Being a Supply Chain leader requires many different set of behaviours and skills. Every organisation is different and have different requirements from their leaders, however these seven tend to be the most valued amongst employers:
- Leadership
Shows integrity which drives the right action in the best interests of the organisation
Displays emotional intelligence to understand self and others
Builds a compelling vision and sharing it with clarity
Can build the right organisational structures around them to deliver their vision, delegating effective decision making and activities to others
Brings the best out of people
Manages upwards, capable of influencing business direction when needed
- Stakeholder management
Builds and fosters critical relationships with peers, internally and externally
Able to flex communication style
Recognises drivers and goals of other business areas
Approaches business issues as one leadership team – no them and us
Reverts back to business goals and data when unsure of right path
Able to flex to different regional cultural preferences
- Commercial thinking
Shows a clear focus on an organisation’s customers and a desire to understand their needs
Maintains a clear understanding of market and business dynamics
Understands the clear link between supply chain success and business success
Builds supply chain strategy aligned to business need
Comfortable with budgeting processes
Speaks in terms of the value that their supply chain has brought to their organisation,showing evidence that they seek to maximise that value
Maintains a knowledge of supply chain trends and innovation that could add value to their supply chain
- Analytical skills
Understands how to convert supply chain priorities and goals into metrics that drive thosr priorities and goals
Shows evidence of a “flexible toolkit” of metrics that can be applied to any supply chain
Provides evidence that their supply chain is data driven
Displays the ability to interpret data and other inputs into sound business decisions
- Problem-solving
Recognises that their role requires problem solving as well as big-picture strategic thinking.
Spots issues before they become bigger problems, whether it is a challenge they have experienced before or not
Builds remedial action plans and ensures they are followed through
Knows when and how to take personal action when required
- Change management
Able to build a business case for or against a certain change program within supply chain
Builds action plans that convert top level goals into tangible elements
Shows the ability to build relevant project teams
Mitigates against and plans for operational disruption associated to change
Understands the impact of change on different people and enables cultural acceptance of change
Maintains communication of change across relevant groups
- Continuous improvement mindset
A growth mindset to their own personal development
Champions continuous improvements mindset across their teams to enable continuous improvement ideas to come from grass roots upwards
Displays natural inquisition that gets to the root cause of an issue
Constantly interested in understanding why and how things are done
Can apply prior experience and knowledge to new situations that lead to improvements
Shows creativity and innovation to allow new ways of looking at things
Did we miss any important skills? Email us on: hello@pod-talent.com