we talked about this. I’m not sure what show, but you know, a lot of manufacturers will set up shop in China so they can of course sell their goods to, you know, the, the, the, the massive population there. So naturally they’re not picking up shop, uh, you know, because there’s, there’s business reasons to stay there. So it’s important, you know, as, as we kind of measure, uh, the shifts of any sourcing moves, that’s important context, keep in mind, but Greg, I know you’re dying to weigh in, please. What are some of your thoughts here?

Greg White (21:15):

I’m dying for the day that I can buy ADI dos again, because they are not contributing to slavery engine, John province. Um, so hope and I need to, I actually need to check up on them. You know, there’s, there are sites all over the internet that can verify what’s really happening with a lot of these brands. Um, we will never get the truth of China. I’ll just say it you’re very diplomatic Scott, but, um, that is a dictatorship, regardless of how much esteem our current administration holds them in and how much excusing of slavery as a cultural norm, our president, uh, gives them. But there’s a lot that needs to change in China. I’m working with companies that are moving their production out of China, physical production out of China, to Taiwan and companies, even companies, as you said in Taiwan, at least a handful that I know of that are based in Taiwan are moving to places like I’ll not name the companies, but they’re moving to places like Vietnam and other places and completely setting up shop to completely extract themselves.

Greg White (22:20):

And there’s good reason for companies in Taiwan to leave China as well, because China wants to wipe Taiwan off the face of the planet so that there is a long time feud in China has been very aggressive in trying to eliminate the country of Taiwan. So, uh, I mean, there’s a lot going on there and I’m glad to see production leaving China. There’s no other countries single country on the face of the planet that is big enough to contain all of that, which mean no means no single government entity has control over the world economy like China does now. And that bodes well for,

Scott Luton (22:59):

For the marketplace. Um, uh, let’s see, where do I stop?

Greg White (23:04):

Let’s see if I get banned from China.

Scott Luton (23:07):

One other item, uh, that article speaks to new. I gotta check out the article. I think we’ve got it in the show notes, but it talks about the pivoting, um, how the, the Chinese government is expecting manufacturing to, to, uh, to leave and how they’ve been making, you know, uh, pivoting the mega cities to try to capture more of the technology business and other non manufacturing business. So it’ll be interesting, you know, these, these dynamics are there, there so many different layers, Greg touched on a lot of them, but we will keep our finger on the pulse and see how this all plays out. Uh, you know, of course when it comes back to manufacturing and us manufacturing, there’s been a ton of talk around reassuring near shoring and, and some of these dynamics clearly are baked into those discussions too. So, uh, look for, uh, you know, we’re about to bring on our special guests. Are there, yeah,

Greg White (23:54):

I’d love to hear about that. Yeah. Right. Read that reassuring and near shoring. Yeah.

Scott Luton (23:58):

Yes. Um, and that, you know, that those will be regular parts of our manufacturing leadership series that we do, uh, uh, produce in conjunction with the great people over at the association for manufacturing excellence. Um, a couple of comments for, we bring our guests. Clay Phillips says, no punches pulled today. Enrique says, Craig, why don’t you tell us how you really feel about China? Gary says, Mike drops. So, uh,

Greg White (24:23):

It’s not even now I really feel about China. So

Scott Luton (24:29):

Greg tells it like it is, and, and there is value in authenticity and transparency and, and, uh, your perspective. So I really appreciate that. Okay. So we’ve gotten a treat here today. I want to bring in our featured guests. Uh, so Billy Taylor spent more than 30 years with the Goodyear tire and rubber company, including Tom spint as director of North American manufacturing and the chief diversity and inclusion officer, he now serves as president CEO was linked XL. And which we’re all excited about is our new cohost for our manufacturing leadership series that I mentioned, we produced in partnership with our friends at AME, no further ado. Let’s welcome in Mr. Billy Taylor. Good afternoon, Billy. How are you doing sir?

Billy Taylor (25:13):

Good afternoon. I’m well, and yourself

Scott Luton (25:16):

Doing wonderful and even better now. Uh, and we really thoroughly enjoyed our pre-show conversation with you, um, uh, as we shared, um, with you already, but Enrique and Mark really enjoyed their time with you Friday morning here in Atlanta. Uh, so I’m looking forward to sharing some of your, uh, perspective with our community here. So Greg, where are we starting with the one and only Billy Taylor?

