Episode Transcript
[00:00:05] Speaker A: Welcome back to following the Gone, a podcast for Schreier scholars, bringing you mentoring on demand from scholar alumni. I'm your host, Sean Goheen, and our guest today is supply chain leader Kristen Harkins, class of 2002. You can read her full bio in the description wherever you're engaging with us today. Kristen, thank you so much for joining us all the way over from the Garden State in New Jersey.
[00:00:27] Speaker B: Hi, Shawn. Thank you so much for having me. I am thrilled for us to have this conversation today.
[00:00:32] Speaker A: I am, too. Now, in order to have that conversation, I think it's always important to start at the beginning and set the stage. How did you end up choosing Penn State and the Shrier honors College for your undergraduate experience?
[00:00:45] Speaker B: What a great question, Sean. So like many high school juniors and seniors, I went to visit a number of schools, small schools, medium sized schools, large schools. I grew up about 45 minutes away from Penn State, so I knew a lot about Penn State. But what really solidified Penn State for me as the right choice was when I had the opportunity to join the shrier honors college. I really think it ensured that you got all of the benefits of Penn State as a large university, all the resources, all the opportunities. But it did help the school to feel a little bit smaller for me, knowing that I would have that opportunity to meet other scholars and to have those classes that were a little bit smaller as well. So it was really the best of both worlds. It was that small college environment at a major university that led me to choose Penn State.
[00:01:36] Speaker A: And one of the advantages of that is that we have so many majors here. And I would wager that most everyone watching or listening, just by virtue of news and experiences here in 2024, has at least a passing understanding of what we mean when we say supply chain. But how did you discover that as a student in the late nineties and early two thousands before, that was, like, in everyone's consciousness. What drew you to that major of all those possibilities here?
[00:02:05] Speaker B: Yeah. So when I came to Penn State, I was part of the Smeal College of Business. I knew that I wanted to be a business major. I wasn't sure what specific area of study I would follow, and I didn't know a whole lot about the supply chain. What I learned when I got to Penn State was that Penn State was really one of the preeminent institutions in the country for education and supply chain. It was one of not too many schools at the time that had, at the time, it was called business logistics. As the major, the person who actually wrote the textbooks about logistics was Doctor John Coyle, and we were very fortunate to have him at Penn State as a professor and as a faculty member. So there was so much foundation at Penn State around the supply chain.
As a 20 year old who was looking forward to my career, I also learned that there were just so many jobs in supply chain that were available. So that was really exciting to me.
And that's what led me to say, you know what? I'm going to learn more about this and no looking back since then.
[00:03:06] Speaker A: Now, Kristen, you said that there was a lot of jobs available at the time. Is it kind of the similar situation here in 2024 for supply chain majors, knowing that there's so much transformation happening based on technology, geopolitics, the pandemic, and every which other thing you can think of right now?
[00:03:28] Speaker B: Yeah, I would say now more than ever, supply chain students are highly in demand.
It was not that long ago there were more jobs than college graduates in supply chain. So that's a great place to be in as a graduate, to have a choice, right. To have multiple opportunities to pursue your major and to pursue your career in that way.
Supply chain is such a dynamic space, and it's always changing, always evolving, and there are so many different career paths that you can take with that background and that grounding in supply chain. So, yes, I would encourage anyone who's interested to learn more because you really can build a fantastic career and you will be in demand, that's for sure.
[00:04:13] Speaker A: Now, you talked about, like, you know, going into the classroom and learning all these things, the small classes here. But let's talk about life outside of the classroom for you as a scholar, or maybe for this first part, life at the front of the classroom. So you shared with me ahead of time that you were a TA or a teaching assistant for econ two.
[00:04:34] Speaker B: Yep.
[00:04:35] Speaker A: First, why did you pursue that opportunity? And then second, how did that experience influence your skills that you needed in your career, leading large teams and organizations?
[00:04:48] Speaker B: Yeah. So, you know, really, I was not expecting to be a teaching assistant, but it came from a conversation that I had with a professor who was looking for teaching assistants at the time for econ two.
It was a fantastic job opportunity for me that I held for three years while I was at Penn State. So three years, six semesters, got to work with a few different professors and obviously see that environment of a lot of different classrooms and work with many students as well. So for me, there were many things that I took away from that. First of all, every professor has different expectations. So showing up as a ta, you get to learn the professor's style and how you have to adjust your style to theirs to make sure that you can help them and that you could be that support that they need. I graded a lot of tests. I held a lot of office hours, and, you know, I think having office hours and working with students that, in some cases, were my peers, you know, that was a great opportunity, too, just to see how different people learn to be able to talk and help different people and really see how I could use an area that I had good understanding to maybe help someone else who had questions or who was struggling. So that interpersonal interaction and understanding your style and the style of the people around you, that is certainly very relevant in the business world.
[00:06:11] Speaker A: And then you also shared with me that, just like so many of our scholars, you were involved in some clubs here on campus. Can you talk about those experiences and how that's helped shape your career so far and also maybe even your personal experiences of the world?
[00:06:27] Speaker B: Yeah, of course. So one of my favorite clubs that I was a part of was called the Multicultural Business Society. And it, you know, it offered me a great opportunity to meet a lot of other business majors at the time, as well as to take a leadership role in planning different events for the club.
One of my favorites was one year we had a multicultural dinner, and we had to solicit local businesses to donate food. We had to find speakers. We had to encourage people to come to this event. And I remember that it was not an experience without stress. When you're in charge of planning an event like that, there's a lot that goes into it. Right. And the dinner was fantastic. It went really well. We had a great turnout, but I developed a very sincere appreciation for anyone who is behind the scenes planning those events.
It's a lot harder than it looks, but it was a great experience, too. And I think that particular event was really about how do we celebrate all of the things that make us different, but also bring us together so, you know, building that environment of inclusion and that environment of understanding across people who are all there, who are all at Penn State to do the same thing, which was to get their degree in business, but everyone coming from a very different perspective. So that was. That was a fantastic learning for me. And, you know, that translates directly into the corporate world as well. Right. We are always looking to foster that environment of inclusion and really make sure that we have a diverse workforce that is bringing their own perspectives, their own ideas, and their own backgrounds.
[00:08:13] Speaker A: Definitely. And first, shout out to all the event planners at Penn State, faculty, staff, students, scholars.
It's not easy work planning a really solid event. Right, Kristen?
[00:08:24] Speaker B: No, it's not. It is not. And, you know, if it goes well, you know that someone behind the scenes really played a big role in making that happen. So kudos to them.
[00:08:34] Speaker A: And I imagine every time you plan one of these, especially if it's a large scale one, you're learning lots of different scales. There's marketing, there's sales. If you're soliciting for donations of food or other kinds, and the supply and logistics of having volunteers and the equipment that you need, is that a fair assessment of the experience that you had doing that?
