Hannah Kain is the President and CEO of ALOM, a global supply chain, contract packaging, and fulfillment company. As a global supply chain executive, she has written business books and papers, taught graduate classes, and spoken at various business events. Hannah has extensive international management experience as well as membership and involvement in governmental agencies and business groups, including the National Association of Manufacturers, Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), and How Women Lead.
Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:
- [4:13] Hannah Kain’s journey from Denmark to founding a supply chain company in Silicon Valley
- [11:54] How Hannah’s Danish background influences her approach to entrepreneurship
- [21:53] The evolving role of women in the supply chain industry and Hannah’s efforts to promote it
- [24:42] Supporting women in leadership roles to boost company performance
- [28:20] Hannah talks about her drive to empower women
- [35:00] Advice to women leaders for uplifting their teams
In this episode...
Studies show that business financial performance increases when women are given leadership positions. Yet many industries, including the supply chain industry, are perpetually male-dominated. How can male support and organizational collaboration elevate female representation in these industries?
As a Danish immigrant with an innate drive to challenge the status quo and help women break into leadership roles, Hannah Kain advocates for involvement with industry networks and leadership associations that promote women’s voices and ideas. Organizations like the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council and other niche associations can advance women’s roles in their companies and industries. When men and women collaborate within these organizations, they can enhance company culture and results.
In today’s episode of the Lead Like a Woman Show, Andrea Heuston sits down with Hannah Kain, the President and CEO of ALOM, to discuss empowering women in the supply chain industry. Hannah shares her Danish upbringing, advice for women leaders to encourage their teams, and how she champions women’s leadership.
Quotable Moments:
- “I felt I had an obligation to do the best with my life, be the best I could be, and really leverage opportunities.”
- “You cannot have the roast be done two hours before the potatoes.”
- “Nobody’s perfect; it’s not about being perfect; it’s about those strengths and putting them to work and really leveraging what you can bring to the party.”
- “I learned something in my process. I’m learning something from everybody around me, including you.”
- “It’s not that women are winning and men are losing… This is about collaboration.”
Action Steps:
- Cultivate a collaborative culture: Build environments that value team contributions and collective success. It’s effective because collaboration often leads to more innovative solutions, as emphasized by Hannah’s description of effective supply chain management.
- Embrace continuous learning: Never stop seeking knowledge and insights from those around you, as all individuals have valuable experiences to offer. Continuous learning keeps you relevant and adaptive in today’s fast-paced world.
- Lead without regrets: Draw inspiration from personal history to fuel your leadership drive; use your own narrative to foster a sense of purpose. This approach ensures a strong focus on what’s truly important in both professional and personal realms.
- Empower underrepresented groups: Actively work towards increasing diversity and representation within your field, as diversity in leadership has been proven to drive better financial results. It also reinforces the importance of inclusivity, which is a cornerstone of progressive leadership.
- Align vision with action: Regularly check team alignment with organizational goals and ensure that team members’ personal objectives support the company’s direction. This alignment prevents miscommunication and maximizes resources towards achieving collective milestones.
Sponsor for this episode…
This episode is brought to you by Artitudes Design by Andrea Heuston. Artitudes Design is an award-winning creative agency that has been creating visual communication for Fortune 500 companies for over 25 years. They have worked with notable companies such as Microsoft, Starbucks, Expedia, and have also served startups and nonprofit organizations.
They specialize in connecting speakers with audiences by creating visual value with presentations and through the creation of motion graphics, video, and content.
To learn more about Artitudes Design, visit their website today. Checkout their portfolio to see their previous projects, and contact them today to find out how they can help you bring your business a cut above the rest.