Billy Taylor (25:39):

Well, I’m dying to know. Maybe you can comment on any of those articles that we had, but any other couple things news or issues or challenges or opportunities or excellence that you’ve, that are really kind of top of mind for you in the manufacturing industry. Really what I’m seeing now is a play on the internet, right? Uh, it’s how the internet is now, in fact, in the market, it’s kind of like social media, right. And feedback. Uh, and I see when it’s, it’s, um, it’s, it’s a move now from really just the visual management piece is to capture that intellectual police and, and its title. I think the, uh, internet of things, that’s what you’ll see if you go Google it, the internet of things. It’s how smart devices now are being used in manufacturing, uh, like social media, getting instant feedback to, uh, people working in the field and that instant gratification, right? As humans, we all want to feel valued. And that’s what social media tend to do to us. In some, in some cases, uh, we liked the lights. Uh, and so, uh, in operations now smart devices are helping people interact with equipment, interacting with the market. And so that’s changing the game because one of the things that COVID, it’s done, it’s, it’s regenerated. I’m going to call it American and global manufacturing. But when I think it’s called glocalization

Greg White (27:03):

Right, it’s global

Billy Taylor (27:05):

Market, and you have to now, because the borders were closed, now you have to take advantage. And it also gave everybody to an opportunity to perfect their niche because right, you had that now you had this concentrated market because there were no trading globally. So you were able to tap into your synergies and see what you’re good at. And also be honest with what you’re not good at. Right.

Greg White (27:31):

Had a great opportunity. You know, one of the things we saw early Billy was companies had a great opportunity to evaluate, really evaluate their relationships with their trading partners, right? Because there’s one brilliant person. I don’t know who it was. We saw it in an article or something like that said, it’s too late to make friends. Now, now the COVID is hit, right? So, um, it’s given people or companies, the ability to really evaluate how strong their relationships are, their internal processes, their people and, and their, and you know, their technology in a lot of cases,

Billy Taylor (28:05):

Absolutely. In the best of those companies, how they capitalize, I call it, you celebrated the red. Now that’s different celebrating the red. It’s celebrating the things where, you know, and you’re not good at, but the fact that you know now, and so though that celebrated the red, we’re able to capitalize on those things, that they were weak, yet. Those things that, that, that, that, that could help them improve in the marketplace. Uh, we love the green, but I think you harvest the green, you celebrate the red and that’s a different mindset. And most companies, uh, because most, a lot of leaders that I interact with when I go out and consulting and please don’t take it literally. And I don’t mean that literally, but they don’t treat reality, uh, with a true sense of urgency. It’s like the, the, the person in the grocery store, the baby carriage, what happens when someone says, how does my baby, look, you walk up to the baby care and you do what you lie, right. Oh, baby’s so cute. And then you walk away, what do you say? Dang, that’s a huggy baby. Right? Literally, but as a tough conversation to have. And the reason why I say that, let me clean that up. I remember my wife left me with my daughter and I had to do hair and I really botched it up. And she said to me, you made my baby ugly. And I clearly said, no, the root cause is, you’ve never showed me how to do hair, have habit.

Greg White (29:29):

Hmm. Good point.

Billy Taylor (29:31):

So you get to that point to have you got to have those conversations and that’s what drives business excellence. And that’s why most companies fail small and large. They can have that where you celebrate the red. Well, you know, companies, when, when COVID started, they really had to do that. There was nothing else to do. You couldn’t produce, you couldn’t sell in a lot of cases. Do you see, did you see a lot of companies take that step back and analyze their processes and everything and try to get better and, and probably some who didn’t I’m sure. But do you see any difference between those companies today? Only 12 months later? Absolutely. It’s been a complete shift and manufacturing, uh, COVID changed the landscape. It actually, I believe helped companies become stronger and more self-aware of how to manage the intersections of business. And so when w when we started going through the, the virtual working, the virtual right, leaders had to let go without letting loose.

