1. Practitioner Talks
first-person procurement insights
ISM March 20166
Getting the
right talents,
motivating the
right talents and
keeping the
right talents.
Kenneth Chan
Chief procurement officer
Asplundh Tree Expert Company
Philadelphia
Q:
How can leaders excel at change
management — especially during
transformations?
A supply chain
concern that
keeps me up
at night is:
When people ask what I do for a living, here’s
how I describe my job in one sentence:
I am a company doctor who identifies issues, formulates curing strategies and works
with stakeholders to improve operations, resulting in better shareholder value.
I
have done several transformations
in my current position and with other
Fortune 500 companies. First, under-
stand the business strategy of the
company in order to translate that into
the project charter. Second, identify and
interview the key stakeholders for their
input on the future vision and desired out-
comes. In any organization, there are core
individuals who control key resources
that are influential to the company’s suc-
cess. Identify these people early on in the
change initiative process and bring them
onboard to be part of the core team and
support your work. Third, draw inspiration
from best practices at other companies
to create a blueprint for the organiza-
tion’s future state. Fourth, research new
technology and supplier offer-
ings to determine how to
streamline processes or
leverage third-party capa-
bilities. Finally, develop
a multistep transformation
with a focus on getting quick
short-term wins as a proof
of concept and gain
momentum with
senior leaders.
From that point,
work on rolling
out changes while
still balancing
daily operational
requirements to
ensure a smooth
overall transition.
© Institute for Supply Management®
. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission from the publisher, the Institute for Supply Management®
.

2. ISM March 2016 7
1) You can only be successful by making others successful
2) Think strategically, execute tactically
3) Your title makes you a manager; your people make you a leader.
Learning how to shift focus and letting go of skills. When I began my
consulting career as an associate, I learned how to collect, analyze
and present data to the client for insights and recommendations.
I excelled at data analysis and was quickly promoted to manager.
However, I was so focused on getting the analysis perfect that I’d
ignored the importance of building the client relationship to drive
change management.
When I took on my role of chief procurement officer of Asplundh,
I had to develop a clear vision, bring together a great team and build
relationships with various stakeholders internally and externally to
achieve department goals. I’ve had to shift focus from my analytical
skills and concentrate on learning the culture and managing key stake-
holders and top executives of the company. I spend about 90 percent
of my time on strategic discussions, building relationships and soft
skills in my job, and only 10 percent of my time using the hard skills
such as data collection and analysis. My 90/10 approach is working
well, and I’ve been able to build a high-performing team that delivers
millions of dollars in annual savings.
Recently, I was promoted to head of all fleet services in addition to
my CPO responsibilities, and I had to change the way I looked at supply
chain and learn the way a fleet executive thinks. I realize that in the
course of our careers, we often have to shift focus and learn new skills
all the time if we are going to expand and grow as professionals. ISM
The most helpful career advice I’ve
received was:
The biggest professional challenge I’ve
had to overcome was:
A business book that has made an impact on my career:
American Icon: Alan Mulally and the Fight to Save Ford Motor Company by Bryce G. Hoffman
My main takeaway from this book is the value of
working together. Alan Mulally has a natural talent
in bringing people together to create excellence. His
leadership approach — getting the team to collab-
orate, challenging them and holding them account-
able — really impressed me. At Asplundh, I have
experienced my fair share of functional silos. I use
Mulally’s approach to partner and collaborate with
other functional department heads and also empha-
size the team approach in supply chain. As a result,
we’ve been able to break through many silos and
create true cross-functional partnerships that deliver
great results.
One phrase I
find myself saying
almost every day
at my job:
“If you stop
innovating and
learning, you
become
irrelevant.”