February 11, 2025 • 35 mins
Unlock the secrets of successful supply chain management and leadership with our special guest, Kerim Kfuri. A global entrepreneur and author, Kerim takes us on an extraordinary journey through the industry, sharing how childhood lessons selling blueberries ignited an entrepreneurial spirit that guides his approach to leadership today. Tune in to discover how focusing on the path rather than the destination can transform both business practices and personal growth.
Kerim demystifies the intricate workings of supply chains using something as simple as a cup of coffee, revealing the complex web of farming, logistics, and economics behind it. Drawing from his book, "Supply Chain Ups and Downs," he discusses the unpredictable nature of the industry and the challenges of managing diverse relationships and variables. With anecdotes and insights, we explore how global economic and political factors play pivotal roles in shaping supply chains, offering listeners a fresh perspective on this vital industry.
Balancing a global career with personal life takes center stage in our conversation, as Kerim shares strategies for maintaining health and wellness amidst a demanding professional landscape. From setting boundaries to continuously learning and adapting to change, his insights provide a roadmap for effective leadership. Connect with Kerim and gain more from his experiences through his book and various platforms, and take the first step towards becoming an uncommon leader yourself.
Resources Mentioned:
Thanks for listening in to the Uncommon Leader Podcast. Please take just a minute to share this podcast with that someone you know that you thought of when you heard this episode. One of the most valuable things you can do is to rate the podcast and leave a review. You can do that on Apple podcasts, or rate the podcast on Spotify or any other platform you listen.
Did you know that many of the things that I discuss on the Uncommon Leader Podcast are subjects that I coach other leaders and organizations ? If you would be interested in having me discuss 1:1 or group coaching with you, or know someone who is looking to move from Underperforming to Uncommon in their business or life, I would love to chat with you. Click this link to set up a FREE CALL to discuss how coaching might benefit you and your team)
Until next time, Go and Grow Champions!!
Connect with me
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
The journey is the real benefit, not always just
the final outcome.
And you know, I just getworried about the fact that if
we're so outcome-driven all thetime, as opposed to
process-driven, that we may losesomething along the way, even
in scenarios where we makemistakes that end up being, you
know, some of the greatest.
You know miracles of our time.
(00:21):
You know miracles of our time.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Hey, uncommon Leaders , welcome back.
This is the Uncommon LeaderPodcast.
I'm your host.
John Gallagher Got a greatguest for us today to listen
into A little bit differentconversation than we used to,
but I know we can tie it backinto leadership.
Kareem Kafouri is going to talkto us about his book Supply
Chain Ups and Downs and we'regoing to take the path of tying
that to leadership and what thatmeans frankly to us, both in
(00:52):
our business as well as in ourpersonal lives as well, and talk
about some of the things thathe's been through on his journey
and passion for supply chain.
But before we jump into that,let me do a little introduction
so that you all know a littlebit about him Global
entrepreneur, who's thepresident and CEO of the Atlas
Network, a global supply chainenterprise offering
comprehensive end-to-end supplychain services.
(01:13):
I'm going to let him talk aboutwhat that really means to us as
we go forward.
He's also the founder and hostof the Supply and Demand Show,
which is a YouTube podcast thatis out there, and also the
author of the bestselling bookSupply Chain Demand Show, which
is a YouTube podcast that is outthere, and also the author of
the bestselling book SupplyChain Ups and Downs that I
mentioned at the very start here.
So congratulations on thatbestseller status.
(01:33):
And what I'm really interestedin as we go through is he's a
self-proclaimed continuouslearner, pursuing equilibrium in
thought, culture, businesspractices and amongst people.
So, kareem Khafouri, welcome tothe Uncommon Leader Podcast.
How are you doing today?
Speaker 1 (01:48):
Thank you so much, John.
What a nice introduction.
I really appreciate it andhappy to be with you and to have
a nice conversation.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
I think we're going to have a great conversation,
but I am going to start you off,just like I start every
first-time guest on the UncommonLeader Podcast I'm going to ask
you to tell me a story fromyour childhood that still
impacts who you are as a personor as a leader, today.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
Right.
Well, I mean, I would say thatit really starts with
blueberries, if you want to say,Okay, you know, when I was a
kid we had a lot of blueberrybushes in the neighborhood and
you know, I think one day I waswalking around and I said, hey,
you know, I think one day I waswalking around and I said, hey,
you know, I enjoy pulling theseblueberries down off of the bush
(02:29):
and enjoying them, and I wonderif a bunch of other people
would like this as well.
And so, you know, I started offby just kind of picking a bunch
of them and, you know, givingthem to neighbors and sort of
friends, and everybody you knowkind of love this.
And then I said, you know what,why don't I just kind of do?
What is the, you know, currentversion of a lemonade stand?
And let's just make like alittle thing on the side of the
road here and just kind of sellblueberries to people that are,
(02:51):
you know, coming on by and youknow want to, you know have
something.
That was you know somethinggood to eat and enjoy.
And and that was the beginningof sort of my entrepreneurship
journey.
Really it was that, thatunderstanding of you know
there's, there's a product hereand there's a demand and a
supply and you know people wouldlike to play into the fact that
(03:14):
they're given some cute youknow seven year old kid, some
blueberries and some somefinances for these and so forth.
And you know that was that waskind of a beginning, because you
know you start making signs andthen you start having other
friends in the neighborhoodrunning around and trying to
spread the word and this ismarketing and this is
advertising and you know youneed a price that makes sense,
(03:34):
that when someone comes alongand wants to buy one blueberry
you can't charge them onehundred dollars and price
sensitivities.
And you know it's just.
That was the beginning, I think,really for me at a very early
age, just understanding thebasics of kind of like business
and really just entrepreneurship, and that journey just
continued on for me through somany different points in my life
(03:57):
with different things that Idid, and some of them were about
interests and some hobbies andsome were business, and then
obviously ultimately tointernational business and
supply chain and all the thingsthat I do today.
But you know, it all comes backto that.
You know seven-year-old kid whoyou know had blueberries and
wanted to sell them.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
Love that it starts in so many different ways like
that, that entrepreneurshipjourney.
No doubt about it.
Some folks will have a paperroute that they'll go through.
Some will have a lawn mowingcutting service.
You started with blueberries.
We all have to start somewhereas we get on that journey.
So I appreciate you sharingthat, and I'm sure that you had
to worry, even at seven yearsold, about the supply chain of
(04:37):
blueberries yourself as well.
So before we jump into yourbook because that's going to be
exciting again and tying that toleadership let's put it down on
the lower shelf for folks, forsome of the listeners who really
have an understanding of supplychain no doubt about it as
leaders, but certainly not atthe level you do with your
decades of experience in thatspace.
You tell a little story onInstagram about the coffee, the
(04:59):
cup of coffee and the supplychain that exists there.
So I love my cup of coffee.
I have a newsletter called theChampion Champions Brew that
comes out every Friday that youcan sip a cup of coffee with.
So tell me what supply chain isas it relates to maybe just a
cup of coffee and some of thecomplexity there that exists.
Why is it so?
Speaker 1 (05:17):
expensive, absolutely , I mean just like any
agricultural product.
I mean there are so many touchpoints that have to basically
come about for you to end uphaving that cup of coffee that
you're enjoying today.
Right, you've got, obviously,the ability to have farming.
You have to have good naturalconditions, dry them to roast
(05:41):
them, to then crush them toimport them from other countries
, which you know includes, youknow, getting on vessels and
crossing the ocean and payingtariffs and duties, as we know.
Recently in the news todaythere was a whole conversation
around.
You know nations such as Mexicoand otherwise that you know
have some of these agriculturalproducts where there could be a
25% tariff put onto these kindsof things.
(06:04):
So you know aspects of just kindof global economics and
political shifts that can impactthat cup of coffee or really
any products that we look todigest or take in from other
parts of the world.
And then in the end, you knowwhen it gets here, it gets, you
know, packed or repacked intopackaging and then is marketed
by a brand or a company, so thatin the end, you know when it
(06:25):
gets here, it gets, you know,packed or repacked into
packaging and then is marketedby a brand or a company, so that
in the end of the day it endsup on your store shelves.