Billy Taylor (30:36):

Okay. But at that point with the w with COVID, what it did was teach it forced taught us how to trust, how to take advantage of our processes. Uh, and what, what really came out of it is governance and sustainability. So governing what you said you were going to do, doing what you said you were going to do from his processes technologies, but more importantly, people became the greatest asset, right? Leveraging the people side of whatever we do in supply chain, uh, came to the forefront. And so when companies started doing strategy deployment, it was clear who owned what? And it provided a sense of ownership and business and leaders, uh, became leaders instead of managers. Right? Because, uh, I, I believe ownership, trumps accountability, right. And when people know what they own, we have a different sense of pride, a sense of engagement. Uh, have you ever rented a rental car? How do you treat that rental car? No, you don’t, you don’t wreck it because you’re accountable for it, but you don’t treat it like the one you own as well. I don’t believe where did we hear this?

Scott Luton (31:50):

There’s about seven Seinfeld episodes and what Billy’s already shared here today. So including that famous scene, where I felt just having to dispute with the rental car company, if you remember, and after it not getting it resolved to his satisfaction, she goes, would you like insurance on this rental car? And he goes, yes, because I’m going to beat the hell out of it. But Billy, I love, I love, uh, I love the, um, the visuals, as you, as you describe your POV, one more thing, you, you share something with us. Uh, pre-show about some of your key learnings about making people visible. W would you share that with our, with our folks here?

Billy Taylor (32:31):

I, I actually coming up through my career. I took on the most challenging assignments in our manufacturing footprint. I’ve lived plants as large, as 3000 people, a union free in Lawton, Oklahoma. It was the flagship plant and, uh, 3000 union members in Fayetteville. But it was interesting. We had just won the Shingo prize in Lawton. And I thought I was going to get the call to go to corporate headquarters. I even called my mom. I’m happy going to corporate America. And the phone rings. And it says, we’d like you to go to Fayetteville, North Carolina. And I’m sitting there like, I’m not going to fit bill the worst sign in the world. Right. And I remember telling my mom, she goes, Hey, why not? And I’m like, that’s like, Gilligan’s Island. You start out on a three-day trip and you never come back. I’ve never out of the plant.

Billy Taylor (33:14):

And she goes, no, but, and I’m going, I’m going to start here. Here’s what she said to me. I’ll never forget. She’s huge. She was disappointed in me. She asked me a question, and this is what I’ll ask everybody on the call. Think about, about trusting yourself. She says, if a bird lands on the branch, does the bird trust the branch? Or does the trust its wings thought about it? She’s a song. Let me give you a clue. Then I’ve got to get off this phone. She says, I’ve seen many birds land on branches, but what I have never seen is a branch break in a bird fall and die, trust yourself. And that’s what causes most people. Now, when I said that, she told me that she says, what do you do best? And she says, you never make people visible and they’ll make you valuable.

Billy Taylor (33:59):

So I came in and plan on nights with blue jeans and baseball cap. This was before undercover boss. And I walked around and got to know people. And you know what? I had a great team there. I mean, a great team that, that, that weren’t included. They didn’t understand the strategy. They didn’t know what they owned in the strategy. So therefore the strategy was a secret and you can’t manage a secret. Um, my best mentor became Sammy, the janitor, every Saturday, Sammy and I would have a coffee. You know, what Sammy taught me was how to communicate at all levels of the organization. He would tell me, in his words, a general generalist to call me general. It’s not a common language. It’s a common meaning. If you get off the plane and, uh, Brazil or Mexico, they’re going to say, Oh, you get off the plane in New York. They’re going to say hi. And if they get on the plane and Tiffany’s they going to say, howdy, right? So it’s, it’s the common meaning. They all mean the same. And so at that point, I had to really tailor two foot rule. You get within two feet of me, I say, hello. I still use it today. If I go to the airport, the two foot rule,

Scott Luton (35:15):

All right. So Billy, we’re filling up my notebook here, and there’s plenty that you can share. I love we’re gonna have to, we’re going to have to have you back for a dedicated full hour. Um, Billy me, let me share a couple of comments that we’ve gotten, and then we’re going to shift gears on, uh, our, on the discussion here. So as Leah first, uh, companies are in need for those networks more than ever. I think startups are benefiting from this more than those senior and fortune 500 organizations, because they’re still in that infant stage of need and nursing networking. Peter loved your analogy on the ugly baby. Uh, let’s see here, Rhonda consumer behaviors, driving conscious changes. That’s a positive way to make a difference on a humanistic level. Interesting to see developments for sure. Uh, let’s see. Enrique loves you coming back and sharing some of your experiences. Gary says a shift from profit first to people first and th and Dave, and I agree with you here. Your mom is a no nonsense lady by the sounds of it. Agreed, agreed. Uh, and David also says, just get that man’s notebook for t-shirts my goodness.

