Vernard Jenkins Podcast
Summary
Bernard Jenkins is a Veteran who started his career in warehousing at Target. His background also includes working at Stitch Fix and as the Director of Grocery in H-E-B. He is currently the VP of Operations at Knight-Swift Warehouse. In his view, teams at his organization are agile, which makes them different from others. He thinks that everyone should be proactively looking to recruit the right individuals that have the same values and mindset, while the leadership model the behavior. Creating an environment In this interview, Dr. Bernard gives an insight into the warehouse and distribution industry. He talks about his experience, the importance of hiring and leadership, customer expectations, and the rise of e-commerce. He also discusses his "dinner conversations with doctor V" series, inspired by his weekly emails to his team that began in 2009, and how it has been well received by individuals seeking mentorship. Dr. Bernard encourages people to continue to put their goodness out into the universe and to In a 1:1 live stream with GoGenics, Derek Browning states that AI is just a tool and should not replace fundamental human qualities such as creativity, judgment, and critical thinking. While AI can help generate data, it's up to the individual to take action and apply the information to succeed. Soft skills, such as communication, problem-solving, and emotional intelligence, are crucial for leaders to develop in order to create a successful work culture. As society becomes more reliant on AI, The interviewee, a former veteran, talks about his experience transitioning from the military to working in warehousing and distribution. They discuss the similarities and differences in leadership styles between the two, with the interviewee mentioning the importance of taking care of people and having process discipline. They also touch on the idea of having one life and one way of being, and how it can impact both your professional and personal life. They suggest having open conversations about these topics "on the floor" in order to promote: Bryan Sapot, founder and CEO of Sapot Systems, joins Tim to discuss leadership, teamwork, and customer service. Bryan shares his experiences and insights from his time in the US Army and as a leader in the corporate world. He also talks about his passion for teaching and mentoring the next generation of leaders and the importance of creating a culture of support and growth within organizations. He also shares his plans for the future, including a series called 'The Elephant in the Room' that will tackle real
Transcription
Speaker 2
[00.00.00]
Hey, it's Ben from the Warehouse Underground podcast. Running out of space in your facility. It is one of the worst things that can happen. Completely slows down your OP, but the customer doesn't care. That's your problem, right? But it doesn't have to be. There is a solution out there that can be a shelter in the storm until it blows over, and that can come from warehouse on wheels. They deliver on demand storage trailers when you need them, that flex with your operation and with locations all across North America, there's a very good chance that they can help you to
Speaker 1
[00.00.32]
know. Long term leases for a new facility. No delays, no over Pam for space you don't need no CapEx, just simple smart storage delivered right to your door. So don't let your dog and your aisles become jam packed with pallets wrecking your operation. No, let Wow be your side storage solution while you go back to focusing on main line operation. Hey, what's up everyone? Thanks for tuning in to episode number 30 at the Warehouse Underground podcast, Real Talk or Warehouse DC and FC professionals of all levels around the globe. I'm Ben, the host of the show and joining me on the show today is a cool guest that I'm really excited to talk to you. His name is Doctor Vernard Jenkins. He is the VP of Operations at Knight Swift Warehouse, and which is a big three PL with a nationwide footprint in the United States. Been doing that role for about two years now, so I'm excited to have him on the show to talk about some warehousing and distribution stuff, because he's had a stellar and very successful career in that. But also, I follow him on LinkedIn and he's putting out some great content. I'm talking some very insightful articles about leadership and development and mentorship and really giving back to the next generation with his content there. And he's recently started a video series on LinkedIn called Dinner Conversations with doctor V, which is awesome, super cool, like bite sized nuggets of goodness and wisdom coming from him from a well earned and well executed career. So excited to have him on the show today. We actually share a little bit of a background too. We'll talk about that in the show. He came out of your sofa at the same time. So I'm going to I'm going to ask him a couple questions about that. Just just between me and him, I will have a little bit of a conversation there. But with that, I'll, I will bring him on the stage right now. Bernard, my friend, thank you very much for coming on the Warehouse Underground podcast. How are you today, sir? Hey, I
Speaker 2
[00.02.43]
am doing well, enjoying this California weather. So I was in Dallas and I made a trip out here, and, uh, it was cold in Dallas. And then when I got off the plane, it was nice and warm here. So I was like, yeah, I'm not going back home.
