Logistics A Story of Adversity
When I think about adversity a few stories come to mind.
The first is the story of Poon Lim who worked on a British merchant ship that was sunk by a German U-boat in 1942. Lim survived at sea for 133 days in a lifeboat as a castaway. It’s a rather harrowing story of someone overcoming odds and using all available resources for survival. I highly encourage you to read more into Lim’s story, the prejudice he encountered and the obstacles he overcame.
More recently I read a NY Times story about a Brazilian pilot crashing in the Amazon. Antônio Sena was the pilot when his single-engine small-aircraft crash landed in the Amazon. As the sole occupant, surviving the crash was the first obstacle Sena overcame, next was waiting for a rescue and when that didn’t seem like a possible outcome he took matters into his own hands and began to hike. Sena hiked amongst some of the most dangerous wildlife — animals such as jaguars, large snakes, and deadly insects. After more than 30 days Sena’s story was as much about human survival as overcoming adversity.
And lastly the real life Lord of the Flies like story that was highlighted on a recent 60 Minutes segment. A group of 6 Tongan teenage boys shipwrecked on a remote Pacific Island. They didn’t resort to the barbaric tendencies highlighted in Lord of the Flies, rather they adapted and overcame obstacles. They were self-sufficient on the island for 15 months until a passing boat provided them a way home.
Logistics professionals are expected to overcome adversity as a job requirement. Maybe not to the same extreme as highlighted in the stories above but it’s a rare for someone in supply chain to give an all good/green indication on all systems; rather we exist to call out risk and work thru potential issues. Every problem can have more than one solution or outcome but we are tasked with pursuing optimal outcomes.
When the Suze Canal was blocked by the Ever Given, I have no doubt that supply planning teams across the globe began to map out potential contingency plans and re-route options to avoid any disruption to the consumer.
What issues are you working to overcome?
What systems or processes do you have in place to overcome obstacles?
Where can you work to overcome adversity in your supply chain?