Scott Luton (36:26):

All right. So, uh, I really appreciate your time here today. Let’s talk about this, uh, manufacturing leadership series that we are producing in partnership with our great friends over at the association for manufacturing excellence and folks y’all can check them out@ame.org. So Billy, we were going to have the great fortune of seeing you on a monthly basis, uh, and, and working with you as a co-host with. So were our teams tickled about that? Why is it important in your view to really spotlight and uplift the manufacturing industry?

Billy Taylor (36:58):

I think it’s a core of our nation. It’s a core globally, right? It’s what we do, uh, as a country. When you talk to them about the supply and demand, you can’t get there without manufacturing. And I think it’s a core business. I think one of the comments was made, uh, early. I think my Azalea, um, the it’s around the KPAs has got the KPIs is what we do, not what we get. And most people lose sight of that. When you think of manufacturing, I always use an analogy when I go into small or large businesses to say, help me understand your strategy. And every start with the end game first. And I said, no, if I want to lose weight standing on the scale, that’s the KPI. I need to focus on what I eat, how much I exercise. I need to measure those things, because those are what’s most important. And so when you look at manufacturing, it’s, it’s, it’s the front of everything we do in life in life. And so, I mean, manufacturing will never go away. And so what better way to share best practices and real life examples? Right? Because I really, my, my philosophy is also being on podcasts. I don’t want to just talk about the successes. I want to talk about some of the mistakes that were made, right.

Scott Luton (38:13):

It’s really important. And, you know,

Billy Taylor (38:14):

That’s a very place for people to learn for sure.

Scott Luton (38:17):

Agreed. And, you know, we, uh, as we always enjoy here, Greg and Billy, it seems like you appreciate it to those leaders that are willing to share those mistakes and not just focused on all the good stuff that we all love to celebrate, but being, but being real and being, um, uh, vulnerable enough to share the mistakes made and, and, and details around that where other folks really, to your point, Billy will stay in the learn so much more. So, um, I want to share, uh, T squared loves letting go without letting loose Epic. He calls that, uh, Gary says a mentor once told me that manufacturing is the only way to create true wealth. Uh, and, uh, as Leah and Dave, and also, uh, want us to get your notebook that way we’ve got all the t-shirt isn’t we need, and I’m not sure who this is, but they love the focus on KPAs versus KPIs. All right. So, um, if you had, um, so when we think about this manufacturing leadership series, if you had a small little nutshell to put, uh, some thoughts into what are folks going to experience about tuning in,

Billy Taylor (39:26):

And they’re going to get real life lessons, right? And the very reason I’m on, uh, the podcast with you is because of the overcoming the failures I’ve made and successes I’ve had. And so getting those real live examples of someone who’s done it, not read the book, right? Someone’s lived that life 30 years of it and, and sharing those examples, those stories, those mistakes, uh, that’s what I think is going to be most beneficial, what the human element to it, not, not, not the smoke and mirrors type of, uh, the tele stories around the standards, right? What do, I mean, my standards, it’s easy to say. You should have standards, but practical examples of what a standard is, a real leadership standard. You accept, you can’t change, right? Those types of that’s what you’re going to get the real perspective with the human feel to it.

Scott Luton (40:19):

Love that. So let’s go ahead and let’s knock out the first recording this afternoon. You get your ready to go, Billy. Um, Greg. Yeah. I want to bring you in Greg. I mean, there’s so much goodness here that Billy Billy’s sharing, what are a couple things

Billy Taylor (40:31):

You’ve picked up? Well, I mean, I think one of the things he points out is that success is just a series of overcoming failures. And that’s, you have to be, we talk about a lot. You have to be willing to risk something to move forward. I always think about Michael Jordan, when I think about greatness, greatest NBA player of all time, still, in my opinion. Um, but you know, I don’t remember the specific numbers of his famous quote, but he failed far more often to make the game winning shot, then he succeeded, but he kept taking the shot. And that’s the key, right? So, um, you do learn so much from minor, obviously major failures, but you want to keep those failures minor because the success is really the goal that you’re after. So, um, yeah, I mean, it’s, it’s not much bigger than, than success is just simply overcoming a series of failures.