Speaker 1
[00.02.57]
I love that it's pretty. I, I'm in Georgia. It's been pretty cold in Georgia, so I'm jealous of the nice sunny weather out in California. So yeah, dude, I, I, I talked a little bit about it in the intro. You have had a fantastic career in warehousing and distribution amongst some other things, but you just tell the audience a little bit about your background in that industry, kind of how you got to where you are today and what's a day in the life like for you now in your current role in your current operation? Yeah, I happen to get into this. My happy stance, man. You know, I was in the military, uh, station in, uh, northern Japan and, uh, was like, okay, what am I going to do in this next period of my life? And my God, what a military recruiter. And actually had nine hidden views in one day down here in Dallas, Texas. And, uh, you know, it was a range from sales to everything, um, and end up getting on with the target, their distribution center. And, uh, they moved the fastest, literally. I interviewed it a week later. I had an offer, some moved from Japan and, uh, started my, uh, warehousing career at the target distribution center in Texas. Um, so I was there for five and a half years. Um. Various roles that they they had me doing throughout really grew and and got my feet wet when it came to leadership in the warehousing and wanted to lead at a higher level, I found a company called Stitch Fix. I'm sure now that you'll see the commercial ones, I'm talking about it as well. And yeah, they were subscription, uh, more of the e-commerce as well. And, and once again continue to grow and learn
Speaker 2
[00.04.33]
a lot. Um, I was there for three and a half years, and then I said, okay, I still want to lead at a higher level, so what do I do? And I ended up going to the grocery sector, working for the main grocery here in Texas called H-e-b. Um, and came in and joined in right at the height of the pandemic. Uh, so I understood the, you know, really that supply demand and really more of that demand from a grocery standpoint. Uh, it was with them for three and a half years and, uh, got the opportunity of a lifetime, you know, uh, a friend of mine that I knew, I told me about, uh, uh, nice swift warehousing in fulfillment and, uh, he basically sent me the information. And a week later, I got the job and came in as the director and, uh, made a really positive impact. And within eight months, I was promoted to the vice president of. Operations for the company as well. Um, so, you know, we, we, we handle multiple different customers on the three PL side. There's one customer that we've been with for 40 plus years that we actually have supported as well. And and I'm primarily responsible for the, the the day to day strategy. You know, I try to stay 1 to 2 year ahead of the operation to make sure that we are going in the direction that we need to and try to remove obstacles before they actually get there to support the growth of the team as well.
Speaker 1
[00.05.54]
Yep. Yeah. Uh, and I've seen you, uh, you mentioned the teams that you have. I mean, imagine with a nationwide footprint like that, you've got all different types of people, right? All different cultures, all different demographics. And I've talked about that in warehousing a lot. You see that. And so I know you feel this way. I mean, great teams are essential to good operations in this industry. So before we get into your stuff, you know, what do you think separates the teams at your organization now. I mean, what sets them apart from from other other sites that you've been a part of?
Speaker 2
[00.06.29]
Yeah. Then the the big one is, and I think I put this in a post, is my team really has the ability to be agile when it comes to operations. You know, when you talk about customer service, you've got to be able to respond quickly to their demands. I know on one side we had one specific customer, and I've been with the company two years and we've had three different leaders that supported this account, and they all have been three different types of individuals. One of the more traditional one was in the middle and one was very, very kind of like KPI reporting driven. And we adapted to every single one every single time. And literally they come to us seeking for advice and, and we were able to provide those answers and pivot really, really fast when it comes to all their demands. And that's always been our superpower overall, and that's what we leverage on when we reach out to new customers.
Speaker 1
[00.07.24]
Yeah. And I think in this industry, I mean, the ability to be flexible and agile is, I agree, paramount. I mean, not only do things change month over month or week over week, sometimes they're changing day by day, hour by hour. Honestly, with all the different variables that can happen that that can come up. So how do you I mean, some people naturally kind of gravitate towards being able to do that, but sometimes other people have have a hard time with that. So as the leader, how do you get your teams to embrace that as being part of the operation and not something that they just kind of throw their hands up and make an excuse for or say, that's not that's not my fault, because I think that's the kind of that kind of a challenge is changing that mindset of no, like being flexible and agile is what's expected of this. It's part of that's not normally. So how do you get on to to get to that point? Yeah.
Speaker 2
[00.08.24]
You know, when we talk about being proactive and creating those cultures, it's about recruiting the right individuals that actually have that mantra. You know, you don't want to bring anybody to the team that doesn't have the same values or the same mentality, because it makes it really, really hard to integrate a lot of those things. So I, you know, I work really closely with our HR team to bring in the right talent. The other one, too, is a leaders man. We gotta model the behavior. You know, if something changes or something happens and I'm all pissed off and upset and, and and I'm not responding or providing solution. People take on the mentality and the image of your team. So if you don't model it, you're you're not going to get the result that you want overall. Another thing is over communication. When you take your team for the journey, when you let them know what's happening and what's going on, it gives them time to fill their head when potential changes and things that may be happening. So they're already proactively thinking through okay. He said this, he told me what may be coming next. I can be ready for it, and I can adapt and move quickly as well. And I think the last thing just to think through, you know, is, is anytime change happened, you have to handle it in a positive manner. You got to see it as especially in our business and customer services. How can I use this change as an opportunity to drive my business forward? And if you do those different things, you know, it really helps to build those agile teams, uh, in, in this unpredictable environment.
