As we continue our discussion from last week, let’s look at the details needed to make our logistics team hum.

To be a successful team, all members of the team must work in harmony toward the same goal. The actions of good team members are:

• Understanding responsibilities
  • Everyone must know what is expected of every member of the team.
• Common goals
  • Be sure each team member is headed for the same shared objectives.
• Dealing with change
  • Be prepared for the largest worst-case scenario, or the smallest event that could require a change of direction or plan.
• Dealing with conflict
  • Have a plan to deal with the inevitable disagreement or conflicts that arise in the course of booking, scheduling, dispatching, picking up, hauling, and delivering of shipments between team members.
• Sharing information 
  • Be transparent with information between team members. The better each team member understands the needs and circumstances of other team members, the easier it is to reach success.
• Sharing ideas
  • Be ready to share innovations with the entire team and improve the quality of how tasks are completed, ultimately bringing greater success to the team.
• Team Maintenance
  • Just as a truck will never be denied its maintenance, the same holds true with maintaining any business relationship. Situations change, needs change, and if you’re not aware of them in regards to other team members, you’ll find yourself benched or out of business.
• Direct communications
  • Communicate, communicate, communicate. Keep all team members in the loop at all times, regardless of whether it’s good news, bad news, or just keeping them up to date on what’s going on with the loads.
• Developing trust
  • The most important component of keeping a team focused on the goal is trust, so constantly work on earning the trust of other team members. And remember, actions speak louder than words.

To name the components of good teamwork is the easy part of bringing together a well-running logistics team. The challenge is to take the individual members and assemble them into an effective load-moving machine. Each member of the team has a responsibility to complete all required tasks, handle any changes in the course of the job and to finish within the time specified.

Finally, another definition of a team is a group of individuals working towards a common goal by working together as one. Do we think of the trucking company as one team, the broker or 3PL as another team, and the shipper and receiver as two more teams? To create a well-oiled shipping machine, each of these separate teams needs to become the units of the winning team. This requires cooperation between each team unit, understanding the needs and wants of each unit, and all members working for the benefit of each other.

So let’s win one for the ‘Gipper!’

Good loads and safe roads, everyone.

Timothy Brady
©  2009