[00:08:58] Speaker B: Yeah, 100%. I mean, I think this is probably the experience that, like a small business owner has on a daily basis, right, where, you know, you are coordinate, you're wearing a lot of different hats, you're coordinating a lot of different things, and the timing of getting that exactly right and everything coming together, there's a lot of learning from that. And, you know, I think, for me, I've never been afraid of a new experience. And, you know, I always try to reflect on what am I taking away from that experience that I can apply to the next one and to the next challenge that I undertake. So that was. That was a really cool one. It was a very fun one. But lots of learnings as well.
[00:09:37] Speaker A: Definitely. And for scholars watching or listening, you know, make sure you talk about these experiences in your internship interviews, your job and grad school interviews, because I think, Kristen, you nailed it. It's like being, you know, probably the closest thing to having a small business without actually being a small business is running something like this for, you know, the thousand plus clubs here at University park or the other clubs at our campuses across the Commonwealth.
[00:10:01] Speaker B: I think that's exactly right. John, the way I try to describe this to people is to say all of us are kind of carrying a bag around, and you want to keep filling that bag with different experiences and be intentional about it. Volunteer for things, raise your hand to be the leader, be the one that's driving that team assignment, and you're probably going to have some frustrations that come along with that. But how do you use those to really fuel yourself as you move forward?
You know, I've had the opportunity not only to do many interviews myself, but to interview a lot of people. And I think the people that have that really clear story to tell where they can string together their experiences, those are the people that I think interview the best and come across as being the most ready for a role.
[00:10:51] Speaker A: That is really good insight. And Kristen, I liked your phrase there about filling your bag because it also made me kind of think back a little bit, a throwback for the current students here about canning and thawne and your involvement in that. Talk about your experience in thawing and giving back in the community. And potentially also J. And J is a healthcare company that you work at.
Did that have any influence on working not just in supply chain, but in healthcare supply chain?
[00:11:24] Speaker B: Yeah. So I think the experience of supporting thon in any way is a. It's just a tremendous shared experience that a lot of Penn staters have and can talk about.
You know, when I was at Penn State, I was a member of a social and service sorority. And, you know, we supported Thawne. We went canning at the time that we were still allowed to go canning. And, you know, we had a thon family that we supported, and several of my friends were dancers in Thawne. I never had the opportunity to do that myself, but certainly I was there to support them. And, you know, it's really important. And, you know, this is something that I've talked about even with my children from the time they were very young, like, instilling in yourself and in those around you that importance of service and that importance of giving back just becomes an essential part of your life. And, you know, I'm fortunate to work for a company that is very, very overt about what we do to help the communities in which we serve around the globe. And since I've been at J and J for more than 20 years, I've had myriad opportunities to give back through different events that the company has sponsored. And I'm very grateful for that.
When you work in healthcare, you realize and you see that healthcare is not equitable, even within our country, but around the globe as well. So when you have that opportunity to lean in and give back, you take it.
[00:12:51] Speaker A: And before we dive into your career at that company, wouldn't be the honors college podcast if we didn't talk thesis. So first, what did you research? What was your topic? And perhaps more importantly, how has that experience influenced your career? Have you been able to use your thesis in, let's, you know, just say, real life after. After college?
[00:13:13] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. So, really happy to say that I have been able to use that thesis in real life. I'm not sure how many of the people you've interviewed can say that, Sean, but. So my thesis that I did was on the topic of network strategy and specifically a distribution network and the topic I explored was looking at slow moving items in a distribution network and was it more economical to centralize them or to spread them into different sites across a network.
At the time, it did not feel like the sexiest of topics, but I certainly learned a lot about the decision making that goes into really setting up a supply chain. And this is something that I've touched on at multiple points in my career, whether it's manufacturing network strategy or distribution network strategy. You see in the supply chain how your network really influences how you serve your customers, what lead times can you provide, what service levels can you utilize, what is your cost profile going to be, what's your labor strategy going to be? And all of the different aspects that you need to consider when you're choosing a location, right, whether it's taxes or regulatory implications.
So it was a really good foundation for me. I didn't realize it at the time, but really foundational learning that I've been able to look back on multiple times. And I think what's great to see now is that there's software available now that probably could take the year effort I spent on that thesis and do it in about an hour.
So it's great to see how technology has made the process much more robust and much faster to help business leaders make decisions.
[00:14:56] Speaker A: But you probably have a really good understanding of how the software is working to give you that information, I bet.
[00:15:02] Speaker B: Of course, yes.
That was the learning for me, that mindset around making decisions and, you know, using a number of factors to solve a problem.
You know, you cannot work in the supply chain unless you are inherently a problem solver because that is so much of what we do. So I think having that thesis and that experience of the thesis as the foundation was really important for me.
[00:15:29] Speaker A: Excellent. Now let's transition to your career as a professional problem solver in supply chain. And you've spent your entire career so far at Johnson and Johnson, which for the sake of simplicity, we're just going to say, Jane J. From here out. So how did you land your first role there coming out of Penn State, the honors college and smeal college business.
[00:15:52] Speaker B: Yeah. So when I was at Penn State my junior year, I had the opportunity to pause my classwork for a semester and do a co op at a different pharmaceutical company, not at J and J. And in that co op, really got to experience what it was like to work as a full time employee, be part of a company culture, and kind of develop that skill set of what does a company expect from a college graduate at the same time, I really developed my love and my passion for the healthcare environment and just understanding how healthcare companies are really helping to, you know, change the nature of how we tackle diseases and we cure diseases. So, you know, when I came back to Penn State, I knew that was something that I wanted to consider for my full time career. And I think I'm a pretty classic story here. I went to the career fair at the Bryce Jordan center in the fall of my senior year. I met a number of people from J and J who were there to recruit, college hires, interviewed right there at Penn State. I had the opportunity to come to New Jersey to meet more people and continue the interview process, and the rest is history. So, you know, really taking advantage of the resources that Penn State had to offer and, you know, the fantastic depth and breadth of the career fair.
But it felt like a great fit for me. And I was, you know, very happy to, you know, before that semester break my senior year to know that I had a full time job waiting for me.
[00:17:27] Speaker A: Now, Kristen, earlier you mentioned that you've been on both sides of quite a few interviews, both for your own career, but also as a hiring manager. And aside from going to the career fair and career days like at the BJC and other events here on campus, what advice would you give to current, especially college juniors and seniors, and then also, like, new grads who are maybe still job searching about the job search process here in the 2020s?
[00:17:54] Speaker B: Yeah. So, you know, I think the great news for those students who are looking for a job now is that there is no shortage of information available to you when you're researching companies. When you're researching careers, you can be fully educated, right? You can find out about pretty much every aspect that you want to know about a company. You can find out about the culture. You can find out about their leaders, what they support, what are their values, what is the culture like? You can go onto LinkedIn and find tons of people who work at that company and just see what their career path has looked like. And does that look like something that could be applicable for you or something that you might want to pursue? So I think, first of all, is that information there? You can't show up to an interview uneducated. You really want to show up and know a lot about the company that is sitting on the other side of the table, and that helps you to form really good questions, too.