Scott Luton (41:25):

I love it. Uh, and you know, Billy, you said you read the book. I bet you wrote the book is what is what I’m getting out of here. And David says, Hey, in Ricky Alvarez, do you have any memberships for that? Billy T fan club?

Billy Taylor (41:40):

I got to share this. So Enrique was Ambien. I walk into the office and it’s talking about make people visible. I got more out of that visit. And I believe in Riga, I’m not sure we got there later that day. He got a lot out of it. I make people visible. They make you valuable. He came downstairs. Not only did we spend half coffee, he gave me some nice, really good cold coffee. And then we took a tour. He gave me a book that talked about his success stories. Think of that value. He started making me valuable. I was learning from him and my whole mindset was getting to know him. And then here’s what you did. And see, whenever you come back to Atlanta, they get ahold of me, right? I not only I built a relationship with him behind the scenes. That’s what I mean by make people visible. They’ll make you value.

Scott Luton (42:32):

Hmm. Love that. Um, okay. So talking about coming to Atlanta, uh, AME is packing up. The wagons are bringing their international conference to Atlanta in October, October 18th through the 21st, 2021. I think we’ve got the note for that in the show notes. Folks, check that out. What’s your favorite part about these international conferences? The AME puts on Billy,

Billy Taylor (42:53):

Actually the personal networking and or interaction with, with practitioners and you get to learn about best practice and you can go right up and ask the part people that are, have went through these journeys and, and tap into their, their networks and their experiences. And, and I think that platform itself and being able to participate, okay, participate in the workshops. I am going to see plants. So that’s where I really cut my teeth in operational excellence. Uh, did my first keynote actually in a little small room in Dallas, Texas when they launched there. And, uh, I’ve, I’ve a lot of the experts or practitioners in the field were there that I could just walk up to and talk to. It’s a real personal conference.

Scott Luton (43:40):

I love that. And, and, you know, after doing, uh, Amy did a great job with the remote version last year, as we all had to go remote. Um, but it’ll be neat to finally get back in person as you’re speaking about Billy, and, you know, Greg, we’ve seen, um, a wide variety of groups, you know, talking with us and many others about getting back in person and bringing these events back in person. So that’s some really good news and it Greg.

Billy Taylor (44:03):

Yeah, it is. And I think, you know, I think our original theory, maybe it was my original theory will be tested soon enough. And that is which types of shows, which types of gatherings will come back and which won’t, we’ve had a lot of those discussions around educational sessions, like AME and other gatherings where you learn something, you really learn something and you’re not simply obligated to be there because you’re conspicuous by your absence. Right. Excellent. Yeah. I really think some of these learning, engaging, networking type events will be far more valuable and valued and attended than just trade shows. Right.

Scott Luton (44:43):

Well, I’ll tell ya. I’m, I’m gonna have a new two foot rule myself, Billy,

Billy Taylor (44:47):

If you’re happy,

Scott Luton (44:49):

I’m going to hug. Yeah. Cause I can’t wait to get back in person, uh, and enjoy till it’s company. So, uh, I want to share a couple of comments here before we start to wrap with Billy Peter bullae, uh, Greg white never fails to take his shot on tequila, sunrise. I agree with you and Peter also, thanks for sharing that link. Folks can check out that link that Peter shared to learn more about the conference. Uh, see Enrique says he agrees with Greg. We all always agree with Greg great time. Learned a lot from Billy. So definitely come to Atlanta more often. I’m sure. I’m sure you’ve got some, I’m not gonna point anybody out, but you got some family in Atlanta now, so

Billy Taylor (45:24):

Hopefully you’ll be back plenty.

Scott Luton (45:27):

Um, Rhonda says, uh, was taught my mentor. The janitor is the most important to get to know they’ve got the pulse on everything

Billy Taylor (45:36):

That makes me think of the, of the NASA story, right? Where a president walks up to the guy, sweeping the floor in a hanger and says, what’s your job here? And he says, my job is to put a man on the moon. I love that too. Right.