Speaker 1
[00.09.56]
Yeah, I think I think you're right. I mean, and I think too, once you create that environment in that setting, then the more repetitions that people get, I think in that the stronger they get because they're they're conditioned for it. Right. They're ready for growth. Then reps lead to lead to positive instead of just stress and decay and all those things. So I really I really like that. Now let me ask you this question. Speaking about the industry as a whole, you know, the the warehouse and distribution industry as a whole. I mean, what do you think about the state of it right now? I mean, you're you're in it. You've seen a lot of different leaders. You know what's coming down the pipe, what's changing? I mean, do you think that this is an industry that's on the rise? That is something to be excited to be a part of? Or do you think are maybe it's on the decline because of the rise and or the alleged rise in automation and robotics and all those things? I mean, what do you think about the state of it now and what it looks like over the next maybe 5 to 7 years? Yeah, I think we're in a good place overall. Um, and the main reason why is because you see a lot of individuals adapting to the market or the changes that are happening. You know, early when I got in, manual labor was huge. Bring more people to solve the problems. And you constantly push people in and out. Right. And then there came this kind of like technological twist or, hey, you gotta get with technology, you gotta do this and that. Well, now you're trying to see in the market there's a balance of between the two meetings. You utilize technology to help you, uh, do like mundane, simple, repetitive tasks, and then you save the people side for more of the problem solving, more of the innovation, more of the critical thinking, so that you can continue to adapt the changes and do things differently. I think also too, is e-commerce is is huge. Man, I, I, you know, I, I remember Amazon when they were selling and look at what they're doing now and, and you have TikTok stores I mean everything all the ads that pop up on LinkedIn or
Speaker 2
[00.12.12]
uh, Instagram or all e-commerce and that's that that's a hope for a lot of individuals because the growth of e-commerce needs more warehouses, meaning more jobs that'll happen for individuals. And because we as a world have this new high customer expectation is always going to be room for how can you do it faster? How can you do it better? How can you? How can I can click something and get it in two minutes versus, you know, back in the day it took like, you know, two and a half weeks to be able to get it. So I really think I really think we're in a good state, uh, being able to balance the two, to be able to support, uh, all the change that's happening nationwide.
Speaker 1
[00.12.52]
Yeah, I agree with you on that. And I and I've kind of spoken about this before on the podcast. And one of the reasons why I do it is because I want other people that are not in the industry itself. Maybe they're connected with it or they're surrounded to it, surrounded by it, not in it. But I want them to know that how the warehouse was painted back in the day just put box on off, take box on shelf. Big guys driving around on forklifts. You know, dusty, that type of image is nothing like what is like to now. I mean, it is complex and layered and high pressure and technology and frankly, a really high hiring bar. Like you already mentioned, the importance of hiring. I mean, the the caliber of people I think now that are working in this industry is is very high. I mean, very, very, very high. And you and and you, you find these fantastic leaders like yourself that arise in this industry because one, there's so much on the line from from the customer expectation. Like you said in 2025, you must perform and perform well. But but two, you have all these different classes of people, all these different types of people, all this diversity and all this like, you know, spectrum of everybody. And so if you don't have good leadership in that type of environment, you you're going to sink because it's a challenge sometimes to lead a very diverse labor force. And I would argue that warehouse and distribution has the biggest, uh, spectrum of that of all the industries that are out there manufacturing, obviously. But, uh, it's, uh, it's it is not your grandpa's warehouse. I think these days in the industry.
Speaker 2
[00.14.43]
Definitely not. Definitely not.
Speaker 1
[00.14.47]
So let me let me say this. Uh, so I mentioned this in the in the beginning. Okay. I love dinner conversations with doctor V, right. So I have all I've looked at them all on LinkedIn because they're right there. By the way, I hope anybody who's listening to the show will follow you and and listen to these. They're like a minute video clip, two minute video clip with just this great, great stuff. Right. This inspirational stuff. Good lessons. Um, it's kind of like chicken soup for the warehouse leader soul, right? But not just necessarily warehouse. Anybody who is in a leadership position or wants to kind of enhance their life, right? Just enhance their performance in their life. So what was your inspiration for starting something like this and kind of how has it been received by? Because because I'm sure the people that know you inside your own company see it, right? Because they follow you. So how has it been received by everybody that that's your audience or your followers? Yeah.