And then everybody needs alittle part of the equation
there, right, the supermarketsneed their little part of the
equation for having the shelfspace and the distributors who
got it to those supermarkets andthen the consumer and there's a
markup and so on and so forth.
(06:45):
So really, when you think aboutthat voyage to have that cup of
coffee in front of you, youknow it's quite intensive and
probably involves hundreds ormaybe even thousands of people
to really kind of bring it toyour doorstep.
And you know from where itoriginally started some kind of
an agricultural product on maybea far part of the world, either
(07:06):
from Africa or Hawaii orwherever you know.
Coffee beans, you know, comefrom in different places
Guatemala and so forth you knowto end up being, you know, as
simple as something that we wakeup to and enjoy every single
day.
That had so many steps alongthe pathway to get there.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
We don't think about that.
When we're looking at that cupof coffee in the morning that's
coming through the coffee potand just as I listen to it, then
I'm simply amazed even that wecan get one, for you know,
unfortunately too expensive at aStarbucks or a Dunkin' for
$3.49 for a cup of flavoredwater that comes out of a
(07:44):
machine, no doubt about it.
So there are some complexitiesand you wonder and that's just
coffee?
I mean the many millions ofitems that are handled through
supply chain.
And, frankly, it's good that anentrepreneur like you became
passionate about that, becausewe need folks who are passionate
and strong in many differentareas and supply chain is one of
them.
So you've written this bookSupply Chain Ups and Downs.
(08:06):
After years, after decades ofsupply chain experience, why did
you write this book now and whodid you write it for?
Speaker 1 (08:16):
Well, I don't have a lot of hair on my head and the
reason why that is is becauseI've been in the trenches for a
few decades now dealing withsort of the ups and downs, if
you want to call it, of thisindustry, and it is a very, very
complex industry that revolvesaround sort of foreseeable
(08:37):
obstacles, unforeseeableobstacles.
You know, the most consistentfactor of the supply chain is
inconsistency.
It literally is inconsistency.
It literally is inconsistency,and there's so many elements
that need to be consistentlybalanced between the
relationships of the variouslinks in the supply chain.
Whether you're a consumer oryou're a supplier, you're in the
(08:58):
logistics space or customs,clearance, delivery, warehousing
, fulfillment.
I mean, there's so many aspectsto this industry and the reason
why I wrote it is because twothings.
One, during the pandemic,people didn't have things when
they needed them and when priceswere skyrocketing through the
roof, nobody really understoodwhy.
And you can go around to anystore right now, and when there
(09:19):
isn't something on the shelf,somebody walks along and says
supply chain.
They may not even understandwhat they're even talking about
or what that means, but it'sbecome common vernacular and
there's a huge information gaparound what it is, why it's
important and so forth.
And so I thought it was reallythe right time to basically put
together a comprehensive, acomprehensive, easy to read 150
(09:51):
page piece that could bedigested by a couple of
different groups.
And so who are the kind oftarget audiences?
As you mentioned One?
Definitely students.
They are the future and thefuture generations, and right
now at most of the universitiesare supply chain majors and even
degrees that are being offeredin productions, operations,
management and supply chain andglobal transport and logistics.
So that's a group that needs tolearn more and know more about
(10:12):
it.
Then it's consumers, people whojust say, hey, this cup of
coffee is really expensive, why,I don't understand supply chain
, I don't know what this is allabout, and they want to pick up
some kind of an easy read or agood cake that's written in a
relatable voice to really kindof get a comprehension on that.
And that's another audience.
And then I would basically putit to business people, people in
(10:35):
business who they are eitherinteracting with the concept of
supply chain or someone withintheir leadership says hey, you
need to know more about thisindustry or the supply chain
space because it impacts us in A, b, c and D and they're looking
for some kind of a backbone toreally be able to foster
knowledge and questions andunderstand and even connect to
what they do.
(10:55):
And then, finally, the lastgroup is the supply chain
industry itself, and the reasonwhy I say that is because there
are so many practitioners,whether you're on the technology
side or on the transport side,or on the procurement side or
the customs clearance side ordifferent aspects of it, and the
professionals in the supplychain industry for so many years
(11:15):
have been very siloed becausethey just operate within their
part of the chain and myexperience has always been to be
more holistic, the entiresupply chain, because our main
targets have been to help sortof small to midsize businesses
who don't have the capabilitiesor resources to build supply
chains, to manage supply chains.
(11:36):
So we always had to bepractitioners, holistic
practitioners, and that's whatgave me this holistic
perspective and I think thatthat's valuable as well to,
again, supply chainprofessionals who have only seen
things through a veryparticular lens.
So that's really the four kindof big three or four main
targets for this book.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
I love the idea of having the student as a target
inside this book.
It's like the cheat code or thecliff notes for their degree in
terms of being able to use abook like this and, like you
said, you've got it condensedinto 150 pages but decades of
experience of wins andchallenges inside of the supply
chain and then you touched onthis because I didn't go through
(12:16):
the whole list being anend-to-end service organization,
you're going basically rawmaterial or minerals in the
ground, so to speak, all the wayto product on the shelf or on
the tables, and that takes asignificant amount of time and
energy to learn and years to dothat.
Now you're consulting in thatspace of organization.
(12:37):
So I come from a manufacturingbackground and as much as I
wanted to know about supplychain was just to make sure that
I put the order in the systemand it showed up at my back dock
ready to be manufactured.
But as you do that consultingin the supply chain space now do
you have a story that kind ofreally rings in you of a success
that you've worked with aclient and really helped them
(12:57):
out to either minimize riskinside of that space or cut lead
time that they were trying todo that you really like to talk
about.
Speaker 1 (13:06):
Well, basically it's that every day, every day,
because essentially we've alwayssold on the non-sexy stuff, and
that, I think, is superimportant, because in this
industry for a long time it washey, how can I get things made
in the far corners of the earthfor just nothing, for a very low
cost, and not really care toomuch otherwise?
(13:27):
But the reality of it is isthat when you really are looking
to build supply chains, you'relooking to have a proper
requirements analysis upfront.
You need to understand theclient.
What are their challenges?
Efficiency, quality, timeliness, deliverables what is it that
they are really facing thebiggest challenge with?
(13:47):
And then how are you going tobasically create a new or a
better way that's not disrupted,that's resilient, that can
basically weather theseuncontrollable ideas that we
talked about, or challenges?
I mean, you know, to pull outone is so hard to do.
I mean, what I find veryexciting, though just to say of
(14:09):
general interest, is when we'reable to connect the dots that
businesses themselves can't see.
They don't because they've justbeen so focused on how they put
one foot in front of the otherthat they didn't realize that
you know they're burning toofast or they're not really
operating in the most efficientmanner, and they just don't know
(14:31):
what they don't know.
So when you come and you areable to kind of show a new or a
unique way or an opportunity,you know you really become a
strategist.
And that's really, I think,what we are, more than anything
else.
We're really strategists wholook at opportunities and say,
hey, you're coming to us talkingabout this thing, but the
reality of it is is, yourbusiness has this and this and
(14:52):
this and this challenges.
Do you know that if we go thisway and that way, that we could
basically resolve all thesechallenges and do this thing
you're talking about?
And then then you just have aclient for life, and not only a
client, but really a partner forlife, because these supply
chains are the lifeblood of somany businesses and I and I just
kind of give you one example wedo a lot of the spirits and
(15:14):
beverage industry.
We have over 450 spirits andbeverage clients.
Well, one client comes to mindfor me where the initial idea
that they came to us with isthey said look, you know, we're
getting this glass bottles,we're getting them made in
Mexico.
It takes us months and monthsto get them and when we get them
, they're not good quality andwe're not happy and they're
basically putting us out ofbusiness.
(15:34):
The supply chain part isputting us out of business and
could you help us come in, bemore turnkey and grow our
operations?
Well, not only did we do that,not only did we reduce their
costs and make them moreefficient and increase their
sales by five and 10 and 20 and100 times over in very short
periods of time.
You know fully automateddepalatizers and then rinsers
(16:09):
that would invert these bottleson a production line and spray
them and throw them down a heattunnel and then fill them and
cap them.
