The National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors is "bringing distributors together in a noncompetitive way to help each other" through roundtable conversations, thought leadership and an upcoming "digital warehouse" of information, CEO Eric Hoplin says. Hoplin also discusses inflation, NAW's advocacy efforts and distributors' use of technology to mitigate supply chain disruptions.
The National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors has named Dianna Steinbach, a trade association leader and business strategist, as its chief strategy officer. "Building a road map of success for NAW and our members is my top priority," says Steinbach, who began her position on Aug. 15.
A study from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York finds that inflation, which reached 8.5% in July, has been largely driven by rises in wages and import costs. As an additional factor, the study notes that "the pass-through of wages and input prices to the US producer price index has grown during the pandemic."
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Warehouse workers want access to automation, robots and other technology that can lesson the physical demands of their jobs, improve safety and reduce the likelihood of mistakes, according to a Lucas Systems survey. Nearly 75% of workers said they might be willing to take a job that paid less if it involved more technology, although many also want strong training in how to use tech.
Protecting current customers -- the retained sales method -- is not as effective as the more agile growth sales structure "in a world where the ground is always shifting," writes Matt Sunshine, managing partner for The Center for Sales Strategy. Sunshine explains what the growth structure looks like and suggests sales managers try to "achieve the right balance between traditional and new elements to create a structure that your entire team can get behind."
When employees feel that their company values them as unique and independent thinkers, they are more likely to produce innovative ideas and follow through on them. "If a manager encourages employees to harness their individuality and reflect on what makes them distinct, this may lead to the pursuit of more novel ideas, even in a highly collectivistic context," write researchers Moran Lazar, Ella Miron-Spektor and Jennifer Mueller.
The future workplace will benefit from having junior employees mentor their older counterparts, as the young Generation Z workforce brings new perspectives, technological expertise and cultural diversity, HR leaders and other executives say. "The nice thing about reverse mentoring is that it really puts a concentration on what someone -- who might normally be a mentee in a traditional format -- has to teach someone older or more senior," says Sara Rahmani, vice president of people experience and diversity, equity and inclusion at Chronus.
The NAW Large Company Roundtables are an exclusive community of thought leaders from Large Company distribution enterprises who congregate to network with noncompeting peers in multiple lines of trade on key issues. The companies invited into this community are from distribution firms with annual sales between $100 million and $999 million. Register today!
