Do You Have Moxie?

Do You Have Moxie? John Baldoni, Leadership Now Grit, guts, and fortitude are all synonyms of the word “moxie,” which author John Baldoni describes in his new book, Moxie: The Secret to Bold and Gutsy Leadership as a key quality for business leadership.  Leaders with moxie have been proven to lead people during tough circumstances, and they possess several important attributes including, fire, drive, resilience, and street smarts.  Learn five characteristics that you can practice and develop and incorporate into your life and your business read more

Information is Cheap

Information, once highly valued, has become a very cheap commodity. 

Thanks to the interconnected world and web browsers, just about anyone with an Internet connection can find out just about anything at any time.  Connection is provided in so many ways today with so many devices providing access.  Information resources often number in the thousands or hundreds of thousands or even millions. 

“ERP Software Solutions” returned 4,850,000 results during the writing of this posting.  If you really wanted valuable information, it is available.  This information is available for the most part at no-charge or the dreaded word “Free”.  Each and every day the time equivalent of more than eight years of video information is uploaded to YouTube.

What information will be of value?  Which piece of information helps solve your problem?  Do you even know where your problem lays?

Anyone who has been around a while knows the true value of free.  Either it is worth what it costs or it is of little value. 

With so many resources available much pressure exists for the suppliers of information to position their resources high on search engines creating a potential conflict of interest of genuine information of value and the quest for income.  Everyone screaming look at me, look at me.

In general we love having choices and having so much information available, but how can we apply it to our decision making?  What happens if we really need the information to transform our businesses?  We seek more and more of it, not less.  How can we filter what we need with what we have available?

This information quest applies both in external resources and internal management of business operations.  Information is key.  Not knowing where you are going leaves you nowhere.

We are now at the point where Internet Librarians have become the valued resource.  It is not enough to know the answer to a question.  The Internet is full of answers. 

The key is knowing the questions and how to apply the answers to your real world challenges.  

Business Technology consultants have become that well needed resource.  It is important to understand the difference between Managed Service Providers (MSP) which provide the resources, monitoring and support to keep your business operating versus Business Technology Providers which consult as trusted advisors to guide you into the future.

At their core all Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solutions for Manufacturing and Distribution are designed to help companies manage inventory more efficiently.  All of the modules and add-ons have that imbedded in their design, either directly or via a supporting functional role, such as Finance. 

The Supply Chain’s needs have not changed since the beginning of distribution services.

Wikipedia defines Supply Chain Management (SCM) as "the systemic, strategic coordination of the traditional business functions and the tactics across these business functions within a particular company and across businesses within the supply chain, for the purposes of improving the long-term performance of the individual companies and the supply chain as a whole”.  It has also been defined as the "design, planning, execution, control, and monitoring of supply chain activities with the objective of creating net value, building a competitive infrastructure, leveraging worldwide logistics, synchronizing supply with demand and measuring performance globally."

If the challenges of the supply chain have not changed significantly over time and there is ever more information available, then what is the problem?  The answers exists.  In fact the ratio of answers to question have exponentially increased.  Every business should be running great.

What we now need is help with our questions. 

Action is the answer to the question you are asking now.  That is where opportunity to advance lays. 

What actions can I take now that will help me run and operate my business more efficiently, lower my costs and be more competitive? How do we learn what questions to ask to get the answers we need?  How do we incorporate this new philosophy?   How do we get the best information to the people who need it most?

How do we deliver on the promise of results?

Dolvin Consulting has the experience, resources and contacts to help you find the right questions to the answers you need.  Contact us today for help, which is why we are here.

Focus Experts’ Briefing: Supply Chain Management Overview

Using Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems for Maximum Competitive Advantage.

In an increasingly competitive market, smarter businesses thrive. This comes from real-time visibility into all aspects of your supply chain and the ability to quickly analyze this data. A well thought out ERP integration can make this a reality. Focus' Supply Chain Management (SCM)/ERP Research Package provides a wealth of information from ERP and SCM experts so you're prepared to evaluate solutions.

Now more than ever, businesses need to run efficiently. Supply chain management (SCM) can provide real-time visibility into your supply chain so you can manage — and optimize — day-to-day operational performance. But how does a business get started with SCM, and how does one find the right application? What skills should a supply chain manager have? Where do supply chain analytics fit into a supply chain management solution? This Experts’ Briefing leverages the expertise and experience of Focus Experts and Focus Community members, whose guidance can give you a better understanding of the practical aspects of SCM, from selecting an appropriate SCM solution to gaining insight into supply chain analytics.

This guide is a great starting point.  Figure out what you do not know and then contact Dolvin to see how we can use our knowledge and industry partnerships to connect you with the resources you need to achieve your goals.

We welcome your comments and suggestions.