They were doing a lot of thisstuff by hand and so, again, you
know scale and challenges withregards to how their business
was operating.
It started with an initialconversation around a particular
product and a particular skewand a disruption they were
facing and in the end now I cansay that that company, you know,
(16:30):
let's call it five or sevenyears from when we started, is
probably a thousand times biggerthan they were when we first
came to them, with very littledisruptions and very little
challenges.
And that was again because wewere able to connect those dots
that they themselves, you know,didn't even see or didn't even
think about in the beginningstages.
And that's how it happens withso many of these clients, that
we start with a particularconversation and then it just
(16:52):
kind of grows and morphs and weprovide the value that they
desperately need.
Speaker 2 (16:58):
Hey listeners, I want to take a quick moment to share
something special with you.
Many of the topics anddiscussions we have on this
podcast are areas where Iprovide coaching and consulting
services for individuals andorganizations.
If you've been inspired by ourconversation and are seeking a
catalyst for change in your ownlife or within your team, I
invite you to visitcoachjohngallaghercom forward
(17:20):
slash free call to sign up for afree coaching call with me.
It's an opportunity for us toconnect, discuss your unique
challenges and explore howcoaching or consulting can
benefit you and your team.
Okay, let's get back to theshow.
Graeme, you just touched on itand folks, I hope you're
listening to kind of go backthrough and not just take a
(17:41):
supply chain lens with what hejust talked about.
Understanding and working withyour customers or your clients,
understanding the specificproblem that they want to solve,
before you go in there and tryand sell them another 20 to 30
solutions.
Help them solve one problem,provide value to them, gives you
ultimately the trust and therespect that you need to get
(18:04):
more opportunities within thatclient.
And you use the word scalescaling inside of that.
You're absolutely right.
I mean too many times.
We can go in in your space.
You can go in and see 30 thingswrong soon, but they didn't
call you in for 30 things.
They call you in to look at oneproblem for them, and the way
you earn your way into the other10, 20, 30 problems is to solve
(18:25):
that one for them specifically,provide value to them and
they'll continue to come to you.
I love that story, kareem, asyou go forward On the other side
of that being a successfulentrepreneur, being a successful
global leader, there's a costto that.
We often talk about this as theholistic leader in the term of
(18:46):
balance in your life.
How do you balance the demandsof a global career, such as
global supply chain, with yourpersonal needs with regards to
your health and wellness andthings like that?
Speaker 1 (19:00):
Well, if the machine's broken, you can't help
anybody, right?
And that's just the simplephilosophy there, and you have
to really have your prioritiesstraight.
So for me, you know I grew upin a in a very strong family
network, and I want to have thatfor my family too.
So you know I've got two kidsand you know we have dinner with
each other every single night,and that's the time that and I
(19:22):
think that's a lost tradition inin the world today, due to
technology and being pulled in amillion different directions
but we don't do that.
Everyone sits down, no phonesat the table this is the time
where we're going to starttalking about what your day was
like and what my day was likeand what you're dealing with and
everything else, and that'simportant.
So you know I always make thetime for that, and then as well,
(19:45):
you know, to help with thehomework and all these other
kinds of things, and then youhave to have the ability to blow
off steam.
That's super important as well.
You just in my business, I couldwork 24 hours a day and still
never work enough.
I'm working on the Asia side.
When people are asleep here,they're awake and vice versa,
(20:07):
and the work could never stopfor me, unless you draw some
very particular boundaries andyou say, all right, I got to see
my family, I got to basicallyspend some time keeping myself
healthy, playing some sports orplaying some music or enjoying
things like that, and then, atthe same time, being able to
just, you know, find time tosleep.
You got to have some sleep inthere, too, which is super
(20:29):
important.
So you have to draw lines.
You have to draw lines and asan entrepreneur, that's one of
the hardest things to do,because you're driven, you're
ambitious, you know that you'regoing home with the successes
and failures of your own everysingle day.
Right, it's not like you'repunching in and punching out.
I mean, you know you have to dothat.
(20:50):
Where do I sort of make theconcessions?
Well, I don't get a chance to,you know, sit down and watch
Netflix.
That often I don't get a chanceto, sometimes during holiday
season here, be able to fullyrelax because things are
happening on the other part ofthe world and when things are
happening on the other part ofthe world that aren't happening
here, vice versa, too.
So, there, that's the one thingthat's the biggest challenge, I
(21:12):
think, is that you're neverfully disconnected as an
entrepreneur, especially if youcare and you have staff.
You know I've got employeeshere and internationally and so
on.
They have families and there'san obligation.
You have to have a level of anobligation to your team, because
without them then you can't doa good job either.
So it's a unique balancing act,for sure, but you have to have
(21:36):
the key things in place that areimportant to you.
For me, that's family, that'sspending some time sleeping and
relaxing and being able to alsojust enjoy life in general too,
because in the end, what are youdoing it for?
Right, yeah?
Speaker 2 (21:50):
Those boundaries are so important.
You know, ultimately the one ofthe first things I do when I'm
coaching individuals is, sayshow me your calendar right and
where you're putting your time.
That's what's there when youput those big rocks in first.
We've seen that video before interms of family to your point,
self-care and fun to be able tobe there so that you don't burn
out in a row.
I mean, as you say that, interms of that global and the
(22:12):
multiple time zones, I cancertainly understand how the
clock would never be turned offfor you when I have meetings
with multiple time zones verymuch a challenge, one of the
things that I know I used tohave as a challenge in
manufacturing before I got into.
I know I used to have as achallenge in manufacturing
before I got intoentrepreneurship world as well
as when I started to travel.
I knew things were gettingreally tough if I spent 12 or 13
(22:36):
nights a month in a hotel bedsomewhere else with my head.
I mean I knew things started togo south and it forces you to
really think about how thingsare going to make changes, and I
did.
I made a change into a careerthat you know because I put
family first in that case, andit's something that I don't look
back on as what I missed.
Speaker 1 (22:56):
You never look back and say I didn't work enough.
You will look back and say Ididn't spend that time with that
person or in that situation,for sure.
Speaker 2 (23:05):
Absolutely.
You just do not want thatregret.
I want to go one of yourphilosophies in leadership.
I heard this and I think youknow folks.
I'm going to put a link toKareem's Instagram account.
I think he's a great follow onInstagram.
But you had a philosophy inleadership that you talked about
and it may be in your book aswell.
I'm not sure if I saw, but thelast mile in supply chain is the
first concern.
Tell me a little bit about thatand, frankly, relate that to
(23:27):
leadership as well.
For me, Sure.
Speaker 1 (23:30):
So when we are dealing with the supply chain,
we're looking at so many facetsand aspects of that.
Right, you're talking aboutprototyping and development and
manufacturing and oversight andquality control and getting it
on a vessel and then customsclearance and delivery and so
forth.
But the reality of it is, andwhat so many people don't really
(23:53):
pay as much attention to, isthe delivery side.
Many people don't really pay asmuch attention to is the
delivery side and the fact thatthe last mile, that last part
where those goods get picked upfrom that port and delivered to
that client's door, if thatdoesn't happen, everything else
that happened beforehand didn'teven matter, didn't matter how
well you did it or anything else.
(24:14):
Didn't matter if you were ontime with the factory and it
made the vessel and it did allthese other things.
None of it matters unless thefact that it actually delivered
to the doorstep of the clientaround the time they needed it
and wanted it and that it wasright to be your first concern.
(24:38):
And so many, so many situationsin business I've seen where
that last part gets botched upand everything that happened
before, that was well done, isjust completely discounted.
So how do you relate that toleadership.
Well, I think the way yourelate that to leadership is by
basically looking at what areyour goals and objectives,
because, technically speaking,the goals and objectives, the
goal, is that last mile.
(24:58):
It is that delivery to thatclient site, whatever that goal
may be for you and thenbacktracking into making sure
that you're on a correct pathwayto line yourself up so that you
can achieve that last mile orachieve that goal or objective
that you're focusing in on foryour leadership, uh, for your
(25:20):
leadership planning.
So that's how I would link thattogether that sometimes we have
to look at where we want to endup to then be able to determine
how we're going to get there,and that's that's kind of some
of this, this idea here.
