Features

What skills does a supply chain leader need to succeed?

leader

As COVID-19 thrust supply chain into the spotlight, the role of supply chain manager has never been more important. Paul Erokhin, General Manager at Prological Consulting discusses the skills a supply chain leader needs to navigate the new normal.

As the pandemic continues to disrupt supply globally, supply chain leaders have a more fundamental role in the success and profitability of a business than ever before.

You only have to go back a few years to see a time where supply chain was considered a ‘servant’ of the business and was rarely part of the overall strategic conversation.

This has historically led to a distinct disconnect between the overarching objectives of a business and its relationship to supply chain objectives or initiatives.

While the role of a supply chain leader was starting to evolve, and some organisations had started to break down these barriers, COVID-19 has catapulted this process and major businesses throughout Australia are now placing more emphasis on their supply chain and the role it plays in their larger business strategy.

With many supply chain leaders now part of C-suite discussions, the role of supply chain has pivoted from reactive to proactive. As a result of this switch, a number of new skills are required to succeed.

Success is in the details

Supply chain leaders need information at their fingertips. Every transaction needs to mean something. Being across all the detail is critical ­– this includes appropriate classification segmentation around supply chain activities so that this can be reported and KPIs established. You need to establish the outliers in your data so you can define what you need to report on. 

Changing freight models

The way we move freight around the country has dramatically changed, and with the rise of e-commerce the traditional distribution model of warehouse to wholesaler or retailer is constantly being challenged.

There is a lot of expectation to bypass the traditional model and deliver direct to consumer and many supply chain leaders are faced with the huge challenge of shifting freight models into this new approach.

Therefore, supply chain leaders need to be agile, and they need to be able to not only understand, but also adapt to rising consumer expectations.

A seat at the c-suite table

A good supply chain leader is someone who can understand and develop business objectives and then develop a strategy that supports those objectives. Getting your supply chain to beat to the same drum as the overall business will support profitability and help hit sales targets.

With many supply chain leaders coming from operational roles, there may be some upskilling required around strategic management. Having the ability to engage, extract and formulate strategy and facilitate discussion at c-suite level is more important than ever as supply chain rises up the ranks of the overall business agenda.

 Getting the fundamentals right

At Prological Consulting, we spend a lot of time educating our clients in getting the fundamentals right. Having access to accurate master data will have a huge impact on your ability to be a profitable successful business. Capturing meaningful metrics from system transactions and consequently assigning costs to those activities is critical to success.

Getting the fundamentals right is one of the most essential tools a supply chain leader needs to succeed.

For more information on Prological, click here. 

Send this to a friend