In my first job, I worked for a family-owned business where the owner took me under her wing and showed me what collaboration means. She took me on buying trips and made sure I worked with the warehouse team because she wanted me to understand how we all come together to make a product. With that understanding, I’ve brought teams together to create results including:➙ Frye Footwear: Increased margins, changed materials without sacrificing quality, and strengthened collaboration with sales and merchandising. Reduced costs and improved on-time deliveries.➙ Nine West Group, Footwear Division: Boosted profits with margin improvements. Increased negotiating power, reduced costs and improved capacity planning and forecasting. ➙ Nine West Group, Handbags/Accessories Division: Increased speed to market; cut development costs, material liabilities, and expenses. Overhauled a struggling China-based team into a trustworthy, efficient and profit-driving unit. ✦ HOW I LEAD ✦ I’ve stepped into complicated interpersonal and organizational dynamics, brought people together toward common goals and created new, healthy systems. Because I was mentored, I place a high value on mentoring others. People sense that, and it builds trust. It’s also created a network of talent that tends to follow me from job to job. As I streamline processes, I look for ways to build stronger collaboration with other functions and with suppliers into those processes. ✦ ON PRODUCTION & SOURCING IN A CHANGING WORLD ✦My global experience positions me to understand and navigate our current supply chain challenges, which are not going away anytime soon. We’ll need to work closely with factories and think differently about how we’re getting our goods here. I have deep experience in Asia and recent experience in Mexico, which could be a smart move for US-based companies looking to shift production closer to home. Regardless of manufacturing region, changing how we plan is key to working through our current challenges. Producing smaller amounts over time and increasing speed to market will be key. Companies who are willing to look critically at their production and sourcing methods and processes are the ones who will overcome today’s roadblocks with stronger systems and staying power. Having a leader who understands the nuances of global business and can create new ways of working will make all the difference.