READERPROFILE
come from and where the opportunities are. Facilitating these conversations is a big part of my job. My impact as an individual is limited to the time in the day and the skillsets that I have. But if I can remove roadblocks for others, I can get huge wins. The greatest thing for me is to watch others grow and develop, and even surprise themselves with what they’re able to do. With each of my career moves, I’ve gone to earlier-stage companies. There’s a great phrase: ‘Running a startup means oscillating between terror and euphoria.’ You’re constantly faced with things that can feel very high stakes. But the sense of collaboration, the camaraderie, the feeling that you’re all working in one direction and taking ownership in what you’re trying to build— even through the ‘oh my gosh, are we going to be able to do this?’—that’s why I keep going to startups. n
Kristin Toth Answers the Big Questions 1 What supply chain disrupting technology would you like to see developed quickly?
a lot of love into it, and then see the results. During the pandemic, I began baking sourdough bread. When I try to work through a tough problem, I switch gears and might bake cupcakes for the team. I get lost in the process; it’s very zen and helps me reset and think things through. 3 If you could have one superpower, what would it be? I wish I could teleport. I have teams and friends everywhere and would love to be able to see them more easily. I’d love to, say, hop into our warehouse in Austin, solve a problem, and hop back out.
Transparency in the supply chain is so key because there are risks to participating in the global economy. I would like anything technology that could provide transparency to questions like: Where are my shipments? When should I expect them? Are things on track or not? 2 What hobbies or activities make you better at supply chain management? I love cooking and baking and that’s also why I love operations; you follow a set of instructions, pay attention to what you’re doing, put
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