And that would be my second piece of advice, is when you have the opportunity to meet with people, ask a lot of questions, you spend a lot of time at your job, you spend a lot of time at work. You want it to be a place that is a good fit for you. So form those questions very carefully so that you can really understand not only what you can bring to the company, but what they have to offer. And is it a fit with your value system? Is it a fit for your career ambitions, etcetera?
And then finally, I think, you know, when you're looking for a job, I think it's very easy to get overwhelmed by sometimes and to have this feeling that you need to find a perfect opportunity. And, you know, what I would tell people is you have to step back and enjoy the process, too. Right? So in most cases, your first job is not going to be the perfect job, but it's going to be a great way to give you that foundational skill set. And, you know, that's really how you have to look at the first few years of your career. How do you build a foundation? How do you build the skills that are going to be able to take you to the next level?
So don't put so much pressure on yourself. Enjoy the process, and really do your homework to make sure that you're talking to the right companies where you know there's going to be a great match, they're going to be a fit for you, and you're going to be a fit for them.
[00:20:12] Speaker A: Absolutely. It is. It is a two way street. So that is, I think, really spot on there, Kristen, as you drink from that beautiful Penn State mug.
[00:20:20] Speaker B: Got my mug with me today. Yeah.
[00:20:22] Speaker A: Representing now, drawing on both your own experience and then, you know, employees that you've supervised over the years, what are entry level supply chain roles generally? Like, what skills are non negotiables that you need to succeed, bringing in, particularly as a new employee straight out of school. And what are things that scholars or others can learn on the job once they're there?
[00:20:48] Speaker B: Yeah, this is a great question. So, you know, I think, first and foremost, most jobs at the entry level are analytical in nature. Right. You're, you're going to be using data sets, you're going to be using various systems, you're going to be looking at processes, and we're going to ask you to look at a process and tell us how you can make it better. So I think coming out of school with the right digital acumen, with the right basic skill set on how to use those computer programs that are going to be applicable across the board, that's important. And I'll tell you, I rely on a lot of the younger talent in our organization to help educate those of us who maybe aren't as knowledgeable with the new technology that's out there. So, you know, bringing that mindset of, you know, how can we digitize things? How can we take a process, break it down and make it better? I think you're going to see that in a tremendous number of those entry level jobs. I think what we're going to teach you is the functional skill set that you need to succeed and to continue to develop.
If you take a job as a supply planner or you take a job as a procurement analyst, we're going to bring lots of resources to help you better understand what does procurement look like at this company or what are the systems you need to learn that are specific to your job as a planner. So if you come with the right baseline skills, we'll teach you the functional skills. I also think skill set aside, I think mindset is equally if not more important.
You know, I mentioned already being intellectually curious, wanting to solve problems, you know, having that ability to look at something and think about how you can make it better and being willing to lean in, to take the lead, to learn from other people, to ask a lot of questions in your first role in those foundational roles, that is absolutely critical. You know, as you're getting to know the people around you, as you're getting to know the culture, you have to immerse yourself in it and not be afraid to raise your hand in a meeting and say, you know what, I'm new here, but I'm not sure what you're talking about. Can you explain that a little bit further? Or, you know, I have an idea from the co op that I had last year that could be applicable for this, for this role. So, you know, bringing your ideas, bringing that mindset of wanting to learn and grow, I think if you have that, that's going to help you do almost anything.
[00:23:19] Speaker A: Absolutely. You know what they say when you assume things, right? Well, I'm not going to say it here because I keep this without the little e on apple. But, you know, Kristen, you also mentioned about being intellectually curious, and that's a common thread from a lot of our alumni that I've talked to, especially those who are in the executive roles like you. And one of the ways that you can do that, and you and I have both done this, is earning your MBA, and you did yours from our big ten friends over at Rutgers. Why did you pursue that and how did you balance doing that with work as opposed to stopping out, going to school, and then returning to the workforce?
[00:23:59] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah, it's a great question. So, you know, I was. I would say, first of all, I'm fortunate to have to work for a company that supported, you know, me going back to school part time to get a my MBA. I knew that once I was, you know, once I was in the workforce and I was focused on my career and the trajectory of my career, I didn't want to stop that. Right. So it was important to me to continue to have that trajectory, to continue to work while I went back to school.
But I really wanted, you know, I wanted to pursue my MBA because, you know, even though I had an undergraduate degree in business, an MBA really felt like a more real world, real life way to continue my education. And it definitely was that very different kind of experience than undergrad, where you're learning a lot of the basics, you're learning a lot of those different areas of business. You get a little bit deeper into one, such as I did in supply chain. MBA is all about real life scenarios.
I was in classes with other working professionals, you know, most people who were in the same situation as me, working during the day, going to class at night. And it was just really, really amazing to hear people talk about their experiences. And for some people, they had only been working for a few years. Others were 20 years into their career. So that sharing that learning, that focus on, like, taking a case study and really dissecting it, it was a different experience. And I think when you have those years of working under your belt, there's more that you can bring to that conversation. Right. You can bring your own personal experience from your time in the workforce, which made the MBA feel a lot different. And I think being in New Jersey and having the opportunity to go to Rutgers, there are so many companies around here. So that learning that I got from just hearing about other people's experiences was invaluable. And I met a lot of people through my MBA program who I'm still in touch with today.
And it's been great to see how their careers have progressed since then.
[00:26:10] Speaker A: Definitely, it's not just the faculty in a program like that. It's also your classmates. And that's true especially of any program that you may go back to, whether that's law school or med school or especially an MBA.
Now, Kristen, you used some terms earlier, like planner and analysts that were your early job titles, but you've moved up through roles like team leader, manager, and business unit manager. So what strategies did you employ to go from those more, I guess, kind of tactical hands on in the data, doing things to those leadership roles that had supervision, direction, strategy to them. Walk us through how you kind of plotted that out and moved up the latter in, you know, one firm.
[00:26:58] Speaker B: Yeah. So, you know, I think this is, it's an important career pivot for many people. When you go from being an individual contributor to being a leader of other people. And what made you successful as an individual contributor does not fully make you successful as a leader of people. Right. There's a lot that you take away from it, but it is different. And, you know, for me, I knew that I wanted to have that opportunity to lead people. I was fortunate very early in my career to be given that responsibility, and that's really what it is. Right. So when you move into a leadership role where you're not just responsible for yourself, but you're responsible for the direction and the leadership of others, it is a tremendous responsibility and a tremendous accountability.
And I think what it took for me at the time was, number one, an acknowledgement that I had a lot to learn. My first people leader role. I was managing people who in some cases were 20 plus years into their career, where I was about four years into my career. So they had a lot more knowledge than I did on a lot of subjects. So it was really thinking about, how can I help them as their direct leader when they have so much more experience than I do.