Speaker 2
[00.15.47]
You know, it really started, uh, you know, I, I do a lot of. Unofficial mentor. People reach out to me and you know, they want advice or guys that used to work for me that wanted advice. But I can take you even further back into the history. So I remember when I took over, uh, I was the director of operations for a unit in Misawa, Japan, and I was a young leader, and I had a young group of individuals with us, and I was responsible for their success and helping them. Um, so what I did was, uh, every week I would I would observe what was going on in the unit set a weekly kind of like, knowledge email. And then we would sit in the, uh, the, the comment area, and I would just talk to the young guys about where they learned for the week. What did they do, you know, what are they future plans or the email I was in? We would actually talk about it. Well, this transcended into every job that I've had since, and this is back in in 2009. So I've been doing this since 2009. And every job that I went to, I've always sent some sort of like weekly email with some sort of nugget, you know? Hey, and the names have changed over the years. Um, so then when I got my doctorate. And I was like, okay, well, what can I do? You know, how can I continue to impact other individuals? And I was like, well, I can I can do some content and put some information out there. But, you know, when I looked at the state of where we're at today and connection and closeness is, is slowly depleting because of technology and the different things that we do. And I remember TV shows back in the day where everybody was sitting at the dinner table and you would get your lessons and you just remember those moments. And I was like, I want to recreate those moments again. Then dinner conversations with doctor V, right where we sit down and we just talk about real stuff, things that we go through that we don't necessarily talk about every single day or that we don't talk about in leadership. And you have to be able to know that leadership transition and at home and your work life and at work and your life as well. And it's been very, very well received, man. Like, uh, I've had guys reach out to me from Africa, you know, uh, asking for mentorship. I mean, it was funny, we were doing a staffing showcase not too long ago, and one of the girls in the staffing agency was like, are you doctor V? And I was like, she's like, I love you, I follow you. And I was like, I have never seen this person in my life, you know, uh, and what I learned on social media is that even though you don't get the likes and people may not comment, people are watching. They are water.
Speaker 1
[00.18.28]
100%. I tell that to people all the time, right? I got the podcast and the website and I'm out there too, right? But I, I, I am sort of naturally an introverted person, and I, and I tell that to people. And so they're like, what? But you're out doing the podcast. I'm like, yes, because I feel an obligation to give back, right. And mentor people that I don't. And I know, I know people are watching and I always encourage, like if you are apprehensive about putting your goodness out into the universe, don't be right. Don't guarantee you there's somebody that was like me ten years ago or 15 years ago that's just lurking around that is going to hear that and consume that. And you just have to have faith that that that's happening. Right. So I 100 I, I super respect what you're what you're doing with that. It's free and everything and it's really good advice because sometimes and I've I've, I've fell victim to this too in my career where you know we we we both had a military career. And so we've had all these different. And Sometimes you get to the point where you've you've heard the same lessons in your own life so many times, right? And you just like I'm I get it. You know, I'm over it or whatever. And but what you don't realize is that that young kid that's coming up hasn't heard it 50 times, you know. And so you you owe them your best, right? With as if they're hearing it the first time. Like, if you're in a band, you've played your hit song a hundred times. The next time you play, it may be the first time that kid in the audience hears it. And so I think, I think that's something that content creators need to remember is, you know, you, you, you, you put yourself in their shoes at their phase in life and give them the best guidance and mentorship that that you can. And, uh, you know, if you want to, like, I have a whole nother show, by the way, called the Tiger Team Show. And that's where I do all my, like, jaded, sarcastic, uh, wit and humor and everything. Like, get it out there for the mentorship, you know, the podcasts and everything. And what you're doing with, uh, um, of your stuff. Bernard, dinner conversations is awesome, man, and I respect, I love it. I hope people I hope you continue to do it because. Yeah,
Speaker 2
[00.20.48]
it's. Yeah, it's really, really good. Yeah, man. So it is.
Speaker 1
[00.20.52]
It is good stuff. So let me let me ask this. So not only do you do the inner conversations with doctor V, but you've written a lot of great articles right. And when somebody writes an article like you do a two minute video or a minute and a half video, you kind of know it. But when somebody writes an article, usually it means they put much more thought into it. Right. Much more heart goes into that. And your articles about leadership and operations and everything are fantastic. But they I noticed there's a little bit of a slant towards what I'll call like soft skills. Yeah. And those are the type of skills that you really can only sort of develop through reps, but also mentorship. So how how do you where do you come down on on the soft skills in terms of how important they are for leaders to develop, to really thrive, that, you know, sort of like IQ versus EQ type thing. What where do you think about that? Yeah. You know, soft skills is in everything we do. I mean, we're we're doing soft skills right now. Just a simple communication. Soft skills are transferable where we have hard skills are not necessarily transferable. So I always use this example when I talk to different people. So let's think about chefs. In order to be a chef, you have to have a specific art skill, right? You got to know how to use a knife. You got to know the different recipes, right? You have to be able to do that to be just to get through the door. And they can come down and does it. But the great chefs know how to interact with their environment. They know how to communicate inside the kitchen. They know how to work as a team with the multiple different individuals that are in there. They know how to build those relationships. They know how to handle the pressure that comes within it. And that's what makes them truly successful when it comes to it. So that's why soft skills are so important. You know, even even something as simple as an icebreaker that I usually do sometimes where I said, hey, you got a minute and 30s to you, put you in a group. You have a minute and 30s to figure out. What do you have five things you have in common? And I said, I like y'all all wearing shirts or wearing shoes, right? And they come together and they hurry up and do it now. Host icebreakers help break the. They they they get people engaged. What really is you utilizing soft skills. Because if you think about it, you have to communicate because one person has to stand up and actually speak. But you're in a group communicating, you're problem solving because you got to figure out you're critically thinking through, okay, what do we have in common? Hey, you have a little bit of relationship building as well. So so I emphasize that because those soft skills really help you get there. And what, what really drives is what got you here. Won't get you there. Because as you continue to grow as a leader, it becomes less about what you can do and more what you can do through people.