Speaker 2 (25:35):
No, I like it and touching it that way because if
we don't finish right, it's gotto be one of those.
You got to bring it across thefinish line.
If you don't finish well, theentire process you know
ultimately may not be given thedue that it's worth.
You mentioned all those thingsall the way up to that last
point and to not finish itstrong as a leader, whether
you're dealing with people oryou're dealing with customers,
(25:58):
or you're doing something athome or you're going through a
fitness program, whatever thatis.
That last mile is the bigconcern, running a marathon,
however you want to look at it.
So I love the correlation there, but I like that quote.
The last mile is the firstconcern to make sure it doesn't.
It just doesn't matter.
Just like delivering a meal ata restaurant.
It just doesn't matter.
(26:18):
Just like delivering a meal ata restaurant.
It just doesn't matter.
Kareem, thanks for sharing thatand I appreciate that
correlation.
Self-proclaimed in your bio, acontinuous learner, but your
industry is constantly goingthrough upheaval Technology
changing delivery methods,changing drones, ai, whatever.
(26:38):
You want to end up goingthrough that.
How do you give me a disciplineor two that you use to stay
current in your industry, so youcan be providing the best value
to your clients.
Speaker 1 (26:50):
Well, first and foremost, you have to pay
attention to what's happeningaround you, that's for sure.
You can't be an ostrich, youcan't kind of have your head dug
in the sand and not payingattention to what's going on
around in the world, because howare you going to be able to be
responsive and reactive if whatyou are presenting or trying to
solve for is technicallyirrelevant?
(27:11):
So you need to basically bealways looking around your
current events as well asgetting a perspective for the
future.
And then, outside of that, Ithink what it really comes down
to is questioning things andhaving a level of curiosity
about the world around you.
So I'll give you a perfectexample.
When you mentioned AI and soforth, you know I've written
about this.
(27:31):
I write for some different tierone publications and I wrote
about this in USA Today, where Iwrote about, you know, the
pitfalls and the dangers of AI.
You know so many people areheralding this, as you know, the
greatest thing ever and it'samazing and it's going to solve
all of our problems and so forth.
But I always look at it interms of what are we going to
lose?
(27:51):
What do we lose by this?
You know, when we're relyingsolely on chat GPT to write this
, because, instead of taking anhour, it takes five seconds to
do it.
Where is the Shakespeare isgoing to be?
Where is the creative writinggoing to be?
And the struggle to find thatright word to fit that
(28:12):
particular instance, becausethat's what needed to be done.
And the journey.
The journey is the real benefit, not always just the final
outcome.
And you know, I just getworried about the fact that if
we're so outcome driven all thetime, as opposed to process
driven, that we may losesomething along the way, even in
scenarios where we makemistakes that end up being, you
(28:35):
know, some of the greatest.
You know, miracles of our time,you know we think about, like
the discovery of penicillin.
Right, that was an accident,you know, but in the end, what
benefits did that bring tohumanity and to the world of
health?
So, and so many things likethat too.
So, you know, I think that ideaof being a continuous learner
comes with, you know, payingattention to what's around you,
(28:57):
thinking about the future,thinking, questioning what is
happening around you in thatfuture, and then coming up with
your own independent thoughts onhow you're going to basically
develop and grow and morph fromthere.
That's being a learner and thenbeing an engaged person.
I think.
Speaker 2 (29:15):
Being a learner Absolutely Very important.
Being learners readingabsolutely very important.
Being a learner is readingbooks as well.
Leaders are readers.
Your book Supply Chain Ups andDowns.
I want to ask you about a booktest.
Somebody reads your book.
They usually mention thedifferent folks who would be
reading it and they sit on ashelf, just like the shelf
behind me.
A lot of books get read andjust get put up on a shelf and
not paid any attention to.
(29:35):
But somebody reads your bookand a year later they see your
book up on the shelf.
What do you want them to thinkand what do you want them to do
when they see your book?
Speaker 1 (29:43):
I would love them to look at it and say, wow, I
learned a lot from that.
That was a small book, but, wow, I learned a lot.
And the other thing is I wantthem to think about some of the
concepts that I promoted in thebook.
So, outside of just kind oftalking about my time in the
trenches and my thoughts andideas, I actually promote a
(30:04):
economic theory, which is supplychain socioeconomics, that I
talk about in this book that noone really has talked about, and
this discusses the idea thatequilibrium is achieved through
not achieving equilibrium andthat, basically, that there are
divergent interests andnon-alignment of goals of the
(30:26):
different players in the supplychain.
Take, for example, suppliers andmanufacturers and how
manufacturers want to just kindof get things out quick and the
customer wants to have it doneperfectly, and there's quality
standard differences, there'spricing differences, right, one
group wants to maximize profitsand increase costs.
The other side wants to reducetheir costs and increase their
(30:48):
profits.
There's a push and a pull andthis creates economic momentum
between these different linkswithin the supply chain.
So this is this concept ofsupply chain socioeconomics that
I introduced and I also talkabout, you know, some really
interesting sort of diagramsthat I created.
I created something called thePPI pyramid, which is the
production sorry, procurementproduction inventory pyramid,
(31:11):
and it's basically a holisticway to look at the way the
supply chain works, with supplyand demand being inversely
correlated and taking a journeyalong this PPI pyramid with the
micro steps that are involved.
So I tried to create some verynice visuals and very easily
understandable ideas to reallyput it in the minds of people so
(31:35):
that when they come back orthey see that book and say oh
yeah, I remember that that bookhad that really cool chart in
there that explained a lot, orthat economic theory was really
kind of cool, or, you know,these ideas that Kareem mentions
about sustainability or aboutnearshoring or about AI, which I
do talk about in the last threechapters of the book, are
relevant today as they relevanttoday as they were a year ago
(31:57):
when I read it.
So my hope is that it stays andthat it has relevance for a
long time to come.
Speaker 2 (32:05):
Good Kareem.
The opportunity for folks tofind your book, of course it's
on Amazon.
Is there anywhere else that youwould send them for the book
and or to follow you and stay intouch with you?
Speaker 1 (32:23):
Absolutely so.
Supplychainupsanddownscom isthe website for the book itself.
It has a lot of niceinformation and so on, and
that's where you can get thebook.
As far as I'm concerned I meanI'm on all the different social
media platforms.
My main website for my personalphilosophy and leadership is
kareemkaforicom.
Linkedin is always really great.
We use Facebook, instagram, x,all of the different platforms,
(32:45):
as I said and then for any kindof you know supply chain related
solutions that a business mayhave or questions that they have
about the supply chain industry, my main company is
theatlasnetworkcom.
So those are some differentlinks and some places where
people can find me or kind ofsee what we're up to these days.
Speaker 2 (33:07):
Excellent.
I can put those links in theshow notes as well.
I would encourage you tolisteners to go out and follow
Kareem on social media.
Kareem Kafour, you've sharedwith us some fantastic wisdom
over the years, some fun storiesthat go along with that and how
it can impact the leaders ofthe Uncommon Leader podcast.
I appreciate you investing thetime today to do that.
(33:29):
I'm going to finish you off andgive you the last word Again,
the same way I finish all myguests.
I'm going to give you abillboard and you put anywhere
you want to and you're globalguy, it doesn't matter to me
where you put it.
Make it digital, whatever youwant to do, led, it doesn't
matter but you're going to put amessage on that billboard.
What's the message you're goingto put on that billboard for
folks to see and why do you putthat message on there?
Speaker 1 (33:49):
the message would be global citizenship, and the
reason why I will put that onthere is because I think that
we've never been in a time inour society, like we are today,
where the world has been assmall as it is, due to
technology.
Fortunately, I think that thatis not completely the case.
(34:17):
I think that, whether it'sdifferent interests or beliefs
or politics, it continue toseparate us on this planet in a
time where we need to be comingtogether more and more.
And I've seen the beauty ofglobal citizenship at work
because I work hand in hand withpeople from all over the world
all the time.
I can see the benefits and thebeauty of cultural exchange and
(34:39):
opportunities, and some of youknow everybody puts their pants
on one leg at a time.