You know, I really learned a lot about how you need. How you need to listen to your team, how you can bring together that subject matter expertise, how you rely on your team, but then also how you can continue to challenge them, how you can continue to develop them and help them to get better and to create that vision for the group that allows everybody to be moving forward in the right direction. So that was really important. Right. Like, it's. It's very much a team effort. And, you know, one of the themes in my career as I've led different teams is that we succeed or fail as a team. Right. We really work together as a unit.
And I found that to be something that is really powerful in helping to engage people.
I will say the other thing, when you get into roles that are broader and broader in scope and when you have teams working for you, you have to let go of the control. In many ways, there are going to be things that you don't know that you delegate to your teams, that you trust in your teams to handle, because as one person, you cannot get into all of that detail. And that's something that you learn over time. Right. I don't think you just flip a switch all of a sudden, but it is very much a skill set that you have to work to develop so that you get to that place where you're building that trust and that accountability with your team members and, again, can function as a unit, not just as one person.
[00:29:44] Speaker A: So, Kristen, I have a question for you that I think is helpful for both students who are leading clubs and then maybe younger alumni who might be in their first managerial role. You've led quite a few teams and you've moved up. How do you successfully transition out of one team and then transition into leading the next team? What strategies and tactics have you found helpful for you in leaving and then onboarding as a team leader?
[00:30:15] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. So this is a tough one. I think transitions are always tough and sometimes a little bit clunky, right. Depending on when you're pulled into a new role versus when somebody replaces you in an old role. And I think in that period of transition, you really have to feel accountable to your old team and your new team for some period of time. Right. I've never been in a situation where I just walked away from something as I was moving into a new role. And I think if you feel ownership and you feel that accountability, you don't want to do that. Right? You want to make sure that you're tying up those loose ends, that you have someone who is taking the ball, that you're passing to them and can continue to run with it. So that's really important when you're taking on a new team, the most important thing that I think is you have to listen, right? I mean, it's great to come in with ideas and insights and different ways of looking at things and doing things, but really listening to understand what is the current state of this organization?
How are the individuals on the team feeling? Is morale great or are there challenges with morale? How are the business results? What do our stakeholders think of this team?
Where is the team in their maturity journey? Are they low maturity, high maturity, and really connecting a lot of those dots? Before you form an opinion too quickly, you want to take your time to assess the situation and really get to know the people and start to build that trust that I talked about before. So I think the best way to build trust as a new leader is for your team to know that you're there to support them and there to listen to them. And that's something you have to do from day one. So for me, I found that to be most effective. I think if you do that well, it's much easier to come up to speed on the functional things that you need to learn.
[00:32:09] Speaker A: Also, now, shifting from employees, a lot of the roles that you shared on your cv looked like they involved external partners, vendors, suppliers, customers. How do you, and how do you recommend that successful supply chain staff or really anybody working with outside folks in any role build, grow and maintain successful relationships with those external entities?
[00:32:35] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. I love this question because I think, you know, any, any business relies on its partners, right? There's, there's very little that you can do on your own without having partners that support you in a number of different ways. And, you know, I have been fortunate to work directly with customers, to work with external manufacturers, to work with raw materials suppliers, service providers, all of whom are just so critical. And I think you said it in the question, Sean. So there is an element of building a sustainable relationship that is really, really important. You can't treat your partners like a transactional provider or you're not going to unlock the value that they can give to you. We rely on our partners for innovation. We rely on them to bring us new ideas to help us with benchmarking and also to deliver results for us. Right. So I think that that relationship foundation, what's important as you build that is the right accountability. So what is my accountability as the J and J person? What is their accountability as the supplier, for example? And how are we going to work together in a way that ensures that we stay connected, that we maintain that accountability? You have the right metrics in place that we're talking about not just what's happening today, but talking about the future, that we're sharing information that could help to make each other better and that we're creating a pathway to drive value. So, you know, that might be reducing costs, that might be introducing a new capability, that might be bringing in innovation that a supplier is using with another customer, for example.
There are lots of ways to do that. But again, I think I talked about just like listening and learning before, that's why we have external partners, because they have an expertise that we don't in many cases. So building that openness where if there's a problem, they know they're accountable, but if they have an idea, they feel comfortable to bring that to you. I think those are the foundations of really, really healthy relationships.
[00:34:49] Speaker A: And I think those are great points for a lot of careers, not just in supply chain as well. Right?
[00:34:55] Speaker B: Yes, for sure. For sure. Yeah. You know, there is a level of respect that you know, any partner deserves, and, you know, our. I know the suppliers that I've worked with, they feel accountable not only to J and J as a company, but to the mission and the vision of J and J. Right. So these. These suppliers know that they're contributing to helping us help patients at the end of the day.
And, you know, there's a shared purpose there that comes along with that.
[00:35:25] Speaker A: Now, turning back towards you, Kristen, at what point did you decide that you wanted to reach for senior level roles that had responsibility for, based on the titles, entire continents of operations for your company?
[00:35:42] Speaker B: Yeah. So, you know, it's a. It is a, I think, a big decision point in any career when you look to get to the executive level and it doesn't come without trade off, Sean. Right. So I think it's, first of all, it's not for. Not for everyone.
And, you know, with.
With those big teams and that. That multi continent or international experience comes an awful lot of responsibility that goes along with it. Right. So, you know, for me, I think it was not a leap in my career, but it was a step by step journey, you know, taking on different types of roles and responsibilities at each step. Leading a team that was a little bit different, maybe a little bit larger or with a different scope. And, you know, I mentioned continuing to fill that bag with different types of roles and opportunities and experiences in my career. I've had the chance to lead small teams, and, you know, right now I'm leading a team of over a thousand people, very different in how you do that. So, you know, I think, you know, I mentioned that decision point, and, you know, I'm fortunate to have a lot of resources that supported me in my career journey, but a lot of it has to do with, you know, how. How do you approach that trajectory in your career and where are you comfortable going? Right. So you might not want to get to that place where there's a lot of travel that's a part of your job or that your team is in 20 different locations around the world. You might be in a place where you're more comfortable being in an office with the 20 people who work with you right there. It's all decision points. Right. But for me, you know, I've always loved to challenge, and it's kind of been a bit of a natural progression where at every point I've stopped and reflected and thought about, you know, is there a next step that makes sense? Right. That makes sense for me to continue this learning journey that I've been on.
[00:37:46] Speaker A: Speaking of that current team of over a thousand. Can you walk us through what your current role at the time of recording is and what all it goes into to that? I have it. Hopefully I got this correct. Vice president for Medtech America Logistics and delivery operations.
Hopefully I got that. Is that.
[00:38:04] Speaker B: It's a mouthful, but yes. Good job there, Sean.
So, yeah, so my current role is in the logistics area of our supply chain. So when you think about the supply chain as plan, source, make and deliver, I sit in the deliver part of the supply chain today, and I specifically support our med tech business at J and J. So J and J has a pharmaceutical division and a med tech division.
