We NEED More Anti-Fragile Leaders in Supply Chain

Two weeks ago I kicked off the speaker circuit at Manifest 2024 in Vegas.

The first event of a year sets the tone for discussions that could dominate an industry. It’s paramount to me that the right themes cross people’s minds. Especially when we need to see it actioned like never before.

So when anti-fragility in supply chains became a hot topic…

You can bet I was fired up to dive right in.

Taking the stage, I led insightful interviews with:

• Elliott Rodgers (EVP & COO of Footlocker)
• Biswaranjan S. (Global Chief Product Supply Officer of Beauty and Wellbeing at Unilever) 
• Victoria Cuthbert (Chief Product Supply Officer - Personal Care - at Unilever)

We discussed transformation in organisations that improve internal systems, collaborations, talent retention and the mapping of customer journeys to create truly resilient supply chains.

Here's the big takeaway!

The risk-resilient supply chain is so 2023!

The anti-fragile supply chain is the next evolution.

Whereas discussions in the past mostly centred around developing an awareness and acceptance of disruption, new conversations highlight the actual capabilities of supply chains to flourish amidst the shocks and stressors with the right systems.

What does it truly take, on a practical level, for supply chains and leaders to succeed in times of volatility? Because, as I've said before: "Normal" isn't coming back. 

I was excited to discuss some use cases and examples that illustrate this on stage.

But behind the scenes, a new question developed.

We know what needs to happen to build a truly robust value chain. But none of the steps will ever get actioned without the right incentive from those in leadership. The starting point of any transformation is a mindset shift. The best leaders prove themselves capable of this change of perspective and can react to the demands of the world around them.

So what does the anti-fragile supply chain leader look like? 

More importantly, how do we find or create more of them?

The Shift in Resilience

Managing disruption is a powerful asset within any business.

World events affect any value chain that has built a moderate to large logistical impact. Globalisation now makes world problems OUR problems. It doesn’t just belong to the region it directly affects.

Resisting the consequences of anything from geopolitical unrest to climate change is a big flex. And for 4 years supply chains were beacons of thought leadership in dealing with this risk and stabilising world trade.

But it’s not just about stabilisation any more. In fact, I’ve started to resent the term “new normal” that was widely adopted a few years ago. Sure it was a new reality. But “normalcy” was never the end-state to resort back to.  

After we RESIST volatility, our next step is figuring out how to THRIVE when this volatility becomes a constant fixture of the world playground.

That’s the core of the anti-fragility movement. Thriving (not just surviving) under pressure.

Skills Sets of the Anti-Fragile Supply Chain Leader

So what do leaders need to do to level up their approach to risk?

I was asked this in one of my interviews!

Here is my take - not just for Supply Chain, but for all leaders…

Anti-fragile leaders are:

1. Operational:

They know how to get things done from a hands-on perspective. These are the leaders who truly understand the anatomy of every system that keeps their department/business running. It shows their capability to understand when something is faulty or inefficient.

2. Technical:

They are digitally savvy and stay on the pulse of innovation. They know which tech is value-adding vs being a nice-to-have. They know what tech to operationalise vs what tech is difficult to implement. They can look at a new piece of technology and see its long-term potential versus the tech that gets lost in a hype cycle. It’s an open-mindedness tempered by a deep contextual understanding of their digital infrastructure, allowing them to prioritise the resources they need to get ahead.

3. Commercial:

These leaders know exactly how to keep in touch by speaking the language of the customer. They have abandoned traditionally cost-driven approaches. They won’t just cut budgets when times get rough. Instead, they keep their eye on the profit and stay on trend with the market. They also remain conversant with financial experts in their business (CFOs, Financial directors, etc.) focusing on what budgets they have, while realising the necessity of transformation projects to help meet their demands.

4. Geo Politicians:

They are very much aware of what is happening in the world, keeping an eye on the news, tapping into their global networks and navigating the nuances of these events to forecast repercussions on world trade, business and consumer trends. 

5. Innovators:

They are constantly looking to unlearn and change the way that things have been done. They question the norm, identifying antiquated models and finding ways to update, upgrade or completely upend these models for the sake of a better approach.

6. People-Driven:

They are empathetic leaders who stay connected to their teams. They communicate effectively to understand the needs of their workforce; they recognise and reward value; they resource their employees effectively to set them up for success; they evolve their culture to attract and retain the best talent and they leverage skills to fill the right gaps. 

7. Collaborative:

These leaders are great at working cross-functionally throughout their organisation. They can find the best solutions to common and novel problems in-house, extracting knowledge and expertise from other departments to drive the efforts of their team forward. They get things done by not being afraid to ask for help. This is how they synchronize business-wide transformation.

8. Active Deprogrammers:

Anti-fragile leaders know that some models and even some of the things that they learned at university (20+ years ago) were built for a different time. Therefore, they are willing to unlearn and question their beliefs. They seek advice and knowledge from all different areas, including younger generations and non-traditional methodologies.

Time to Nurture a New Style of Leadership

I think risk has been with us long enough to accept that it’s a constant.

Whatever comfort zones we once lived in - convincing us that disruption eventually goes away as the world magically equalises after turmoil - have been broken.

Anti-fragile leaders accept volatility in their role, knowing that progress can’t be kept stationary for too long as operations within a business adapt.

They have the reflexes to know:

• When systems are falling behind
• How operations can be optimised
• What strategies can buffer productivity
• Where to make the right pivots to react
• Who to call on when certain emergencies arise
• How to retain an upward curve while hitting speedbumps

To do this we need insight into our companies like never before. That means gaining the right visibility across our systems and transparency across our teams.

It is a dual approach of systems and people, tweaked to not just operate at peak performance, but to perform at a progressive pace that keeps your business a frontrunner in your niche.

At Manifest, I’ve been fortunate to have discussions with leaders who’ve achieved just that.

But now I’m opening the topic to my wider audience.

What makes you an anti-fragile leader? What did it take?

We need great examples to look up to.

So tell me your story. The industry is hungry to learn from it.