It doesn't matter where you arein the world.
So I would say it's globalcitizenship and that would be
the message that I would put onany billboard anywhere on the
planet.
Speaker 2 (34:55):
Excellent Kareem.
Once again, thank you for beingsuch a great guest on the
Uncommon Leader Podcast.
I wish you the best in thefuture.
Speaker 1 (35:02):
Thank you so much, John.
It was really great andappreciate the thoughtful
interview.
Speaker 2 (35:09):
And that wraps up another episode of the Uncommon
Leader Podcast.
Thanks for tuning in today.
If you found value in thisepisode, I encourage you to
share it with your friends,colleagues or anyone else who
could benefit from the insightsand inspiration we've shared.
Also, if you have a moment, I'dgreatly appreciate if you could
leave a rating and review onyour favorite podcast platform.
Your feedback not only helps usto improve, but it also helps
(35:31):
others discover the podcast andjoin our growing community of
uncommon leaders.
Until next time, go and growchampions.
The journey is the real benefit, not always just
the final outcome.
And you know, I just getworried about the fact that if
we're so outcome-driven all thetime, as opposed to
process-driven, that we may losesomething along the way, even
in scenarios where we makemistakes that end up being, you
know, some of the greatest.
You know miracles of our time.
(00:21):
You know miracles of our time.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Hey, uncommon Leaders , welcome back.
This is the Uncommon LeaderPodcast.
I'm your host.
John Gallagher Got a greatguest for us today to listen
into A little bit differentconversation than we used to,
but I know we can tie it backinto leadership.
Kareem Kafouri is going to talkto us about his book Supply
Chain Ups and Downs and we'regoing to take the path of tying
that to leadership and what thatmeans frankly to us, both in
(00:52):
our business as well as in ourpersonal lives as well, and talk
about some of the things thathe's been through on his journey
and passion for supply chain.
But before we jump into that,let me do a little introduction
so that you all know a littlebit about him Global
entrepreneur, who's thepresident and CEO of the Atlas
Network, a global supply chainenterprise offering
comprehensive end-to-end supplychain services.
(01:13):
I'm going to let him talk aboutwhat that really means to us as
we go forward.
He's also the founder and hostof the Supply and Demand Show,
which is a YouTube podcast thatis out there, and also the
author of the bestselling bookSupply Chain Demand Show, which
is a YouTube podcast that is outthere, and also the author of
the bestselling book SupplyChain Ups and Downs that I
mentioned at the very start here.
So congratulations on thatbestseller status.
(01:33):
And what I'm really interestedin as we go through is he's a
self-proclaimed continuouslearner, pursuing equilibrium in
thought, culture, businesspractices and amongst people.
So, kareem Khafouri, welcome tothe Uncommon Leader Podcast.
How are you doing today?
Speaker 1 (01:48):
Thank you so much, John.
What a nice introduction.
I really appreciate it andhappy to be with you and to have
a nice conversation.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
I think we're going to have a great conversation,
but I am going to start you off,just like I start every
first-time guest on the UncommonLeader Podcast I'm going to ask
you to tell me a story fromyour childhood that still
impacts who you are as a personor as a leader, today.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
Right.
Well, I mean, I would say thatit really starts with
blueberries, if you want to say,Okay, you know, when I was a
kid we had a lot of blueberrybushes in the neighborhood and
you know, I think one day I waswalking around and I said, hey,
you know, I think one day I waswalking around and I said, hey,
you know, I enjoy pulling theseblueberries down off of the bush
(02:29):
and enjoying them, and I wonderif a bunch of other people
would like this as well.
And so, you know, I started offby just kind of picking a bunch
of them and, you know, givingthem to neighbors and sort of
friends, and everybody you knowkind of love this.
And then I said, you know what,why don't I just kind of do?
What is the, you know, currentversion of a lemonade stand?
And let's just make like alittle thing on the side of the
road here and just kind of sellblueberries to people that are,
(02:51):
you know, coming on by and youknow want to, you know have
something.
That was you know somethinggood to eat and enjoy.
And and that was the beginningof sort of my entrepreneurship
journey.
Really it was that, thatunderstanding of you know
there's, there's a product hereand there's a demand and a
supply and you know people wouldlike to play into the fact that
(03:14):
they're given some cute youknow seven year old kid, some
blueberries and some somefinances for these and so forth.
And you know that was that waskind of a beginning, because you
know you start making signs andthen you start having other
friends in the neighborhoodrunning around and trying to
spread the word and this ismarketing and this is
advertising and you know youneed a price that makes sense,
(03:34):
that when someone comes alongand wants to buy one blueberry
you can't charge them onehundred dollars and price
sensitivities.
And you know it's just.
That was the beginning, I think,really for me at a very early
age, just understanding thebasics of kind of like business
and really just entrepreneurship, and that journey just
continued on for me through somany different points in my life
(03:57):
with different things that Idid, and some of them were about
interests and some hobbies andsome were business, and then
obviously ultimately tointernational business and
supply chain and all the thingsthat I do today.
But you know, it all comes backto that.
You know seven-year-old kid whoyou know had blueberries and
wanted to sell them.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
Love that it starts in so many different ways like
that, that entrepreneurshipjourney.
No doubt about it.
Some folks will have a paperroute that they'll go through.
Some will have a lawn mowingcutting service.
You started with blueberries.
We all have to start somewhereas we get on that journey.
So I appreciate you sharingthat, and I'm sure that you had
to worry, even at seven yearsold, about the supply chain of
(04:37):
blueberries yourself as well.
So before we jump into yourbook because that's going to be
exciting again and tying that toleadership let's put it down on
the lower shelf for folks, forsome of the listeners who really
have an understanding of supplychain no doubt about it as
leaders, but certainly not atthe level you do with your
decades of experience in thatspace.
You tell a little story onInstagram about the coffee, the
(04:59):
cup of coffee and the supplychain that exists there.
So I love my cup of coffee.
I have a newsletter called theChampion Champions Brew that
comes out every Friday that youcan sip a cup of coffee with.
So tell me what supply chain isas it relates to maybe just a
cup of coffee and some of thecomplexity there that exists.
Why is it so?
Speaker 1 (05:17):
expensive, absolutely , I mean just like any
agricultural product.
I mean there are so many touchpoints that have to basically
come about for you to end uphaving that cup of coffee that
you're enjoying today.
Right, you've got, obviously,the ability to have farming.
You have to have good naturalconditions, dry them to roast
(05:41):
them, to then crush them toimport them from other countries
, which you know includes, youknow, getting on vessels and
crossing the ocean and payingtariffs and duties, as we know.
Recently in the news todaythere was a whole conversation
around.
You know nations such as Mexicoand otherwise that you know
have some of these agriculturalproducts where there could be a
25% tariff put onto these kindsof things.
(06:04):
So you know aspects of just kindof global economics and
political shifts that can impactthat cup of coffee or really
any products that we look todigest or take in from other
parts of the world.
And then in the end, you knowwhen it gets here, it gets, you
know, packed or repacked intopackaging and then is marketed
by a brand or a company, so thatin the end, you know when it
(06:25):
gets here, it gets, you know,packed or repacked into
packaging and then is marketedby a brand or a company, so that
in the end of the day it endsup on your store shelves.
And then everybody needs alittle part of the equation
there, right, the supermarketsneed their little part of the
equation for having the shelfspace and the distributors who
got it to those supermarkets andthen the consumer and there's a
markup and so on and so forth.
(06:45):
So really, when you think aboutthat voyage to have that cup of
coffee in front of you, youknow it's quite intensive and
probably involves hundreds ormaybe even thousands of people
to really kind of bring it toyour doorstep.
And you know from where itoriginally started some kind of
an agricultural product on maybea far part of the world, either
(07:06):
from Africa or Hawaii orwherever you know.
Coffee beans, you know, comefrom in different places
Guatemala and so forth you knowto end up being, you know, as
simple as something that we wakeup to and enjoy every single
day.
That had so many steps alongthe pathway to get there.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
We don't think about that.