I am on the med tech side. So what that actually means is that I lead a team across distribution, transportation, customer service, and a lot of enabling capabilities. So in north and Latin America, we have a number of distribution centers, distribution operations that serve our customers and patients in all of the different markets. We're responsible for transporting that product from manufacturing into our distribution centers and then out to those customers. And then we have a number of customer service operations as well. So we're in touch with our customers every day. We're talking to people at hospitals and clinics and ambulatory surgical centers. We're not only taking orders, but we're collaborating with them to help make the flow of information and products a little bit more seamless every single day. So it's a fantastic role because it brings together all of the products from the upstream supply chain and all of the customer requirements from where the action actually happens. Right. So that last mile of delivery into our customers and our patients who actually use our products.
[00:39:42] Speaker A: Well, it's a good thing that you are familiar with distribution networks, right?
[00:39:47] Speaker B: Yes. Yeah. Just a little relevance there for my current position. Yes.
[00:39:52] Speaker A: So for those who are the supply chain folks watching, you know, I think there's this, I don't know the exact same, but basically last mile is the most difficult mile. In some former fashion, people will say that. How do you handle the unique challenges of that specific point in the supply chain of getting, you know, there's the things you can do at scale, but getting that one item to that one clinic is very specific. How do you handle those challenges?
[00:40:19] Speaker B: Yeah. So, you know, you really have to start with understanding the requirements of the customers and the requirements of the business. Right. So just in Medtech, we have different types of products.
We have joints, orthopedic products, we have surgical products. Some of them are consignment that sit on the shelf in the hospital. Others are directly sent from us to a sales rep or to a surgeon. So we have a number of different last mile solutions, I would say. And, you know, the way that we have to manage that is really by ensuring that the requirements are clear and that we have a network that can deliver to meet those requirements consistently.
And that takes a lot of work and a lot of effort. And, you know, we're constantly going back and challenging that and looking at ways to make that better.
You know, it's really critical that we. Going back to your question about partnerships. We have really strong partnerships with our logistics providers that help us in that last mile because the expectation is that we are not missing a surgery. Right. So we have to be excellent. We have to ensure that we're delivering to what a patient needs from us or what a hospital needs from us. And, you know, we're doing that in a way that's efficient and effective at the same time. So, yeah, it's definitely not easy. And I think when you look around the world, there are a number of different challenges. You know, I know on my latin american team, there are some hospitals that we reach at hospitals and clinics that we reach by motorbike. Right? That's. That is the last mile to get the product to that provider. So, you know, different terrains, different geographies, different requirements in every country. But I think that's what makes logistics so exciting. Right. It's that challenge of developing solutions to meet what the customers need and what the patients need from us.
[00:42:19] Speaker A: So when you're in your early roles, you're worried about, like, you might be the person who's focused on that specific terrain in that market, but you and your role as the vice president need to think at a much broader scope, 30,000, 40,000 foot level, whatever cliche you want to use there. How did you train yourself to move from thinking like an analyst planner to thinking at that scale over the entire process?
[00:42:46] Speaker B: Yeah, you know, I think this is something that you can start to do at the very beginning of your career. And I even coach our co ops to do this when I have the opportunity to talk to them. And really it's about understanding why you do what you do and understanding the context into which your particular role or job fits. So even if you're a co op, if you're working on maybe creating new reports or leaning out a process, why is that important? What's the big picture? Right. Is the big picture that costs are too high and we need to bring down the cost? Is the big picture that our process is too slow and we need to make it faster. So I think always challenging yourself to see that bigger picture into which you fit and your sphere of influence, that's a critical skill set that you have to start to develop early, because as you move in your career, your sphere of influence gets bigger and bigger and bigger. So how you think about that context also needs to get bigger.
But a couple specific things that I would say. One of the things that's really important for me is to stay connected with what's happening externally as well. So what's happening in the industry, you know, in the hospital space, what is happening with our large hospital systems in the US? How are they evolving, and how does that mean that our service has to evolve to meet them? Understanding how our business is evolving. So at J and J, we are moving into a space where robotics is much more critical to the future growth of our business. That's very different than where we were in the not too distant past. So bringing together, where are the business requirements taking us? Where is the industry taking us? The macro environment and all of those things that you mentioned at the beginning, you have to consider all that and then bring it back to say, what does this mean for me and my team? So where do we really need to push? Where do we need to go faster? Where do we need to get better?
And in some cases, recognizing maybe we don't have all the answers. So maybe we need an external partner or a different technology that's going to help us to get there.
[00:44:53] Speaker A: That is really good insight. Now, Kristen, you moved into a vice presidency role for a major medical company, J and J, during the pandemic. How did you navigate what I'm sure even under the best of circumstances is a difficult transition. But how did you manage that during such a hectic and chaotic time, especially in your.
[00:45:18] Speaker B: Yeah, so, you know, it was definitely challenging. Right. And I think in a couple different ways. So, first of all, you know, for quite some time, we were not able to be together in an office or travel to visit locations. And so coming into the role that I took on during the pandemic, I had people sitting all over North America and Latin America. And, you know, my first instinct generally would be to get out, meet everybody, travel to see them, understand our operations. And I had to do that at a much slower pace than I would have liked.
So that's definitely different. Right. So developing relationships with people in a brand new role where, you know, you're only ever meeting them virtually, that takes a little bit of getting used to. I think we got better at it during the pandemic. That doesn't mean it's an ideal scenario, right. To not be in person. So that was one aspect of it. So the other aspect was the impact that the pandemic had just in general across our operations. Right. So in that role, I was responsible for our, for all of our facilities and the real estate strategy for the Americas region. Very interesting time to be in real estate while the pandemic was underway, right. Because there was lots of debate, obviously, about do we need offices anymore or maybe should we should just stay working from home? And what is the role of the office? And how do we remember kind of that culture and the spirit that came along with being in the office together? So that was a big part of my role, was to help to drive that strategy. And today at J and J for office employees, we have that hybrid working model which works really well for us. And I think people are really seeing the value of coming back and being together in person. So that was a second aspect of it. And then the third aspect from a facilities perspective was, you know, how do we ensure that we can keep our facilities running? You know, obviously the pandemic had many impacts, ripple effects across the supply chain. So, you know, I was a part of a very large enterprise team that really helped to ensure that we were keeping people safe, that we had all of the right resources, that we had the right ppe, we had COVID testing available. So all of those things that when you think about the logistics behind it for a huge company like J and J, not something we ever really had to think about before. So tapped into a lot of people who really jumped in and worked together as a team to make sure that we could continue to serve our patients during a very challenging time. And I'm super proud of the work that not only my team did, but across the enterprise, really fantastic work to keep things moving.
[00:48:15] Speaker A: So there's the challenges of the pandemic, and then now as we move into the mid 2020s here, a lot of companies, J and J included, seem to be spinning off and kind of returning to a kind of a core value prop sort of model in business.
