Getting the job done. It’s an oversimplification of a task that oftentimes carries with it a high degree of difficulty. In the eyes of Jason LaComb, vice president of supply chain management and planning for Toshiba America Business Solutions (TABS), it is the mastery of both vision and execution that closes the gap and leads to fruition.
“Great ideas aren’t worth much in a competitive business environment if they cannot be quickly and successfully executed,” said LaComb, a 2020 ENX Magazine Difference Maker.
And how does LaComb fit that bill? The answer lies in his LinkedIn summary statement: “Uniquely able to move from strategic to tactical in articulating a vision, establishing operational goals with visible metrics, and building high-performing project, planning and execution teams.”
The truth is, LaComb’s value proposition has been put to the test repeatedly in his 24-year career with Toshiba. During that time, he has answered the call to serve in often disparate roles within the organization, ranging from PC to storage, telecom and office solutions. LaComb has relished each opportunity for career growth, even when the assignments called for stepping outside his comfort zone.
Equipped with a Six Sigma Master Black Belt and that reputation for taking care of business, LaComb has settled nicely into his supply chain operations role during the past five years, having elevated customer service to new levels while leveraging repeatable business processes. He relishes having the opportunity to unlock the potential of the 40 team members under his direction. And much like his own journey, LaComb encourages his charges to meet the fear of the unknown head on.
“The bright spot in my day is that moment when my support and mentorship helps a member of our supply chain family take a risk and succeed despite the distracting lure of fear and anxiety,” he said. “They truly and noticeably shine brighter than the day before, because on this amazing day, they’ve accomplished something they weren’t sure they could accomplish. To me, that moment is priceless, and it’s what motivates me to jump out of bed each morning and arrive to work each day with an energetic spring in my step.”
Leadership Fundamentals
Embracing the role of a servant leader, LaComb focuses his energies on the four fundamentals of leadership actions—direction, support, space and praise. Clear direction is the key to creating employee engagement and support enables the optimization of workforce productivity through maximizing the performance of each individual. Adequate space fosters confidence and empowerment, while praise yields positive reinforcement.
“Believing that EQ is equally important if not more so than IQ, I strive to truly know each team member and tailor my support according to individual needs,” he said. “My No. 1 job as a leader is to enable the success of every team member because in my experience I have found that the whole is always greater than the sum of its parts. A strongly built team with a capable and fully-engaged servant leader can overcome just about any challenge and consistently produce great results.”
LaComb credits TABS President Scott Maccabe with being a driving influence in successfully navigating those high-risk, high-reward opportunities within the organization—first from PC to storage, and then again from storage to office solutions. With an educational background in social studies, which helped hone his creativity and critical-thinking skills, coupled with a career focus on supply chain management, LaComb was able to overcome boundaries.
Maccabe’s motto of “plan your work and work your plan” resonated with LaComb, and observing the president executing the concept proved an illuminating experience. “What I learned by watching Scott in his leadership role was quite profound and yet simple at the same time,” LaComb noted. “In short, the ‘plan your work and work your plan’ mantra reinforces that equal attention, weight and effort must be put toward all things strategic, and at the same time, all things tactical. And for me, this brilliant oversimplification of leadership rang true.”
New Challenges
The past year has been one of great challenges and tales of resilience for LaComb and his team. They withstood a challenging ERP implementation with Go Live in 2019, then were met with the obstacles produced by the pandemic. But throughout the trials, particularly COVID-19, the overarching goal was to continue delivering a superior, industry-recognized customer experience. LaComb seeks to continue down the road of continuous improvement as he looks to the future.
“Life is too short to ever get comfortable, and the day I find myself thinking my work here is done is the day that I should retire,” he noted. “Stay hungry, my friends!”
LaComb has been married 28 years to his high school sweetheart, and they have two children. An avid runner, LaComb has stuck to a disciplined training regimen for the past 10 years in preparation for the next half-marathon that comes his way. Running also bolsters his mental strength, and his “one mile at a time” philosophy carries into all aspects of life.
“Always remember to ‘run the mile you are in’ instead of wasting valuable mental and physical energy thinking about the end goal every difficult, and at times painful, step of the way,” he added.