When we're looking at that cupof coffee in the morning that's
coming through the coffee potand just as I listen to it, then
I'm simply amazed even that wecan get one, for you know,
unfortunately too expensive at aStarbucks or a Dunkin' for
$3.49 for a cup of flavoredwater that comes out of a
(07:44):
machine, no doubt about it.
So there are some complexitiesand you wonder and that's just
coffee?
I mean the many millions ofitems that are handled through
supply chain.
And, frankly, it's good that anentrepreneur like you became
passionate about that, becausewe need folks who are passionate
and strong in many differentareas and supply chain is one of
them.
So you've written this bookSupply Chain Ups and Downs.
(08:06):
After years, after decades ofsupply chain experience, why did
you write this book now and whodid you write it for?
Speaker 1 (08:16):
Well, I don't have a lot of hair on my head and the
reason why that is is becauseI've been in the trenches for a
few decades now dealing withsort of the ups and downs, if
you want to call it, of thisindustry, and it is a very, very
complex industry that revolvesaround sort of foreseeable
(08:37):
obstacles, unforeseeableobstacles.
You know, the most consistentfactor of the supply chain is
inconsistency.
It literally is inconsistency.
It literally is inconsistency,and there's so many elements
that need to be consistentlybalanced between the
relationships of the variouslinks in the supply chain.
Whether you're a consumer oryou're a supplier, you're in the
(08:58):
logistics space or customs,clearance, delivery, warehousing
, fulfillment.
I mean, there's so many aspectsto this industry and the reason
why I wrote it is because twothings.
One, during the pandemic,people didn't have things when
they needed them and when priceswere skyrocketing through the
roof, nobody really understoodwhy.
And you can go around to anystore right now, and when there
(09:19):
isn't something on the shelf,somebody walks along and says
supply chain.
They may not even understandwhat they're even talking about
or what that means, but it'sbecome common vernacular and
there's a huge information gaparound what it is, why it's
important and so forth.
And so I thought it was reallythe right time to basically put
together a comprehensive, acomprehensive, easy to read 150
(09:51):
page piece that could bedigested by a couple of
different groups.
And so who are the kind oftarget audiences?
As you mentioned One?
Definitely students.
They are the future and thefuture generations, and right
now at most of the universitiesare supply chain majors and even
degrees that are being offeredin productions, operations,
management and supply chain andglobal transport and logistics.
So that's a group that needs tolearn more and know more about
(10:12):
it.
Then it's consumers, people whojust say, hey, this cup of
coffee is really expensive, why,I don't understand supply chain
, I don't know what this is allabout, and they want to pick up
some kind of an easy read or agood cake that's written in a
relatable voice to really kindof get a comprehension on that.
And that's another audience.
And then I would basically putit to business people, people in
(10:35):
business who they are eitherinteracting with the concept of
supply chain or someone withintheir leadership says hey, you
need to know more about thisindustry or the supply chain
space because it impacts us in A, b, c and D and they're looking
for some kind of a backbone toreally be able to foster
knowledge and questions andunderstand and even connect to
what they do.
(10:55):
And then, finally, the lastgroup is the supply chain
industry itself, and the reasonwhy I say that is because there
are so many practitioners,whether you're on the technology
side or on the transport side,or on the procurement side or
the customs clearance side ordifferent aspects of it, and the
professionals in the supplychain industry for so many years
(11:15):
have been very siloed becausethey just operate within their
part of the chain and myexperience has always been to be
more holistic, the entiresupply chain, because our main
targets have been to help sortof small to midsize businesses
who don't have the capabilitiesor resources to build supply
chains, to manage supply chains.
(11:36):
So we always had to bepractitioners, holistic
practitioners, and that's whatgave me this holistic
perspective and I think thatthat's valuable as well to,
again, supply chainprofessionals who have only seen
things through a veryparticular lens.
So that's really the four kindof big three or four main
targets for this book.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
I love the idea of having the student as a target
inside this book.
It's like the cheat code or thecliff notes for their degree in
terms of being able to use abook like this and, like you
said, you've got it condensedinto 150 pages but decades of
experience of wins andchallenges inside of the supply
chain and then you touched onthis because I didn't go through
(12:16):
the whole list being anend-to-end service organization,
you're going basically rawmaterial or minerals in the
ground, so to speak, all the wayto product on the shelf or on
the tables, and that takes asignificant amount of time and
energy to learn and years to dothat.
Now you're consulting in thatspace of organization.
(12:37):
So I come from a manufacturingbackground and as much as I
wanted to know about supplychain was just to make sure that
I put the order in the systemand it showed up at my back dock
ready to be manufactured.
But as you do that consultingin the supply chain space now do
you have a story that kind ofreally rings in you of a success
that you've worked with aclient and really helped them
(12:57):
out to either minimize riskinside of that space or cut lead
time that they were trying todo that you really like to talk
about.
Speaker 1 (13:06):
Well, basically it's that every day, every day,
because essentially we've alwayssold on the non-sexy stuff, and
that, I think, is superimportant, because in this
industry for a long time it washey, how can I get things made
in the far corners of the earthfor just nothing, for a very low
cost, and not really care toomuch otherwise?
(13:27):
But the reality of it is isthat when you really are looking
to build supply chains, you'relooking to have a proper
requirements analysis upfront.
You need to understand theclient.
What are their challenges?
Efficiency, quality, timeliness, deliverables what is it that
they are really facing thebiggest challenge with?
(13:47):
And then how are you going tobasically create a new or a
better way that's not disrupted,that's resilient, that can
basically weather theseuncontrollable ideas that we
talked about, or challenges?
I mean, you know, to pull outone is so hard to do.
I mean, what I find veryexciting, though just to say of
(14:09):
general interest, is when we'reable to connect the dots that
businesses themselves can't see.
They don't because they've justbeen so focused on how they put
one foot in front of the otherthat they didn't realize that
you know they're burning toofast or they're not really
operating in the most efficientmanner, and they just don't know
(14:31):
what they don't know.
So when you come and you areable to kind of show a new or a
unique way or an opportunity,you know you really become a
strategist.
And that's really, I think,what we are, more than anything
else.
We're really strategists wholook at opportunities and say,
hey, you're coming to us talkingabout this thing, but the
reality of it is is, yourbusiness has this and this and
(14:52):
this and this challenges.
Do you know that if we go thisway and that way, that we could
basically resolve all thesechallenges and do this thing
you're talking about?
And then then you just have aclient for life, and not only a
client, but really a partner forlife, because these supply
chains are the lifeblood of somany businesses and I and I just
kind of give you one example wedo a lot of the spirits and
(15:14):
beverage industry.
We have over 450 spirits andbeverage clients.
Well, one client comes to mindfor me where the initial idea
that they came to us with isthey said look, you know, we're
getting this glass bottles,we're getting them made in
Mexico.
It takes us months and monthsto get them and when we get them
, they're not good quality andwe're not happy and they're
basically putting us out ofbusiness.
(15:34):
The supply chain part isputting us out of business and
could you help us come in, bemore turnkey and grow our
operations?
Well, not only did we do that,not only did we reduce their
costs and make them moreefficient and increase their
sales by five and 10 and 20 and100 times over in very short
periods of time.
You know fully automateddepalatizers and then rinsers
(16:09):
that would invert these bottleson a production line and spray
them and throw them down a heattunnel and then fill them and
cap them.
They were doing a lot of thisstuff by hand and so, again, you
know scale and challenges withregards to how their business
was operating.
It started with an initialconversation around a particular
product and a particular skewand a disruption they were
facing and in the end now I cansay that that company, you know,
(16:30):
let's call it five or sevenyears from when we started, is
probably a thousand times biggerthan they were when we first
came to them, with very littledisruptions and very little
challenges.
And that was again because wewere able to connect those dots
that they themselves, you know,didn't even see or didn't even
think about in the beginningstages.
And that's how it happens withso many of these clients, that
we start with a particularconversation and then it just
(16:52):
kind of grows and morphs and weprovide the value that they
desperately need.
Speaker 2 (16:58):
Hey listeners, I want to take a quick moment to share
something special with you.
Many of the topics anddiscussions we have on this
podcast are areas where Iprovide coaching and consulting
services for individuals andorganizations.