And how did you personally and as a team leader, navigate that experience? And how would you advise early career professionals, especially, to handle changes like that? When a company says, hey, we're going to spin off this division, we're going to sell kind of the opposite of m and a?
[00:48:47] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. So, you know, I think at a very basic level, I would tell anyone entering the corporate world that change is to be expected. Right. And it's not something to be feared, in my opinion. Right. So we're in a very dynamic world. Things change day to day. The pace of change is so much faster than it used to be because the pace of information is so much faster than it used to be. Right. We're connected so much differently than we were before.
And I think in any industry, you're going to see change. In some cases, like you said, it might be more consolidation m and a. In other cases, it might be taking something that was very diversified and coming back to a smaller scope or a different type of focus.
You know, when you're working through those changes, at times it's not easy. Right. So, you know, there's the human element of it, right. Where people that you knew, people who you worked with, people who were your colleagues, are now existing in a different company. And, of course, that, you know, that takes a little time to process that and to work through that is as someone who cares for those people and has built relationships over time.
But I think when you look at it from a business perspective, you really have to look at change as an opportunity and lean into it and really understand how can I be one of those people that's helping to embrace the change and set that example for others who's asking questions, who's, you know, seeing that opportunity, who's bringing forward ideas as the business is changing and not be someone who is paralyzed with fear. And I've seen both things. Right. I think sometimes just the thought of change can be really scary for people.
But it's going to happen, you know, and big multinational companies, it's going to happen. And generally it's for very good reason to move a company forward and can be really exciting if you lean in and really understand it.
[00:50:47] Speaker A: Fantastic. Now, Kristen, we've talked a lot about careers, but I want to merge in family here. You're a Penn State family. You know, you're a working mom, you're a corporate exec. So just basically, you know, typical Schreier scholar who has a lot going on, you know.
[00:51:04] Speaker B: That's right, John.
[00:51:05] Speaker A: So two questions for you here. First, how did you meet your fellow Nittany lion husband? And then how do you blend all of those roles that I just mentioned and find time to be an active part of your children's lives and interests, knowing that you have such a senior level role? And you talked earlier about trade offs. So let's dive into that side of your experience here.
[00:51:27] Speaker B: Yeah. So, you know, I met my husband when I was a freshman at Penn State. So, you know, we, we like to say we kind of have grown up together, right? We were, we were kids when we, when we met and, you know, had the great pleasure to move through most of our time at Penn State together and then move into the corporate world together as well. So my husband was also a supply chain major at Penn State and has been in the supply chain space for his career, too. So really interesting dinner table conversations. You know, sometimes we have to say enough, like, we got to turn it off. But, you know, it's great to have someone who has had so many shared experiences and can really be a really great sounding board on a number of topics. You know, I think for us, from the point that we got married and when we decided to have children, we knew that it was going to be a balance. And I think the way I like to talk about this is to say that, like, I'm unapologetic about managing the balance in my life, right? So when I'm at work, I'm there 110%. When I'm with my family, I'm there to 110%. And I think you have to do that. You have to have certain things and certain times and spaces that you consider to be sacred to be able to keep things in balance as best as possible. And when I say that, I'm not going to tell you it's always perfect because it's not.
My husband and I, generally, on a Sunday, we both pull up our schedules and we're talking about who's going where and when the soccer games are, and we might have to stay late at work, how everything's going to work out in that particular week, and that works for us. I think some people might look at our schedule and say, that's crazy, but we make it work. And I think being busy and being able to balance work commitments and the commitments with our family is just something that we've worked on. We've actively worked on that through the years.
I think if you talk to my kids, when they were younger, they thought everyone went to Penn State and everyone worked in supply chain. That's just what they thought. So it's, you know, as they get older, I think it's been, you know, really great for them to see that they have parents who, you know, who love their careers but who are also very dedicated to their families. You know, I don't miss the track meets. I don't miss the soccer games. I'm at the band concerts and really making sure that I manage my schedule in a way that allows me to do that. So it is possible. I think everyone kind of finds that right balance. It changes over time. When you think it's hard when your kids are little, it's not easier as they get older because they need you differently and they get busy themselves. So you find that you're not just supporting. They're not just coming along with. With you, you're going along with them. You're really supporting them in a lot of different ways. But it's been a lot of work, but super rewarding. And I do think it's important for my kids to see that having a career is a part of who I am. I'm first and foremost their mom, but they know that I love what I do and that I love having a career as well. It is possible take some work, you know, take some trade offs and, you know, kind of working together as a team at home.
But, you know, I've been really lucky that we've been able to make it work.
[00:55:05] Speaker A: I think that's a good summary there. Like, you have to be active in that to make it work. It's not just something that passively happens.
[00:55:11] Speaker B: Doesn't just happen.
[00:55:12] Speaker A: Same with study skills. Right. And time management as a college student, it just kind of evolves. But it's an active thing you have to do.
[00:55:20] Speaker B: That's right. That's exactly right.
[00:55:22] Speaker A: So, Kristen, you shared ahead of time, and this is especially apropos for somebody working at a healthcare company, that it's really important to slow down and focus on your own health. You know, especially when you've got a busy career, you've got a busy family. So what do you do to unwind? And in the immortal words of Tom Haverford and Donna Meagle, from parts and rec. Treat yourself.
[00:55:43] Speaker B: Treat yourself. That's important. Yeah. Yeah. I think it's hard to be your best self for other people if you're not best for yourself first. Right. So, you know, for me, I would say that exercise and being active is. That's. That's like my medicine, right? Like, that's really what. What keeps me going and keeps me healthy.
I love getting on the peloton. That's. That's great. I bought my peloton during the pandemic when I started to go a little bit stir crazy, and it was. It was a godsend at the time, getting out to take my dog for a hike or on a long walk, jumping on the treadmill, just to catch up on the news. At the same time, I'm on the treadmill. I will find the time to do that, even if it's only a half hour a day, that's okay. I think I've learned over time that we need to not be so hard on ourselves.
I try to be very realistic when I'm setting my goals. I'm not going to tell you that I'm going to exercise for an hour and a half every day. It probably won't happen. Right. But if I'm more realistic with myself and I say, you know what? I'm going to use my free time. I'm going to get it at least 30 minutes on the treadmill. That feels more realistic to me and feels like something that will be that release and not be something else that's going to stress me out. Right. So again, I think whatever that thing is for you and it's different for everyone, you know, you might just want to sit and read a book. You might love yoga. You know, you might want to just get together with some friends, which is also really important to have those people in your life who can support you through whatever you're going through. It is really critical. And I think, you know, no matter how well you do at work, no matter how much you want to focus on your career, it's equally important to put yourself first at those, those right times and to make sure that you're, you know, you're balancing your mental and physical well being as well.
[00:57:45] Speaker A: Absolutely. You can't pour from an empty cup, as you said.
[00:57:48] Speaker B: Yes, exactly. That's right.
