Wyche inspires rising execs at UT Supply Chain Forum

By Mrs. Cherish T. Gilmore (AMC)November 16, 2016

Wyche inspires rising execs at UT Supply Chain Forum
Lt. Gen. Larry Wyche, U.S. Army Materiel Command's deputy commanding general and senior commander of Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, shares his perspective on leadership with nearly 275 rising executives, students and faculty at the University of Tennesse... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Lt. Gen. Larry Wyche, U.S. Army Materiel Command's deputy commanding general and senior commander of Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, gave his perspective on leadership at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville's Supply Chain Forum Thursday Nov. 10.

Wyche kicked off his presentation giving nearly 275 rising executives, students and faculty an inside look at running the Army's supply chain where the risks and vulnerabilities are sometimes life and death.

The U.S. Army Materiel Command is a global organization with more than 64,000 people with a presence or impact on all 50 states and 144 countries. Wyche explained that his organization is one that provides everything the warfighter needs from a 9 mm bullet to a 5,000 pound bomb.

Wyche used his previous positions as the ground work for his leadership perspective.

He previously served as the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Combined Arms Support Command and the Sustainment Center of Excellence at Fort Lee, Virginia, and Joint Munitions and Lethality Life Cycle Management Command and Joint Munitions Command. Wyche began his career in the enlisted ranks while serving as a Calvary Scout leader.

Having worn the uniform for 35 years, he left the crowd with key points on purpose, vision and passion.

"Purpose -- you have to understand your purpose," said Wyche.

He admitted that this is an area that he has struggled with in the past. Around the 16 year mark in his career, he noticed that he lacked purpose. Today, Wyche says his purpose is to serve the people in the organizations he works with.

Wyche encouraged the audience to find and know their purpose.

"Your parents can't give this to you; your minister can't give this to you," he said. "You have to find this out on your own."

And purpose facilitates vision, Wyche continued.

To illustrate this point, Wyche discussed a sustainment challenge where several tanks needed repair. While walking through the work area, he encountered a Soldier that recited their vision in the middle of the crisis.

"The Soldier said 'we are warfighter logisticians, prepared to give the shirts off our backs and boots off our feet to support the fight. We will never say no, as long as there is one gallon of gas to give, or one bullet to give.' This Soldier understood the vision. It was a shared vision," said Wyche.

And with purpose and vision it breeds passion, Wyche continued.

Quoting Pat Summitt, UT's legendary Women's Basketball Head Coach, he told the room to "make hard work your passion."

"Excellence is not by accident. You have work your butt off," said Wyche.

After two standing ovations, Wyche left the room awestruck.

"These are all large complex organizations represented in today's forum, and as they move up in management roles, they need less and less expertise on content and more expertise in leadership," said Dr. Theodore "Ted" P. Stank, the Bruce chair of excellence in business and professor of Supply Chain Management.

Dr. Stank explained that to have Lt. Gen. Wyche come and talk about leadership in a military setting is powerful.

"If you are not successful in a private organization, then you do not make your numbers for that quarter. If you are not successful in the kinds of contexts (Lt.) Gen. Wyche must practice leadership in, then people die," he said. "So to have him be able to communicate that in a way that is so engaging and bring it to everyone's level, and yet hit home with those really powerful messages brought a different dimension to our forum."

The forum also featured a question and answer session with Wyche and panels on supply chain technology and automation, analytics, challenges and strategic sourcing.