Speaker 2
[00.23.53]
And I shared this with somebody the other day, is that, you know, I'm not responsible for going out there and picking. I'm responsible for creating the writing environment so that that person can succeed when it comes to picking. So let's think about it from a culture standpoint. If I want to create a culture, I gotta be able to communicate. I've got to be able to build relationships, and I have to have emotional intelligence if I really want to build the right culture. If I want to just say, you know what? Um, how do I get efficient in my operation? I gotta critically think I've gotta be able to problem solve. I've gotta be able to communicate, and I have to be innovative. None of that you can get from London on the pitch and in the. You know, we deal with problems every single day. Different scenarios. We talked about agile teams. You have to have emotional intelligence to be able to do that. So as much as we want to to say that, you know, the more you know, the more you're going to be successful. Really, it's those soft skills that drive you. Research shows 85% of your success on the job is soft skills itself. And and I share people all the time. Man. I was like, I've met a lot of smart young people. You could be smart, but I would not want to follow you. I would not want to be around you or anything like that. So that's why I really stress to individuals are really working on those soft skills. Um, because it doesn't matter what I know. What if I don't know how to apply it? If I don't know how to get people to do it as fast as you continue to move up, you're pretty much obsolete.
Speaker 1
[00.25.22]
Yeah, 100%, man. And and if you if you want to move up, particularly in this industry, the higher the more your soft skills come to the forefront. And if you don't have them, if you haven't developed them along the way, you it's very difficult to catch up really fast. It's not nearly like you you can learn things about. Metrics. Accounting. Lean. All these things. You can learn them from a book, but you must develop soft skills along the way. That must be an active thing that you do. You can't. Very difficult to learn them, but you won't come off as authentic. People will see through you and, uh, and, and, you know, and it's just it's just it's not going to work, um, particularly in this industry. Now, let me ask this question because there is a there's like two letters in the warehousing world right now, and obviously all the world right now, which is the hot two hottest letters. And they are a and I, I hear I get asked about it all all the time. Right. So AI okay I so I feel like I can't do a podcast without bringing AI up in the show because it's it's getting to be so hot. So you I've seen you post about this, about how important it is to remind people that AI is a powerful tool, but is just a tool that your human brain is still the blueprint. So where do you what do you think about? Creativity, critical thinking, judgment, EQ, all those things in the world of AI because I like I have middle schoolers and they're all about AI, right? Like, they're all about AI. They think it solves everything. And I try to tell them I'm like, it's just the summary of everybody. It's not. It's not generating anything. It's not really creating anything. So where do you feel about that? Because I, I feel like AI is great, but I think I don't want it to replace the things that make us very human creativity and judgment and, and and all those things. Love to on the other side. So where do you come down on it? Yeah, yeah, I'm with you, man. AI is a tool. And we talked about it earlier. The blending of technology and the different things that we do. It really is a tool. So AI is you put information out and you give it an output. It gives you data to be able to do it. So I use a real simple example. Right. Um, I want to use AI, I don't need a trainer. So I go on there and say, hey, create me a workout program that's going to allow me to lose weight in six weeks.
Speaker 2
[00.28.04]
Boom. You don't even have the thing and spit it out for you. It really isn't the end of the day. Who has to put it in action?
Speaker 1
[00.28.12]
That's right. Absolutely
Speaker 2
[00.28.13]
right. You have to do it. What about those mornings when you're tired and you've worked all day? You have to develop the discipline within yourself to be able to do it, to push through. Or when you're in the middle of the workout and you're like, man, I don't want to add that weight. AI is not going to add the weight on for you. You've gotta think. You've gotta dig within yourself to be able to get that fortitude, to be able to push through. And also just, you know, a lot of people use AI to write papers to to communicate and do all those different things, which is great, right? Because, you know, I'll sometimes I'll, I'll put an email together and I say, okay, make this sound more eloquent and then it'll revise it for me. It's my words, but it'll revise it. But here's the other side of that. The output gave me the words, but who still has to deliver it? Yeah, I'd rather deliver it. I'd rather deliver it the right tone. I gotta be able to to to deliver with compassion. Say it the right way. I've gotta react and respond to non verbals. AI is not going to tell you, hey, if so-and-so does this, you do that. Right? So all those things still come into play because critical thinking is not going anywhere. You have to be able to hear everything, uh, have the judgment and also just be creative, because what we have now is, uh, there's a, I don't know, gap. A lot of individuals come into situations and they say, I don't know, I don't know. AI will give you that answer. They'll be able to do it, but you still are substituting your ability to go out and research your substitute, your ability to go out and read and learn new things and be curious about those different things as well. But also you got to take inventory of yourself and say, okay, where are my weaknesses and how do I get better? And once again, it has to be those actions. You've got to be able to do that. So AI is a great tool, but it's not a replacement for a lot of the things that you have to do, uh, in action in face to face when those scenarios come
Speaker 1
[00.30.19]
about. Yeah. And I like I tell other people, I go the more that society, the more people begin to just rely wholesale on AI. If you are creative and you have good judgment and you have critical thinking, those are even more valuable than they were before, because now they're now they're even more, more rare. I mean, everybody it used to be you go to school because you needed to have knowledge. Well, now knowledge is readily available for everyone.