[00:57:50] Speaker A: So in addition to all those things, you're involved both internally, J and J and elsewhere in additional trainings, professional opportunities and programs to advance the supply chain industry and the people in it, especially women in supply chain. Why do you put in that extra effort? And why should scholars do similarly when they're in their careers, no matter what industry?
[00:58:12] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. So, you know, I think, first of all, I think leading and mentoring women in the supply chain is something that I've been super passionate about since I started my career. When I started 20 plus years ago, there were not that many females in supply chain leadership positions. So that was a big opportunity.
Like everything else we've talked about, it doesn't just happen. Right? So, you know, it takes, it takes strong mentorship, it takes strong leadership. It takes women in position like mine, helping to encourage other women to get into a supply chain career to, you know, help showcase those opportunities.
So that's something that I feel super passionate about. And, you know, when I look at the industry, it's amazing to see how much it has changed in the last 20 years. Maturity has increased. Technology has played a major role.
What I love about the supply chain industry is that there is a lot of collaboration across companies. There is a lot of best practice sharing. There is a lot of pooling of resources to try to solve a problem.
I'm part of a group that works across providers and suppliers in the healthcare environment, where you're bringing in the hospital perspective and you're bringing in the supplier perspective to really solve, like, very practical issues. And, like, how do we tackle things that no matter who you are, you're facing this challenge in some way? So that ability to learn from each other is really important. I think no matter what company you work for, you don't know everything within the four walls of that company. Right. It's really important to have that external perspective and to seek out the knowledge that other people can bring. So I've loved being connected to the industry in some way or another throughout my career, and it just helps to bring really good perspective. And you might think you're great, but then when you look outside, like, oh, actually, we still have a ways to go here, and it can be really powerful motivation as well.
[01:00:17] Speaker A: Little competitive spirit.
[01:00:19] Speaker B: Yes, competition, always. You know, it's a great way to fuel people and, you know, yes, I think it's really important.
[01:00:30] Speaker A: So, Kristen, it's less and less common for people to stay at one company or organization for their entire career. But 20 years in, you've been at J and J since you graduated from dear old state. Did you always want to do that, stay at one company, or did it just kind of work out that way so far? And what has that meant to you to do that? Because almost every other guest I've had 60, 70 some episodes in have hopped around, they've had different experiences. And you've had J and J. Right. But even then, so many different experiences. What does that mean to you?
[01:01:04] Speaker B: Yeah. So, you know, I knew when I came to J and J that it was a company I thought I could build a career at. Right. So, you know, lots of different opportunities, different divisions, different product lines of different aspects of the company that. So I knew it was possible.
I think when you're first starting in something brand new, it's hard to see what's going to happen 20 years in the future. So, for me, it's really been a step by step approach to my career. And I have never been bored in my time at J and J. I have never felt like I haven't been challenged or valued or really you know, I haven't seen what my next opportunity could be, you know, in looking at, at the trajectory of my career. So it's, you know, I don't think everybody has that at a company. I think I've been, I've been lucky to have that at J and J. And I also, you know, really, I love the values that J and J has. And I think when you're at a place where your value system aligns with the value system of your company, it's hard to see yourself somewhere else. Right? So that's been important to me. And the last thing I will say is, I think the longer you're at a company, you see the benefits that you get from having built a really extensive network.
So many people, I still run into people I maybe haven't seen in ten or twelve years. And it's like, oh, my gosh, we work together so long ago, but it's amazing to have those connections across all aspects of J and J. And it makes the company feel a lot smaller when you've been here and you've built that network of people. So I think it's not a decision that a new graduate has to make immediately to say, am I making a lifetime decision to accept a job at this company?
That's not the case for anyone. But I think if you, again, if you do your homework upfront and you land at a place that, where the values align with yours, where the benefits align with what you think you want from your life, where the culture supports a culture, where you want to be and where you want to spend a lot of your time, take advantage of that, right. And really enjoy that. And I think if you end up in a place like that, it helps you to see how it could be something that is more long term.
[01:03:35] Speaker A: So you said that you didn't want to look too far into the future, so maybe just a little bit here. But where do you see supply chain careers and management headed in the next couple of years? Given rapid changes in technology like AI and geopolitics that are influencing things in your space? And we're challenging a lot of 20th century assumptions around things like offshoring versus reshoring and resource constraints, how do you see that changing? And most importantly, what kind of skills can stallers who are here now work on so that they can be ready for those challenges in the workforce?
[01:04:14] Speaker B: Yeah. So, you know, I certainly don't have a crystal ball, but I would tell you that technology has completely changed the supply chain. And I think, you know, what's changed over the last 20 years is only going to accelerate over the next 20 years. Right. So I think technology will make, in a lot of ways, will help us to have better insight, faster insight, really decompose processes at a much deeper level so you can very quickly see where something's going wrong and the impact that might have. I don't think technology is going to take away the need for, you know, thinking people who are going to make the right decisions.
But I do think it's a really, it's a really important element. So that will be there. There are tremendous potential for the applications of AI. We use AI today in a number of places in my organization for very things that are very basic but used to take a lot of time and effort before. And now we can deploy our people to more value added activity. So that's going to continue to happen.
I think the state of the world that we're in with a number of geopolitical situations is going to continue to influence sourcing strategy, manufacturing strategy.
I think you will see companies that went offshore start to temper that potentially and come back in the US. There are a number of programs right now to encourage this regrowth of manufacturing on us soil, which, which, quite frankly, is exciting to see for our country as well. So with all of that change comes opportunity. Right. So I think for, for scholars, for, you know, students and for recent graduates, I think it's very encouraging to know that the industry is incredibly dynamic.
There's a lot that is changing. There is the need for people to solve problems in different ways. There is a need for people to really have depth of knowledge and new technologies and how to apply those technologies to fix things, to solve problems.
So I think the sky's the limit with what we're going to see. But I fully believe that supply chain as a core part of a corporation strategy, it's going to remain right and the importance is going to be even more heightened.
[01:06:48] Speaker A: We've had such a great conversation here. We're going to rapid fire our last few questions here because you're a busy person and have to go into the next thing on the docket. As we record, I'm no supply chain expert. I had one class in my MBA program. You're the expert. What are the kind of things that I didn't ask today or things that usually get questions from your junior employees, interns, mentees, your family and friends, though maybe not your husband, because he's also a supply chain expert himself, but everybody else, what did they ask you?
[01:07:19] Speaker B: Yeah. So lots of people ask me, like, what is supply chain? To be honest with you, Sean. So I still think, like, people know what it is. But the specifics of what you do in managing a supply chain, lots of people ask questions about that. So I think, you know, thinking about the supply chain as plan, source, make and deliver is really great. We've all ordered from Amazon. I usually use Amazon as a great example of, like, okay, how do you think when you order it, it's showing up that night. Right? Like, the supply chain did that. So what I try to do is just use examples for people to help them understand how different choices that a company can make can completely influence the experience of a customer on the tail end of that supply chain. So that's what I would tell people. Just be curious. Think about it. Think about all the trucks you see on the road. Think about where that Amazon package originated and how they got it to you so quickly, and you can really start to think about what the future opportunities are.
