A story of two gardeners, Thomas and Stanley, who illustrate the difference between tactical and strategic approaches. Uncover the power of proactive problem-solving and long-term planning in shaping efficient supply chain operations.
Once upon a time, there were two gardeners – Thomas and Stanley.
They both took great pride in their work, earning the loyalty of their many customers.
Thomas and Stanley had a trusting agreement.
One would cover the other for a month during the year.
They would take care of each other’s customers without the fear of poaching from each other.
One fine day in May, Thomas called Stanley and asked him to take care of his customers for the month of June.
Stanley was happy to help.
Thomas sent him his list of customers scheduled for June.
Attached to the list were all the relevant notes.
Stanley arrived at Thomas’s first customer.
He found a large, wide grassed lawn.
It was neatly kept – a testimony to Thomas’s gardening ability.
Stanley checked the note for the first customer.
“Allow 4 hours to mow the grass,” it read. “Fastidious owner’s specification is for the lawn to be kept impeccably tidy. Job rate is $120.00.”
Stanley looked across the large, wide grassed lawn.
He noticed it was scattered with several old, abandoned cars and tractors as he greeted the fastidious owner. The grass, although needing cutting, was neatly kept around each old wreck.
They talked for five minutes before Stanley agreed to return the next day.
The next morning, Stanley returned.
He cut the grass to the fastidious owner’s specification of impeccable tidiness.
Satisfied with Stanley’s work, the fastidious owner handed him $120 for his job well done.
At the end of June, Stanley met up with Thomas – back from his month off on holiday.
“Good news,” said Stanley handing Thomas back his customer list and notes.
“I’ve been able to do all those customers with a star next to their name in half the time, and to their full satisfaction!” said Stanley.
Thomas looked down the list and turned it over to read the notes.
“How?” he asked.
Stanley explained how he visited the first fastidious customer on the list. He’d noticed the well-kept grass needing cutting, and the old wrecks. In the 5 minute chat with the fastidious owner, Stanley discovered that he hated the sight of the old wrecks. He wished they were gone.
Stanley made a call and arranged for a local Wrecker to come and take them away later that day.
The next day, Stanley was able to cut the grass without needing to cut in and around, and under the old wrecks.
He completed the job in two hours, doubling his hourly rate.
Stanley went on to explain his approach to the other starred customers. Many had rocks in gardens, old garden furniture, or overgrown garden beds.
He was able to remove these obstacles and cut the grass in half the time for the same job rate.
Thomas was speechless.
All this time he was taking twice as long as he needed. He was earning half as much as he could have been earning.
Thomas thanked Stanley as he left.
Thomas sat down and thought about things for a long, long while…
Both gardeners are great at what they do, but there’s a difference in their approach to gardening. It’s a subtle difference that yields a big difference.
It’s applied long before they pick up their tools or start a mower.
But what sets Stanley and Thomas apart?
Thomas employed a tactical approach. He mowed around the wrecks without questioning their presence.
His focus was on the immediate task of mowing the lawn efficiently, avoiding the obstacles (wrecks) to get the job done quickly.
While this approach may result in a neatly trimmed lawn in the short term, it didn’t address the underlying issue of why the wrecks were there or how to prevent them from hindering future mowing sessions.
In contrast, Stanley took a strategic approach. He stopped to examine why the wrecks were scattered across the lawn.
Stanley recognised that simply mowing around the wrecks was not a sustainable solution and would lead to inefficiencies in the long run.
By asking questions such as why the wrecks were there and whether they served any purpose, Stanley developed a simple plan to address the root cause of the problem.
Stanley the Strategic Gardener decided to remove the wrecks from the lawn altogether. He could have suggested another permanent solution, such as redesigning the landscape to remove the need to cut grass in, under, and around them in the future.
While addressing the wrecks may require more time and effort initially, it ultimately results in a smoother, more efficient mowing process and a healthier lawn in the long term.
In this analogy, Thomas the Tactical Gardener represents the approach of simply managing day-to-day operations in the supply chain without addressing underlying issues. Stanley the Strategic Gardener symbolises the proactive approach of identifying and solving root causes to drive long-term improvement and efficiency.
As Thomas and Stanley head off to their next job, we’re reminded that our approach matters in our supply chain management roles. Are we content with simply mowing around obstacles? Or are we ready to embrace a strategic mindset that drives lasting improvements?
Take a leaf from Stanley’s book and become the strategic gardeners of our supply chain. It’s not just about mowing the lawn – it’s about understanding the roots of our challenges and cultivating long-term success.
Our job in the company is to tackle the wrecks in our processes head-on, paving the way for smoother operations and healthier outcomes.
Be the Stanley of the supply chain world, shaping a landscape of efficiency and excellence for which you want to become known.
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