Speaker 2
[00.30.49]
Exactly, exactly.
Speaker 1
[00.30.51]
It's not really a competitive advantage anymore. What the the what is now is those other intangible things. Like what you already already talked about that that would separate you, uh, from, from the pack. So.
Speaker 2
[00.31.03]
Exactly. Because when you get into a situation. Right, you you imagine this, right? Uh, you're on the floor and you work in it, and a problem comes up. Hey, hold on, team, let me go talk to AI, and then I'm back to you. No, they're expecting you to make that decision right then and there. You're building your credibility. That gives confidence in you as a leader. You go run the AI and come back. They're going to look at you like, ah, I don't know if this is the right guy that we follow, can follow. He knows the use the right tool, but I don't think he can. He can think on the spot.
Speaker 1
[00.31.36]
There it is. They're going to start calling you. Allen Iverson. That's
Speaker 2
[00.31.39]
a yes. Exactly.
Speaker 1
[00.31.44]
Yeah. So our all right, man. So we, um, we came out of the Air Force Academy at the exact same time the exact same year. So the same class, like, shut them up shop. Right? That's
Speaker 2
[00.31.55]
right. Bong.
Speaker 1
[00.31.59]
One time in my life, I, I, I used to like that song for an hour before I started this, and then I and then I had had about enough of it, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker 2
[00.32.07]
I know,
Speaker 1
[00.32.10]
the one no one listening to the show will know what what we were talking about, uh, with that term. But, uh, anyway, so you but you have a military background. I have a military background, and there are lots of other people that have a military background that that transition out and go to work in warehousing and distribution. So you what do you feel about your how did your background in the military kind of shape, the type of leader that you were in, warehousing and distribution and, you know, was it kind of like, were there a lot of parallels or did you find that, wow, this is way different. I have to kind of start from scratch. So what did you carry over with you and what did you kind of have to have to learn as you go? Yeah,
Speaker 2
[00.32.52]
I think the one, the, the one thing I carried over was, uh, just taking care of people, you know? Yeah. People came before the mission, and it was very, very important. You know, you had to have the right team around you. You, you know, your your team had to feel safe within you because, you know, you're a life and death situations. Right? And they got to be able to trust you. Um, and, and you have to be what they need you to be. Yeah. You know, I keep referring back to Japan. You know, I had guys that were getting in trouble, and I would personally pick them up and take them to work every single day, you know, or they were having kids and and didn't know how to be a father. And I'm mentoring them. I'm learning, you know, myself. So those things that carry over to where You definitely do have to take care of people and make sure that they feel that, uh, that you, you you they're not a number at the end of the day. I think another thing that carried over to this first scene, warehouse man, is just process discipline. You know, people a process and process discipline. You know, I was a flyer. So, you know, the checklist was important. And, you know, I'm on these missions and I'm doing different things. And there's a certain protocol that you have to do. And if you broke that protocol, it showed a loss of efficiency. But, you know, more so in the military, the loss of somebody's life or limb. Um, so I carry that older to be able to know that, you know, that's always the first question I ask is like, hey, well, what was the process? You know, did we follow the process? Let's go back and make sure, uh, that we, we did what we needed to do, or we do our due diligence and not just point the finger, um, at individuals as well. I think the hardest thing for me to change was in the military, you know, we have an inherited authority. By saying, hey, go do this. You're going to go, you know, you're going to go do it. And I remember my first job at target. You know, I came in barking orders. Hey, you do this? Yeah. And and, uh, I remember telling my boss at the time, I was like, you know, I've never worked in a job where 95% of the guys are sensitive, you know? And he just looked at me and laughed because they weren't doing what they supposed to do, and I, I had this, this. I was telling him I wasn't asking him what to do. Um, so I quickly had to learn how truly important connection was with individuals. And at the time, the target had this thing called the Best team survey, where your team ranks you or rates you on your basically your review. And, uh, my first six months, I was what they call a red leader. And, uh, it was embarrassing, right? Because, you know, here I am, I'm, I'm the Japanese liaison to the Air Force, uh, in Japan. I'm I'm leading this big unit, and then I come in this warehouse and it's like, no, you're not. Then, big guy, you need you you need to chill out. So I quickly learned that that was the best way to lead and be successful was truly, truly, uh, build a genuine connection with your people, and they'll do anything for you.