[01:08:22] Speaker A: Or even closer to home, when you go to make those cookies. And there's that one ingredient you don't have in the pantry.
[01:08:26] Speaker B: There you go.
[01:08:27] Speaker A: The right inventory strategy.
[01:08:28] Speaker B: Right, right. That's right. Managing your inventory even in your own kitchen. You got it.
[01:08:32] Speaker A: Exactly. So, Kristen, what would you say is your biggest success to date? Go ahead and brag.
[01:08:38] Speaker B: Yeah. So, you know, I think holistically, I would say I'm really proud from a career perspective of, you know, the number of people who I've had the chance to work with, who have, who have taught me so many things, who I've been able to influence. And I mentioned how passionate I am about helping to grow women in their supply chain careers. There are a few people who I have mentored through the years who have gone on to be very successful in their careers. That's really what makes me proud. So seeing the generation coming behind me, that is just they're doing amazing things, and they're really having such a huge impact for the companies that they work for. I love that. That certainly is the thing that I think I will take away from me, from my career.
[01:09:30] Speaker A: Perfect. And I'm going to ask about mentorship in a second. But first, what would you say is the biggest transformational learning moment or mistake that you've made in your career and what you took from that experience to grow from it?
[01:09:43] Speaker B: Yeah. So, you know, I've had some learning moments where, you know, we were not successful or the results were not exactly what we wanted them to be. And one of them was on an initiative that really was a multi year initiative, and it just didn't turn out exactly as we had expected after a lot of time put into it. So I think the biggest learning for me is, number one, you have to be resilient. You're not going to go through life or through your career and have everything be perfect. You shouldn't expect that. And the faster you recognize that failure is not necessarily a bad thing, but it's something that you can learn from and grow from.
To me, that's the most important thing. To build a 30 plus year career, you have to expect that you will have those stumbles. You have to expect that things are not going to go your way.
You want to be really strong and confident in the face of those defeats and just use the bruises, use the lumps to keep going and to be better the next side.
[01:10:45] Speaker A: Excellent. Now, in a minute or less, how would you say that scholars can approach a successful mentorship, both as a mentee and mentoring those who are coming behind them, even?
[01:10:58] Speaker B: Yeah. So I think you have to seek out someone who you can be yourself with. Right. I think authenticity in a mentoring relationship on both sides of the table is really, really critical.
Don't be afraid to approach someone and ask them to be your mentor. I never heard anyone turn down that opportunity. People love to talk about how, you know, their own experiences and how they can help others. But I also would say, be very upfront around the expectations of what you want to get out of that relationship. So, you know, find the right person, set the right expectations, and then be yourself and be open and vulnerable, and you'll build a relationship that will last a long time.
[01:11:36] Speaker A: Fantastic. And I think that could also go for finding a thesis advisor, too.
[01:11:40] Speaker B: Yeah, same. Same approach. I agree.
[01:11:43] Speaker A: And speaking of thesis advisors, are there any professors, friends, family members, like a certain spouse or sorority sisters that you want to give a shout out to here at the end of our chat?
[01:11:53] Speaker B: Yeah. So, you know, I remember very clearly a moment when I was in Doctor Bob Novak's transportation class, and he talked about how he used to go park his car at the Walmart distribution center and just watch the trucks coming in and out. And at the time, I was like, well, that's. That's a little bit crazy, but okay. But, you know, I. I very quickly realized that it wasn't about the trucks at Walmart. It was about having tremendous passion for what you do and how you spend your time. And Doctor Novak was an incredibly passionate professor. He made an impact on so many people. I know he just retired last year. I believe from Penn State. But seeing someone with that level of passion, that was an amazing thing to see as a student. And, you know, I think for anyone you want to spend your life and your career doing what you love, and he definitely taught me that.
[01:12:50] Speaker A: Absolutely. You spend so many waking hours at your job, you better enjoy it.
[01:12:54] Speaker B: You better enjoy it. That's right.
[01:12:56] Speaker A: So as we're wrapping up our time, what is a final piece of advice that you wanted to leave with our viewers and listeners today?
[01:13:03] Speaker B: Yeah, you know, I would say everybody's career journey is different. And so, you know, trust yourself. Right. Trust your gut. I think, you know, be intentional about what you want, put the time into learning about all kinds of different opportunities, and know that you can course correct along the way. Right. You know, it's probably best not to have a very rigid plan for exactly what you want your career to look like, because then you will miss out on opportunities that come along.
But, yeah, I think if you trust in yourself, if you know what you believe in and you know what you want, and you surround yourself with people that can help you along the way, you will ultimately have a very successful career. So it's a great time to be a student, it's a great time to be a scholar and to have fantastic resources and support. Take advantage of it, use it, and then be yourself, and you will have a great career.
[01:14:00] Speaker A: Amen to that. Kristen, if a scholar wants to continue this conversation, pick your brain. Learn more from such an incredible supply chain expert. How can scholars reach out to you?
[01:14:11] Speaker B: Yeah, the best way to reach me is on LinkedIn. I'm looking at LinkedIn all the time, and I've made some great connections with some Penn State students on LinkedIn, so happy to have a follow up conversation. And, you know, I look forward to hearing from the scholars and offering any kind of support that I can.
[01:14:28] Speaker A: And finally, the hardest hitting question, despite all the supply chain questions I had for you today, and there's obviously a lot of supply chain that goes into the sourcing of the cows on campus for the Penn State Berkey creamery. Which of their amazing flavors would you be? And most importantly, as a scholar alumna, Kristen, why would you be that flavor?
[01:14:47] Speaker B: Why? Oh, my gosh. This is a hard question. So I think I would have to go with the WPSU coffee break because I am nothing without my cup of coffee in the morning, and you probably don't want to talk to me before then. So I think a little caffeine to bring the energy that's me I want to show up with that energy. And so give me that coffee ice cream.
[01:15:09] Speaker A: Awesome. So we've got another member of team WPSU coffee break here on this episode. Love it. And also, I would echo those comments. You don't want to talk to me before my coffee in the morning, just ask my children. Thank you so much, Tristan, for joining us. I know you need to run, but I really appreciate you sharing all of your insights here for our scholars. Before I let you have the last word and wrap this up, if you're watching, make sure that, you know, you go on and subscribe. Like the video, leave us a comment. If you're listening on a podcast app, be sure to follow us and leave us a rating on the app that you're using with that. Kristen, thank you again, and I'll let you have the last word. The floor is yours.
[01:15:47] Speaker B: Thank you, Sean. I love that you're doing this podcast. It's been great for me to hear from other alumni and what they've been up to over time. And this is a fantastic resource for scholars. And any student out there, take advantage of it, reach out to us, and thank you again. It's been a wonderful experience.
