Category: Uncategorized

Reading for Leading: Some Books for National Reading Month

For those out there who are unaware, March is National Reading Month. While this month is often celebrated with Dr. Seuss and children’s literature in mind, it’s important not to forget that reading is also an excellent way to stimulate ideas for professional growth. With that in mind, here are some recommendations for books that I highly recommend if you are interested in turning a few pages!

• When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing, by Daniel Pink. This book provides great insights into why you should be thinking about when to do things, not just why or how. A unique and thought-provoking shift from the standard text on self and team improvement.

• Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts. by Brene Brown. An excellent book to start with if you have never been introduced to the writings of Brene Brown. Many excellent topics such as leadership and culture development are discussed, with applicable action steps and tons of online resources.

• Thanks a Thousand: A Gratitude Journey, A TED Book by A.J. Jacobs. If you’ve never read a TED Book, this is an excellent first choice. This book follows the author’s journey to thank every single person who made his morning cup of coffee happen, from the barista and paper cup manufacturer to the coffee farmer and distributer. A short and fun journey into gratitude and the systems our world is made of.

Reading provides a great opportunity to step back from the world we live in and gain a new perspective. It can be on your own, with a friend or in a group, something new or something you’ve read before, a book or an article or anything in between. You never know when or where you’ll find some inspiration!

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UW-Green Bay’s Continuing Education and Community Engagement Division (CECE) is continuously looking for ways to stay on the cutting edge of professional development for its clients. Be sure to check out the CECE website and reach out if you have ideas for new content you want to see!

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Writing/Research Credit: Christopher Ledvina, UW-Green Bay Business Development Specialist

What ChatGPT Can Do For Your Organization?

If you haven’t heard about ChatGPT yet, allow me to introduce you to one of the most talked about artificial intelligence programs in the world. This program, a chatbot that launched in late 2022, has taken the world by storm with advanced language usage and an ability to “learn” from your previous answers to create even more effective responses. While quite a bit of the press has focused on the education space, the uses for a program like ChatGPT have significant value for other industries as well. Here are some ways that ChatGPT has been used to either create or improve processes across organizations:

  • Creating advertising plans and writing content for social media or marketing purposes.
  • Developing coding, data analytics and cybersecurity suggestions.
  • Acting as a recruiter and responding to questions and providing information that a potential candidate might ask for.
  • Gaining a second opinion by gathering information on a subject and explaining the various intricacies.

ChatGPT can be used for a myriad of processes within an organization. However it is important to recognize its limitations as well. The program only uses data through 2021 and is not able to incorporate real-time information for topics such as finance. It also cannot guarantee that any responses it generates is 100% accurate and therefore should be considered a resource requiring additional due diligence. Yet ChatGPT can still be a powerful tool for generating ideas and creating process improvements. Don’t believe me? Here is what ChatGPT told me when I asked how businesses can use it:

“A business can use ChatGPT to improve customer service, sales and content creation, resulting in saved time and resources, as well as providing more personalized, efficient and accurate interactions with customers and clients. ChatGPT can assist internal employees by automating repetitive tasks, providing real-time data and insights and allowing for more efficient and effective processes, thus freeing up employees’ time to focus on more important and value-added activities.”

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UW-Green Bay’s Continuing Education and Community Engagement Division is proactively looking for ways to stay on the cutting edge of professional development for its clients. Be sure to check out the CECE website and reach out if you have ideas for new content you want to see!

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Sources:
ChatGPT– ChatGPT by OpenAI

Writing/Research Credit: Christopher Ledvina, UW-Green Bay Business Development Specialist

 

Holidays in Logistics: Getting from A to B

As we start a new year, take some time to think about the massive undertaking that just ended for retail, one of the most critical industries in the world — supply chain management (SCM) and logistics. According to a report from McKinsey & Co., 56% of respondents said they started buying gifts in October, with 51% doing so because of concerns about product availability and 42% concerned about shipping lead times. This timeframe, on top of other well-reported economic factors, made 2022 one of the busiest and longest holiday shipping seasons ever.

This concurrence of events means that the SCM industry continues to change and adapt in notable ways:

  • Digitization has never been more important. Every step of the process, from raw materials to finished products, through any number of facilities, is processed and tracked for security, safety, and efficiency.
  • Automation is coming to the industry too. With it comes not just computer science and data analytics, but also mechanics, quality control, equipment and resource planning professionals.
  • Where you keep things is becoming just as important as where you make or sell them. Fully automated warehouses and self-service delivery kiosks in stores are just two examples of innovations within the industry.

In a rapidly evolving and innovating industry, it’s important not to forget the human element. Customer service, safety, training, research and development; these are all areas where people will be needed in order to keep their organizations on the cutting edge.
With plenty of changes still coming to the SCM and Logistics industry, is your team and organization ready for the new year?

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If you are interested in learning more about the supply chain and logistics industry, UW-Green Bay offers a number of certificates and programs dedicated to the topic! Registration is open now for our noncredit Supply Chain Management Certificate, learn more on our website.
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Sources:
US Holiday Shopping 2022 – McKinsey and Company

Writing/Research Credit: Christopher Ledvina, UW-Green Bay Business Development Specialist