Speaker 1
[00.35.48]
Yep, I agree with you 100%. I have some horror stories of that too. When I first started out and you just you don't mean anything by it. You just you just green. You haven't learned yet. And that's why I sometimes will, will kind of give guidance to that to contact me who are getting out and they're going to work for Amazon or they're going to work for target. And I just sort of conditioned them to that. You talk about a blue collar hourly labor force in this industry. It's just it's different man. Uh, and it's going to take a little bit of time to, to get used to that.
Speaker 2
[00.36.21]
So yeah.
Speaker 1
[00.36.23]
Well let let me ask this question kind of the last question. Now, you, uh, you are very honest and open when you talk about, you know, your leadership stuff and everything. And sometimes in the industry, you know, you get in the HR realm and there's certain walls, there's certain barriers that you can't cross when it comes to people's professional life and how they handle themselves and their and their personal life. Um, but some people will say those really need to be kind of like blended now because it's very difficult for somebody to be good at their work and then a complete turd when they're at home with, with their life and their family and everything. So where do you come down on that? Do you think that people have the capability of just turning it on and off? And I don't I can be a complete, you know, you know, zero on my home life and my family and, and still be good in my career. Do you think that people really should kind of have one life, one way to, to use a phrase there for, for both of them, what do you what do you think on that?
Speaker 2
[00.37.29]
Yeah. I think everybody should have a one life, one way. Let's, let's if we take a step back. Right. If you really, truly want to be a holistic and comprehensive person, you have to be able to do it in all aspects of your life. If you want legacy, if you want lasting impact, you have to be it all. And I made that mistake. You know, I was I when I was in the military and and got out I was this great leader. I'm like, hey, I'm killing the game. But I was a terrible father. Terrible father. Right? And then I was like, okay, you know, I'm winning in one aspect. I, I can't talk about all this and not do it in my, in my own life. So then what I did is I took the same principles I was doing at work, and I did it with my kids. And what I saw was not only did I become a better father, it actually made me a better leader because I tapped into, I tapped into different parts of my brain from an emotional intelligence standpoint that I would have never even looked at, because being a father and some of the principles, it really made me more aware and comprehensive. But then take it even further. I was a terrible friend. So then I said, okay, you know, I can't be this great dad in this great leader, and then people don't want to be around me. So then once I did that, not only did I become a better friend, it made me a even better father and leader overall. So now I became this comprehensive person. So then what? What happened was everybody got the best version of me. Nobody. There was nobody that that got anything, uh, or short changed, uh, and it really helped me grow overall. So it's really tough to say that, you know, you could separate it. You know, some people do it, but you're really limiting the impact that you truly have. Because as an individual in this world, we should want to have a long lasting impact in all aspects of our life. Um, every day. Right? Because to me, a value is a value is a value is a value. It never changes. Now, how you use the value may change, but the value doesn't change based on the situation. So you can't say you're an honorable guy at work and then get there and say, well, I'm, I, I'm, I'm, you know, I'm too busy, I can't be honor is honor all the way across. Um, so I, I truly believe in the, in the one way, one life. If you really want to have the impact that you say you want to have.
Speaker 1
[00.39.54]
Yep, I agree and I feel I have nothing to back this up. Right. It's just my own feeling, but I feel like, you know, I feel like you have a certain type of energy about you, right? Your personality, how you carry yourself. There's an energy, there's a wavelength, there's a frequency that comes from that, and there's a light and and you don't control directly. You can't turn that off and on. Right. Like you you can't change that. It it gets set naturally. And people pick up on that naturally. And I think if you change it and you try to mask it a little bit, other people have the same receptors to pick up their energy and they'll know it's not authentic. Right. Well, they're saying in words, you know, they won't be able. They might not. Their intuition is going to tell them that it's not natural. So I, I think you're 100% right on that. And it, you know, it's it's tough because we're talking into an area right here that, you know, I don't know if I would have a conversation with this like on the warehouse floor with somebody. But I mean, I think it's just a part of life, you know, for people listening, you know, there's no there's no HR. That's, uh, that's monitoring the show. Bernard, by the way. Like, so I'm free.