Scott Luton (45:51):

Okay. So, so much good stuff. Uh, Billy, uh, 25 minutes does not do you justice by any means Bay. This is the start of a, of a dialogue that will keep on going and going and going and probably giving back plenty giving forward. Um, let’s make sure folks know how to first off May 14th at 12 noon Eastern time. If my notes are right, is going to be the next episode of the manufacturing leadership series right here on supply chain. Now again produced in partnership with our friends over AME y’all tune in Billy, uh, Greg and I, we’ve got a short list of guests that we’re working on through their agents to lock them in. So you’re not going to miss that heck just to hear more from Billy, you’re not going to want this. So Mark, your caveat ought, just do a Billy. Yes. So make sure you like market calendars May 14th at 12 noon Eastern time. Be sure to check out ame.org for more information about AME and then Billy, how can folks connect with you?

Billy Taylor (46:48):

Uh, LinkedIn, uh, LinkedIn, I’m there and you know, at the end of the day, that’s how I decompress at the end of the day as well and interact with a lot of my friends. I always go once team Taylor always deemed Taylor DAV and I’m like, yeah, I like him. Right? So it’s that, that interaction I engaged on long LinkedIn. That’s where I, my social media, I’m going to call and of choice.

Scott Luton (47:16):

Love it, love it. Uh, well, Billy, gosh, not only, uh, the conversation has been very efficient. We’re we’re ahead of schedule a little bit. So I’m going to ask you on it and then Greg, I’m coming to you next, uh, before we let you go, Billy, if you had a minute to, to speak directly to the folks tuned in, um, you know, folks that may be, you know, struggling with, with their job or struggling with the environment or, you know, just fighting through the day. What’s one piece of advice. If I put you on the spot, sorry, Billy, what’s one piece of advice that you, that you’d like to offer

Billy Taylor (47:48):

Right now, I would tell you, and this is something that I actually actually told my kids and I, my wife and I do it to ourselves. Ask yourself this question. What would you do if you were not afraid, just pause, look in the mirror by yourself and ask yourself, what would you do if you were not afraid? You know, I once read the book by Miguel Ruiz, the four agreements, and it helped me with my personal self-esteem as a leader. Uh, but I have to often ask myself why, because we all like to be liked and sometimes uncomfortable to go against the grain. But when you ask yourself, what would you do if you weren’t afraid, then you do, right. Yeah.

Scott Luton (48:29):

I love that. You’ll get some honest answers and new direction perhaps, but, uh, Billy, right? Yeah, it really is. And this is Laura Madejski Solara. Great. Great to have you here today. Uh she’s she sums up huge. Thank you, Billy. Some excellent takeaways from your story and experiences shared today. I completely agree. All right. So Greg, well, we still have Billy what’s one of your favorite things that he shared here today.

Billy Taylor (48:56):

Do you trust the branch or do you trust your wings? Right? I mean, I think that, I mean, I think that that’s, it’s not dissimilar to what you just said, Billy is what would you do if you were not afraid? Right. Right. Um, and, and not being afraid has a lot to do with, as you said, self-esteem and trusting yourself. So trust your wings. You can get beyond just about anything. It doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. That’s right. Um, any other thing I can, this is th this is my favorite takeaway is undercover. Billy Billy into plants come up with a half dozen disguises, but billion plants and ha I mean, seriously, we could have him discover what’s going on in some of those plants and give them some real takeaways. That would be fantastic, right?

Scott Luton (49:47):

It would, it was so many ideas. So little time, Billy, but, uh, a pleasure to have you here today, learn so much. We’re just scraping the very tip of the iceberg, but we’re going to have you back May 14th at 12 noon with a special guest. So y’all stay tuned for that and make sure you connect with Billy on LinkedIn. He is a wonderful, and then a little bit of time I’ve been tracking and following the ability. You’re a great, uh, uh, person to follow and track on social, Billy Taylor with linked XL. Thanks so much for,

Billy Taylor (50:16):

Thank you for having me looking for it. Yeah. Thanks,

Scott Luton (50:22):

Man. I’m ready to go run through some walls. How about you?

Billy Taylor (50:26):

Yeah, I think that there’s

Greg White (50:28):

So much, um, plain spoken wisdom and, and I really appreciate that. Um, so yeah, I think, uh, really interesting. It would be really interesting to have him walk through a facility, wouldn’t it. And, and just share, you know, here’s what could be done there, or, you know, share a little bit of those conversations. That’d be fantastic.

