Rising ICON #52: Emily LeVasseur
What name do you prefer to be called?
Emily
What are your pronouns?
Typically She/Her but Geek or Badass works as well
Where did you grow up?
North of St. Paul, Minnesota
What city are you currently based in?
North of Minneapolis, Minnesota (big mover)
How do you typically introduce yourself to new people?
Hi, I’m Emily, self-proclaimed supply chain geek
What’s one thing you wish more people knew about you?
I’m co-owner, and co-founder of Waypost Advisors. Most people think Rob is my boss – but he’s my partner (and a fabulous partner at that).
Who do you help?
Waypost helps mid-sized manufacturing companies overcome their supply chain challenges. On a personal level, I like to think I help women in the supply chain by inspiring them that they can find balance and happiness in their lives and careers.
What are you building now?
We are building Waypost. We just turned 4 in March so we’re still in preschool, but nurturing the business to grow to a sustainable adult. On a personal level, I also think I’m building my 6-year-old daughter to be the happiest and coolest little person she can be.
What were you building ten years ago today?
A continuous improvement and reliability excellence program in a 5-facility food manufacturing business. It was one of my favorite roles. So fun to be out on the plant floor making changes to equipment with the workers that significantly increased productivity and safety.
What do you predict of yourself 10 years from now?
I think the future looks really similar to now. I’d like for Waypost to be sustainable enough that I might think about starting a new business or doing something completely different and more humanitarian. I also want to be focused on enjoying the last couple of years that my daughter is home.
What’s a fact or statistic you wish everyone knew about your industry?
It’s not a fact or statistic but I think of the supply chain like the defenders in a team sport. I played lacrosse (a long time ago) as an offender, and I always thought a really good defender was a far superior athlete. They had to be able to out-anticipate my moves and my physical skills. I think of the commercial functions like the offenders and the supply chain/ops functions like the defenders – we have to be ready for whatever you throw at us.
Why do you believe the work you do matters?
The reason Waypost exists has been reinforced over the last 4 years because mid-sized companies need access to the supply chain talent and capabilities that help them overcome problems, engage their teams, improve costs, and all the things. The pandemic shined a light on the importance of the supply chain function which is driving a lot more investment and strategic approach. We are excited to be a part of that journey.
Who is your mentor and what is the best advice they’ve given you?
I would say “It takes a village”. I don’t have just one mentor. I have “trusted advisors” in my professional and personal network that give me a lot of different perspectives on work and life. These are mostly women but also some men, people who have walked the same steps but ahead of me. I appreciate their perspective to both calibrate my experience and also challenge my thinking. Sometimes I get stuck and spin on something – my trusted advisors are great at acknowledging my feelings and then offering other perspectives.
What piece of content about you or your company are you most proud of?
I was really proud of a video cast that ended-up not getting published in its entirety. To be on video was scary but it turned out well. The company decided to just do sound-bites in small chunks instead of publishing the whole interview, which is still a win.
What publication do you hope to appear in next?
I don’t really think about it. I feel bashful about self-promotion.
Who would you love to be interviewed by?
Steven Dubner – Freakonomics podcast. I’m a huge fan. Or John Oliver … Although I’d laugh through the whole interview.
If you had to give a TEDTalk tomorrow, what would the title be?
Move-Over Money and Title: Happiness is a critical metric in the success equation.
What award would mean the most to win?
I’ve never thought about it. Awards don’t really mean much to me.
What makes zero sense to you?
I don’t understand how leaders can sometimes be so disconnected from how their organizations actually run. Someone once said to me “The leader of that team wants to lead Harvard graduates but their team is still in kindergarten.” I see that a lot. Let’s start to meet our organizations where they are and make progress from there.
What’s a word in your industry you hope gets re-evaluated?
Progress. I think there’s a difference between what a C-suite leader thinks is progress and what is actual progress. Similar to the above comment, I’ve spoken to so many high-level leaders who want to chase the newest things, the shiny objects, without realizing that the basic foundational processes, decision trees, and capabilities are not available to support the shiny objects.
What game are you changing?
We have far more women on the Waypost team than men. I think we appeal to women because we support maintaining boundaries with work – we don’t require people to over-extend themselves. I think the world of contracted talent is changing and companies are seeing the value in temporary and fractional resources to help them establish best practices, and I think our team embodies the talent and behaviors that will grow that belief.
What’s the next thing you’re a part of that you want to invite more people to participate in?
I wouldn’t say I’m a part of this but I recently learned about impact investing and some companies that are trying to make private investing more available to people who are not necessarily high-income earners. Anyone interested could check out WeFunder. I also think that investing with purpose is important and I’d like to support companies and organizations that are really focused on making the world a better place.
Where can we follow you online?
(17) Emily LeVasseur | LinkedIn
Meet Our Team - Waypost Advisors
What’s one thing that makes every leader better?
Empathy. If you cannot walk a mile in someone else’s experience, you cannot effectively lead them.
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We’re grateful to each Rising ICON for their transformative work. Thank you, Emily, for sharing your story!
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“I think of the commercial functions like the offenders and the supply chain/ops functions like the defenders – we have to be ready for whatever you throw at us.”
Notice: It’s important for our readers to understand the origin of the interview content. The featured ICON contributed responses that were not edited from the original submission. All claims are made solely by the contributor and do not reflect the views of LAUREL or its partners. Thank you for supporting rising leaders. The future is bold.