If you've been inspired by ourconversation and are seeking a
catalyst for change in your ownlife or within your team, I
invite you to visitcoachjohngallaghercom forward
(17:20):
slash free call to sign up for afree coaching call with me.
It's an opportunity for us toconnect, discuss your unique
challenges and explore howcoaching or consulting can
benefit you and your team.
Okay, let's get back to theshow.
Graeme, you just touched on itand folks, I hope you're
listening to kind of go backthrough and not just take a
(17:41):
supply chain lens with what hejust talked about.
Understanding and working withyour customers or your clients,
understanding the specificproblem that they want to solve,
before you go in there and tryand sell them another 20 to 30
solutions.
Help them solve one problem,provide value to them, gives you
ultimately the trust and therespect that you need to get
(18:04):
more opportunities within thatclient.
And you use the word scalescaling inside of that.
You're absolutely right.
I mean too many times.
We can go in in your space.
You can go in and see 30 thingswrong soon, but they didn't
call you in for 30 things.
They call you in to look at oneproblem for them, and the way
you earn your way into the other10, 20, 30 problems is to solve
(18:25):
that one for them specifically,provide value to them and
they'll continue to come to you.
I love that story, kareem, asyou go forward On the other side
of that being a successfulentrepreneur, being a successful
global leader, there's a costto that.
We often talk about this as theholistic leader in the term of
(18:46):
balance in your life.
How do you balance the demandsof a global career, such as
global supply chain, with yourpersonal needs with regards to
your health and wellness andthings like that?
Speaker 1 (19:00):
Well, if the machine's broken, you can't help
anybody, right?
And that's just the simplephilosophy there, and you have
to really have your prioritiesstraight.
So for me, you know I grew upin a in a very strong family
network, and I want to have thatfor my family too.
So you know I've got two kidsand you know we have dinner with
each other every single night,and that's the time that and I
(19:22):
think that's a lost tradition inin the world today, due to
technology and being pulled in amillion different directions
but we don't do that.
Everyone sits down, no phonesat the table this is the time
where we're going to starttalking about what your day was
like and what my day was likeand what you're dealing with and
everything else, and that'simportant.
So you know I always make thetime for that, and then as well,
(19:45):
you know, to help with thehomework and all these other
kinds of things, and then youhave to have the ability to blow
off steam.
That's super important as well.
You just in my business, I couldwork 24 hours a day and still
never work enough.
I'm working on the Asia side.
When people are asleep here,they're awake and vice versa,
(20:07):
and the work could never stopfor me, unless you draw some
very particular boundaries andyou say, all right, I got to see
my family, I got to basicallyspend some time keeping myself
healthy, playing some sports orplaying some music or enjoying
things like that, and then, atthe same time, being able to
just, you know, find time tosleep.
You got to have some sleep inthere, too, which is super
(20:29):
important.
So you have to draw lines.
You have to draw lines and asan entrepreneur, that's one of
the hardest things to do,because you're driven, you're
ambitious, you know that you'regoing home with the successes
and failures of your own everysingle day.
Right, it's not like you'repunching in and punching out.
I mean, you know you have to dothat.
(20:50):
Where do I sort of make theconcessions?
Well, I don't get a chance to,you know, sit down and watch
Netflix.
That often I don't get a chanceto, sometimes during holiday
season here, be able to fullyrelax because things are
happening on the other part ofthe world and when things are
happening on the other part ofthe world that aren't happening
here, vice versa, too.
So, there, that's the one thingthat's the biggest challenge, I
(21:12):
think, is that you're neverfully disconnected as an
entrepreneur, especially if youcare and you have staff.
You know I've got employeeshere and internationally and so
on.
They have families and there'san obligation.
You have to have a level of anobligation to your team, because
without them then you can't doa good job either.
So it's a unique balancing act,for sure, but you have to have
(21:36):
the key things in place that areimportant to you.
For me, that's family, that'sspending some time sleeping and
relaxing and being able to alsojust enjoy life in general too,
because in the end, what are youdoing it for?
Right, yeah?
Speaker 2 (21:50):
Those boundaries are so important.
You know, ultimately the one ofthe first things I do when I'm
coaching individuals is, sayshow me your calendar right and
where you're putting your time.
That's what's there when youput those big rocks in first.
We've seen that video before interms of family to your point,
self-care and fun to be able tobe there so that you don't burn
out in a row.
I mean, as you say that, interms of that global and the
(22:12):
multiple time zones, I cancertainly understand how the
clock would never be turned offfor you when I have meetings
with multiple time zones verymuch a challenge, one of the
things that I know I used tohave as a challenge in
manufacturing before I got into.
I know I used to have as achallenge in manufacturing
before I got intoentrepreneurship world as well
as when I started to travel.
I knew things were gettingreally tough if I spent 12 or 13
(22:36):
nights a month in a hotel bedsomewhere else with my head.
I mean I knew things started togo south and it forces you to
really think about how thingsare going to make changes, and I
did.
I made a change into a careerthat you know because I put
family first in that case, andit's something that I don't look
back on as what I missed.
Speaker 1 (22:56):
You never look back and say I didn't work enough.
You will look back and say Ididn't spend that time with that
person or in that situation,for sure.
Speaker 2 (23:05):
Absolutely.
You just do not want thatregret.
I want to go one of yourphilosophies in leadership.
I heard this and I think youknow folks.
I'm going to put a link toKareem's Instagram account.
I think he's a great follow onInstagram.
But you had a philosophy inleadership that you talked about
and it may be in your book aswell.
I'm not sure if I saw, but thelast mile in supply chain is the
first concern.
Tell me a little bit about thatand, frankly, relate that to
(23:27):
leadership as well.
For me, Sure.
Speaker 1 (23:30):
So when we are dealing with the supply chain,
we're looking at so many facetsand aspects of that.
Right, you're talking aboutprototyping and development and
manufacturing and oversight andquality control and getting it
on a vessel and then customsclearance and delivery and so
forth.
But the reality of it is, andwhat so many people don't really
(23:53):
pay as much attention to, isthe delivery side.
Many people don't really pay asmuch attention to is the
delivery side and the fact thatthe last mile, that last part
where those goods get picked upfrom that port and delivered to
that client's door, if thatdoesn't happen, everything else
that happened beforehand didn'teven matter, didn't matter how
well you did it or anything else.
(24:14):
Didn't matter if you were ontime with the factory and it
made the vessel and it did allthese other things.
None of it matters unless thefact that it actually delivered
to the doorstep of the clientaround the time they needed it
and wanted it and that it wasright to be your first concern.
(24:38):
And so many, so many situationsin business I've seen where
that last part gets botched upand everything that happened
before, that was well done, isjust completely discounted.
So how do you relate that toleadership.
Well, I think the way yourelate that to leadership is by
basically looking at what areyour goals and objectives,
because, technically speaking,the goals and objectives, the
goal, is that last mile.
(24:58):
It is that delivery to thatclient site, whatever that goal
may be for you and thenbacktracking into making sure
that you're on a correct pathwayto line yourself up so that you
can achieve that last mile orachieve that goal or objective
that you're focusing in on foryour leadership, uh, for your
(25:20):
leadership planning.
So that's how I would link thattogether that sometimes we have
to look at where we want to endup to then be able to determine
how we're going to get there,and that's that's kind of some
of this, this idea here.
Speaker 2 (25:35):
No, I like it and touching it that way because if
we don't finish right, it's gotto be one of those.
You got to bring it across thefinish line.
If you don't finish well, theentire process you know
ultimately may not be given thedue that it's worth.
You mentioned all those thingsall the way up to that last
point and to not finish itstrong as a leader, whether
you're dealing with people oryou're dealing with customers,
(25:58):
or you're doing something athome or you're going through a
fitness program, whatever thatis.
That last mile is the bigconcern, running a marathon,
however you want to look at it.
So I love the correlation there, but I like that quote.
The last mile is the firstconcern to make sure it doesn't.
It just doesn't matter.
Just like delivering a meal ata restaurant.
It just doesn't matter.
(26:18):
Just like delivering a meal ata restaurant.
It just doesn't matter.
Kareem, thanks for sharing thatand I appreciate that
correlation.