Scott Luton (50:49):

Agreed. Uh, also, you know, we’re excited to have him back at least monthly. Uh, you know, I think he’s gonna, um, just as you put it simple, just straightforward, um, but also highly practical. And we will, we will know how, how practical we love to be around here. So Lee really enjoyed our time with Billy Taylor here today, but folks, uh, tip of the iceberg, we are launching a lot of, uh, not only we’ve got manufacturing leadership, we’ve got tequila, sunrise coming at you with some new stuff coming up. What, what are we publishing tomorrow on tequila

Greg White (51:24):

Tomorrow? We talked, uh, we talked about sustainability with, uh, Peter [inaudible], who is the chief commercial officer at DB Schenker Norway. And they are just winning award after award in, in sustainability initiatives. You know, my former company’s European office was in Oslow one of my favorite cities on the planet, full disclosure, but the commitment to, um, to sustainability in Norway is exceptional in any of the countries that I’ve been to in the world. And, and Peter is bringing, bringing his company to the top of, of Norway, which has a high bar. They saw more Teslas in Norway than any country in the world. Wow. So very, very, uh, environmentally conscious. So anyway, you’re going to learn four or five things that your company can do to really establish a sustainability and, and accelerate any sustainability initiative that you have in your company.

Scott Luton (52:26):

Love it. So we’ve learned here today so much, including that Greg’s favorite cities are Oslo and Beijing, and We’re all kidding and, you know, Hey, it’s good to be Frank. Uh, so, uh, really appreciate your perspective. I love what bill has shared and Greg shared, uh, so much goodness, as also in the comments. We couldn’t, couldn’t get to all of it, but, uh, but Dave and I agree with you, the notebook reads like a transcript. Every word was gold that was dropped here today. And yes, Neyha hope this finds you well first off, but yes, definitely tune into the replay because I think you got here late. That’s okay. We’re a demerit

Greg White (53:06):

For you to know you’re busy, everybody’s busy. So we appreciate you tuning in. And that’s why we record these suffers.

Scott Luton (53:12):

Amen. Uh, as Leah looking forward to an in-person learning experience loved to learn, and those types of events agreed. I’m an in-person in-person learner. Uh, we do a lot of things, of course, but then being in person, being able to, you know, uh, be present with folks as we work through problems or learn new things or, or just get know people, uh, we all miss that here. Okay. It looks like we’re exchanging some restaurants, advice, getting some updates. So fat mats, that’s not by the airport, Peter, but I was wondering, but there is a, there is a good barbecue restaurant by the airport. He, he was, he was watching a show, Atlanta eats, I think, and saw a restaurant, but fat Matt’s is outstanding. Well paid endorsement there, Greg white. But Hey, thanks for tuning in here today, again, for the manufacturing Monday edition of supply chain buzz, which of course, as we mentioned, got to give a big, thanks to our friends at OpenText at power today’s session, a big thanks to our friends at the, the association for manufacturing excellence for, um, our, their partnership on the manufacturing leadership series and connecting us with Billy ready for outstanding con uh, content up ahead, and Simon, Hey, better, late than never celebrate the red because Russ never sleep.

Scott Luton (54:42):

There he is. And Billy’s in Cleveland right now. So he knows the truth about rust. He’s not from the rust belt, but he’s learning fast. I bet. Oh gosh. And Joseph coming in and when he visit Charleston, two places, the coast seafood and Louis barbecue. Alright. Joseph’s uh, we’re going to halls, uh, we’re going to halls for sure. And also a one six seven RA one eight, seven RA. Love to get your thoughts on those two places. Awesome. All right, everybody y’all have a wonderful week. Hey, do what Billy said. Look yourself in the mirror and ask yourself if you had no fear, what would you do? That is outstanding advice. So on behalf of our entire team here, uh, Scott lewd and Greg golf signing off for now, y’all have a wonderful week. Most importantly, do good. Give forward. Be the changes need to be just like Billy Taylor. And on that note, we’ll see you next time here.

Intro/Outro (55:40):

Thanks everybody. Thanks for being a part of our supply chain. Now, community check out all of our programming@supplychainnow.com and make sure you subscribe to supply chain. Now anywhere you listen to podcasts and follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. See you next time on supply chain. Now.