Speaker 2
[00.41.02]
Here's a here's a, here's a challenge, though. You should have it on the floor. Right. Because if we talk about true leadership, if we talk about true impact, if we talk about true high performing teams, you have to be what your team needs you to be in that given moment. So yes, I use the example, uh, you know, there was a guy that worked for me that nobody wanted to deal with, had a terrible attitude. People wanted to fire him all his other stuff. He was great at his job, but he was a terrible person. Now, I didn't have to tell him to go out and and, you know, hey, we need this done. What I needed him to learn is how to navigate his emotional intelligence in life. And by me being there for him, not only did he perform, this guy got promoted to a lead, then he got promoted to a supervisor and I still talked to him to this day, all because I was there for what he needed. And yes, we have performance. God is the that that's out there, right. You know, did you do this? Did you do quality. Did you do that. Yeah, we have to do those. But when we talk about true leadership and really having an impact, you gotta be what that person needs you to be to get the best performance out of them. Because in the end, the customer will be
Speaker 1
[00.42.21]
there. I love that, man. Uh, incredible stuff and insights. So where can people find out more about you? You know, like what? You know, I follow you on LinkedIn. I hope everybody does once they see all the posts and everything from this. But, you know, where can I find you and what do you got? I mean, what have you got lined up for the 2026 and beyond? I mean, more more of the same or are you new ideas or what? Are you. Yeah. Yeah, I'm.
Speaker 2
[00.42.46]
Yeah. You can find me on LinkedIn. Um, you can also on, uh, on Instagram is, uh, leadership, soft skills, uh, with a Z at the end. Um, you can plug in to that. Um, I'm going to continue the teaching and, and showing, um, really get more exposure on different, uh, podcasts, uh, with different individuals going to 20, 26. And I want to evolve, uh, gender conversation to be and I want to create a series called The Elephant in the room. Right. Okay. The reason why I say the elephant in the room is because a lot of times we talk about leadership and life and this kind of linear type way, or we put like these great stars on. Right? These guys that went from rags to riches. But for me and you, that's not our everyday story. Like we really deal with hard and hard different things. You know, nobody talks about when you get tough feedback from your team. And that drive home where you're feeling really bad about. Nobody talks about that, right? Nobody talks about when you're truly not feeling valued. And you try and you try and you try and it's just not going anywhere. I don't want to have those conversations. Those are the elephant in the room. Real leadership challenges from real individuals that are out there working during the day to day, and they just want to talk about it and have those conversations. So that's what I got brewing in the background. I've talked a lot of people about it and they said, you know, you need to do it. You need to do it. Um, so looking to do that, um, the other piece, too, is, uh, I'm looking to continue to teach the youth. So I volunteered for this thing called Academy four, where they teach you mentor fourth graders, and they you teach them soft skills. Um, also, uh, incorporate myself into the high school as well to try to teach lessons, uh, or whatnot. So I definitely want to get into teaching and just volunteering as well. And then the, you know, the last piece in 2026 is, you know, I, I really want to help my organization, uh, grow to the next level every time I go as a leader. It's all about sustainability. Uh, my job is to make myself obsolete. If I'm in there and they're still doing things, I did not help support my team. Um, so, you know, I, I recently just sat down with my ops team and we talked through the 2026 strategy, um, that I created and the principles and different things that we are going to go by to govern and guide our decisions. Um, and we've actually started that these guys are hitting the ground running, uh, big time, uh, to, to see our alignment and really see it come to life next year. I'm really looking forward to.
Speaker 1
[00.45.20]
Awesome, dude. I love it, man. Well, dude great show. Thank you very much for coming on the podcast. You're welcome back anytime we have. I mean, I knew we never I didn't we didn't know each other at the academy we were on. I was in four and you were in 35. So completely different side. Yeah,
Speaker 2
[00.45.37]
completely off topic,
Speaker 1
[00.45.40]
but, uh, but yeah, man, I really appreciate you coming on the show. You're a bright light, my friend. Uh, a very genuine putting out some great stuff out there for community. I hope everybody follows you and like I do, and, and, uh, and the best of luck to you and your organization for 2026 and beyond. And so, uh, thanks again. And I hope we can do another show sometime. Get
Speaker 2
[00.46.01]
back for Live Your Life show. I'm very honored, man. Thank you. Yeah. All right, my friend, I'll see you around on the LinkedIn streets, as they say. All right.
Speaker 1
[00.46.12]
Thank you. All right, guys, that concludes today's show. Bernard, look him up on LinkedIn. Follow his stuff. He is great. He's genuine. If you yourself don't benefit from it, you may know or you may manage people that could send them his way. Right. Send some very good stuff. So thanks again for coming on the show, my friend. As the Warehouse Underground goes, please sign up for the community. I think we have two, almost 230 people who have signed up for the warehouse, underground community, live shows, networking events, message boards in there. Uh, some very good stuff going on inside the community. Check out the other show that I do that I mentioned, the Tiger Team show. They've released six episodes with my co-host Jordan. You can hear that show on Spotify or Apple, and it's sarcastic wit and humor and that slant, uh, all about things going on in the world of warehouses and distribution centers and fulfillment centers. So I think you guys will like that show and check that out for some comic relief as this podcast goes. Thank you again for tuning in. I will see you next week for episode number 31. Thank you. God
Speaker 2
[00.47.26]
bless.