Self-proclaimed in your bio, acontinuous learner, but your
industry is constantly goingthrough upheaval Technology
changing delivery methods,changing drones, ai, whatever.
(26:38):
You want to end up goingthrough that.
How do you give me a disciplineor two that you use to stay
current in your industry, so youcan be providing the best value
to your clients.
Speaker 1 (26:50):
Well, first and foremost, you have to pay
attention to what's happeningaround you, that's for sure.
You can't be an ostrich, youcan't kind of have your head dug
in the sand and not payingattention to what's going on
around in the world, because howare you going to be able to be
responsive and reactive if whatyou are presenting or trying to
solve for is technicallyirrelevant?
(27:11):
So you need to basically bealways looking around your
current events as well asgetting a perspective for the
future.
And then, outside of that, Ithink what it really comes down
to is questioning things andhaving a level of curiosity
about the world around you.
So I'll give you a perfectexample.
When you mentioned AI and soforth, you know I've written
about this.
(27:31):
I write for some different tierone publications and I wrote
about this in USA Today, where Iwrote about, you know, the
pitfalls and the dangers of AI.
You know so many people areheralding this, as you know, the
greatest thing ever and it'samazing and it's going to solve
all of our problems and so forth.
But I always look at it interms of what are we going to
lose?
(27:51):
What do we lose by this?
You know, when we're relyingsolely on chat GPT to write this
, because, instead of taking anhour, it takes five seconds to
do it.
Where is the Shakespeare isgoing to be?
Where is the creative writinggoing to be?
And the struggle to find thatright word to fit that
(28:12):
particular instance, becausethat's what needed to be done.
And the journey.
The journey is the real benefit, not always just the final
outcome.
And you know, I just getworried about the fact that if
we're so outcome driven all thetime, as opposed to process
driven, that we may losesomething along the way, even in
scenarios where we makemistakes that end up being, you
(28:35):
know, some of the greatest.
You know, miracles of our time,you know we think about, like
the discovery of penicillin.
Right, that was an accident,you know, but in the end, what
benefits did that bring tohumanity and to the world of
health?
So, and so many things likethat too.
So, you know, I think that ideaof being a continuous learner
comes with, you know, payingattention to what's around you,
(28:57):
thinking about the future,thinking, questioning what is
happening around you in thatfuture, and then coming up with
your own independent thoughts onhow you're going to basically
develop and grow and morph fromthere.
That's being a learner and thenbeing an engaged person.
I think.
Speaker 2 (29:15):
Being a learner Absolutely Very important.
Being learners readingabsolutely very important.
Being a learner is readingbooks as well.
Leaders are readers.
Your book Supply Chain Ups andDowns.
I want to ask you about a booktest.
Somebody reads your book.
They usually mention thedifferent folks who would be
reading it and they sit on ashelf, just like the shelf
behind me.
A lot of books get read andjust get put up on a shelf and
not paid any attention to.
(29:35):
But somebody reads your bookand a year later they see your
book up on the shelf.
What do you want them to thinkand what do you want them to do
when they see your book?
Speaker 1 (29:43):
I would love them to look at it and say, wow, I
learned a lot from that.
That was a small book, but, wow, I learned a lot.
And the other thing is I wantthem to think about some of the
concepts that I promoted in thebook.
So, outside of just kind oftalking about my time in the
trenches and my thoughts andideas, I actually promote a
(30:04):
economic theory, which is supplychain socioeconomics, that I
talk about in this book that noone really has talked about, and
this discusses the idea thatequilibrium is achieved through
not achieving equilibrium andthat, basically, that there are
divergent interests andnon-alignment of goals of the
(30:26):
different players in the supplychain.
Take, for example, suppliers andmanufacturers and how
manufacturers want to just kindof get things out quick and the
customer wants to have it doneperfectly, and there's quality
standard differences, there'spricing differences, right, one
group wants to maximize profitsand increase costs.
The other side wants to reducetheir costs and increase their
(30:48):
profits.
There's a push and a pull andthis creates economic momentum
between these different linkswithin the supply chain.
So this is this concept ofsupply chain socioeconomics that
I introduced and I also talkabout, you know, some really
interesting sort of diagramsthat I created.
I created something called thePPI pyramid, which is the
production sorry, procurementproduction inventory pyramid,
(31:11):
and it's basically a holisticway to look at the way the
supply chain works, with supplyand demand being inversely
correlated and taking a journeyalong this PPI pyramid with the
micro steps that are involved.
So I tried to create some verynice visuals and very easily
understandable ideas to reallyput it in the minds of people so
(31:35):
that when they come back orthey see that book and say oh
yeah, I remember that that bookhad that really cool chart in
there that explained a lot, orthat economic theory was really
kind of cool, or, you know,these ideas that Kareem mentions
about sustainability or aboutnearshoring or about AI, which I
do talk about in the last threechapters of the book, are
relevant today as they relevanttoday as they were a year ago
(31:57):
when I read it.
So my hope is that it stays andthat it has relevance for a
long time to come.
Speaker 2 (32:05):
Good Kareem.
The opportunity for folks tofind your book, of course it's
on Amazon.
Is there anywhere else that youwould send them for the book
and or to follow you and stay intouch with you?
Speaker 1 (32:23):
Absolutely so.
Supplychainupsanddownscom isthe website for the book itself.
It has a lot of niceinformation and so on, and
that's where you can get thebook.
As far as I'm concerned I meanI'm on all the different social
media platforms.
My main website for my personalphilosophy and leadership is
kareemkaforicom.
Linkedin is always really great.
We use Facebook, instagram, x,all of the different platforms,
(32:45):
as I said and then for any kindof you know supply chain related
solutions that a business mayhave or questions that they have
about the supply chain industry, my main company is
theatlasnetworkcom.
So those are some differentlinks and some places where
people can find me or kind ofsee what we're up to these days.
Speaker 2 (33:07):
Excellent.
I can put those links in theshow notes as well.
I would encourage you tolisteners to go out and follow
Kareem on social media.
Kareem Kafour, you've sharedwith us some fantastic wisdom
over the years, some fun storiesthat go along with that and how
it can impact the leaders ofthe Uncommon Leader podcast.
I appreciate you investing thetime today to do that.
(33:29):
I'm going to finish you off andgive you the last word Again,
the same way I finish all myguests.
I'm going to give you abillboard and you put anywhere
you want to and you're globalguy, it doesn't matter to me
where you put it.
Make it digital, whatever youwant to do, led, it doesn't
matter but you're going to put amessage on that billboard.
What's the message you're goingto put on that billboard for
folks to see and why do you putthat message on there?
Speaker 1 (33:49):
the message would be global citizenship, and the
reason why I will put that onthere is because I think that
we've never been in a time inour society, like we are today,
where the world has been assmall as it is, due to
technology.
Fortunately, I think that thatis not completely the case.
(34:17):
I think that, whether it'sdifferent interests or beliefs
or politics, it continue toseparate us on this planet in a
time where we need to be comingtogether more and more.
And I've seen the beauty ofglobal citizenship at work
because I work hand in hand withpeople from all over the world
all the time.
I can see the benefits and thebeauty of cultural exchange and
(34:39):
opportunities, and some of youknow everybody puts their pants
on one leg at a time.
It doesn't matter where you arein the world.
So I would say it's globalcitizenship and that would be
the message that I would put onany billboard anywhere on the
planet.
Speaker 2 (34:55):
Excellent Kareem.
Once again, thank you for beingsuch a great guest on the
Uncommon Leader Podcast.
I wish you the best in thefuture.
Speaker 1 (35:02):
Thank you so much, John.
It was really great andappreciate the thoughtful
interview.
Speaker 2 (35:09):
And that wraps up another episode of the Uncommon
Leader Podcast.
Thanks for tuning in today.
If you found value in thisepisode, I encourage you to
share it with your friends,colleagues or anyone else who
could benefit from the insightsand inspiration we've shared.
Also, if you have a moment, I'dgreatly appreciate if you could
leave a rating and review onyour favorite podcast platform.
Your feedback not only helps usto improve, but it also helps
(35:31):
others discover the podcast andjoin our growing community of
uncommon leaders.
Until next time, go and growchampions.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!