Better questions for a better year
Thoughts to start your 2023 off right
“I'm gonna make a change
For once in my life
It's gonna feel real good
Gonna make a difference
Gonna make it right.” - Michael Jackson“The marvelous thing about a good question is that it shapes our identity as much by the asking as it does by the answering.” – David Whyte
“Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'“ – Martin Luther King, Jr.
This is not about New Year’s resolutions. And I don’t promise to tell you how the freight markets will ebb and flow in 2023, predict precisely when pricing will turn in truckload, or opine on whether or not UPS will see a strike this summer. At least not here - maybe in upcoming posts. This is about questions to provide some focus and make 2023 a better year - whether you’re a leader, shipper, 3PL, carrier, or freight tech company.
The new year is a great time for a status check. After recharging over the holidays, we come back to the office with renewed energy and an intention to have this be a better year than last year. “Best year ever!” But how do we push past the initial momentum to achieve the results we want? How do we create better habits that stick?
In a recent podcast interview with Tim Ferriss, “Atomic Habits” author James Clear recommended questions to help with habit formation and getting from where you are to where you want to go. For example, if you’re trying to exercise more or eat better, as you encounter choices throughout the day such as a) whether or not to go to the gym, because you’re tired, or b) whether or not to have a little dessert - just ask yourself, “what would a healthy person do?” It’s a quick reframe that, if asked consistently, will help you create habits that drive you toward your goal. This has helped me, and I now ask these questions often.
I want to build on that and throw out a mix of things to chew on, since better questions lead to better outcomes. Some of these q’s below are general framing questions, or initial diagnostic questions to determine where you are, where to go, and what to do, while others are questions to repeatedly ask yourself throughout the year to make sure you keep moving down the chosen path to where you want to be.
Questions for Shippers
what weaknesses in our supply chain were exposed in 2020-2022?
which carriers most supported us through the capacity-challenged years? And which did not?
has our supply chain structurally changed since 2019? If so, what does this mean for modal mix and staffing to best manage and execute our logistics needs today?
do our global sourcing strategies need to change?
have we properly evaluated 3PLs/outsourced solutions?
could we change our modal mix for better service and/or lower costs?
what are our company’s priorities? do our supply chain decisions and selected carrier and 3PL partners reflect this?
is our technology leading or lagging our supply chain partners?
rate supply chain communication from 1-10. Honestly. Why are we where we are? What could we do to improve?
what would a best-in-class company do?
what would a more profitable company do?
what should we simplify?
what can we do to make our carriers and other logistics partners more efficient?
how do we streamline our RFP process?
where are we (demand for our goods) in the economic cycle? Do we need to plan for growth this year or lower volumes?
if we were a carrier, how would we rate ourselves as a partner?
Questions for Carriers
what could we do differently to lower our driver turnover?
do we know why our drivers leave? how much is in our control?
what is our network? how should it look?
are we overly reliant on swings in the market? Is there anything we can do to change this?
what is our competitive advantage vs all the other carriers?
what would a best-in-class company do?
what would a more profitable company do?
what should we simplify?
how would our shipper customers grade us? What would be their biggest complaint?
how would we rank a) technology, b) people, and c) equipment in terms of areas of investment importance for 2023?
is our technology ahead of or behind that of our customers’? Who’s holding whom back?
what can we do to better communicate with our customers? With our drivers?
are there any government regulations (e.g. AB-5), labor issues, or other changes on the horizon that could impact our business?
is our measure of on-time service accurate?
Questions for 3PLs
how can we get ahead of our customers’ problems?
how could we be a better partner for carriers?
how could we be a better partner for shippers?
what is our competitive advantage? With carriers and with shippers - two answers here.
what would a best-in-class company do?
what would a more profitable company do?
what services do we not offer today that would make us more valuable to carriers? To shippers?
are we a) too tech-focused, b) not enough tech-focused, or c) tech mis-focused?
how did we make our customers’ lives easier in 2020-2021? Harder?
is our freight visibility above/below that of our peers?
Questions for Freight Tech companies
how do we explain our value proposition simply?
how can we make our solution more compelling?
what would a best-in-class company do?
what would a profitable company do?
are we really what we’ve said we are?
what problem are we solving?
who is our user? how is their job made easier with our product?
are we a product or a company?
is there an actual plan to make money?
how many other systems does our tech “play nice” with?
what is the biggest roadblock to customers adopting our solution?
are we solving yesterday’s problems or tomorrow’s?
how are we removing steps from the process?
where would we find the biggest fault with our solution, if we were the customer today?
Questions for Leaders
why is our company/culture different? how can this help us win?
what would a best-in-class company do?
what would a more profitable company do?
what would a servant leader do?
what would a bold leader do?
what would a thoughtful leader do?
what would a compassionate leader do?
what would a strong leader do?
how am I making my people better?
how can I give more credit to others?
what help do I need, so I’m not trying to do too much at once?
what is the goal?
is there a succession plan?
if the market tanks this year, what do we do?
if the market rebounds strongly this year, what do we do?
if I worked for me, what would my biggest complaint be?
how much did we give to our community or to charitable causes last year? do we want to do more this year?
is our business strategy and technology strategy in alignment?
how accurate and timely and relevant is our data?
how do we allow for and encourage fun at work?
The answers to all of the above are specific to you - what you’re looking to do, what you’re moving away from, what you’re moving toward, and how you want to look when others see you at the end of 2023.
You’ll notice some common themes, though. Like thinking about how you can help your service partners. Carriers helping shippers. Shippers helping carriers. 3PLs helping both. Carriers and shippers helping 3PLs. Given the importance of communication across the supply chain, it’s critical to understand how you can improve the other parts of the chain.
By changing perspective and seeing from your partners’ or customers’ viewpoints, you can make their life easier, which should make your life easier - increasing the benefit to all parties.
Please let me know if you have any other good questions that have helped you or your organization find direction, alignment, and/or motivation.
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In Case You Missed It
Beyond Logistics post #1 re: Trucking 101 —> here
Beyond Logistics post #2 re: Life —> here
Beyond Logistics post #3 re: Pricing —> here
Beyond Logistics post #4 re: Communication Deep Dive—> here
Beyond Logistics post #5 re: Technology & Communication —> here
Beyond Logistics post #6 re: 3PL trends —> here
Beyond Logistics post #7 re: Lessons from Comics —> here
Beyond Logistics post #8 re: Cleaning Up Inside —> here
Beyond Logistics post #9 re: All Bad Things Must End —> here
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About the author: Dave Ross currently serves as Chief Strategy Officer at Ascent and EVP at Roadrunner. Prior to his current roles, he was Managing Director and Group Head of Stifel’s Transportation & Logistics Equity Research practice, where he spent >20 years researching and writing on the freight transportation & logistics industry. Based in Miami, FL, he’s also an artist, connector, investor, dog dad, and serves on a few select non-profit boards (CTAOP, Humane Society, and Fountainhead).
** All opinions in this piece are solely those of the author and not intended to represent those of Ascent Global Logistics or Roadrunner or other affiliated entities.
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