A supply chain is part of every business, every manufacturing unit, and almost every industry. Managing it effectively is not as simple as it may seem. Global supply chains are lined with several such challenges that necessitate operations managers to constantly evolve and develop new skills in order to overcome these challenges. By doing this, you can assure an effective and highly functional supply chain.

6 Key Supply Chain Leaders’ Skills

Let us look at the six key supply chain skills you need to master as an operations manager.

• Business Skills

Business skills are not necessarily related to gaining market knowledge, it also relates to understanding the technical lingo used in business and be able to communicate with senior executives. Having a fair understanding of technical terms like ROIC, EBITDA, economic profit, etc. can help you become a part of the dynamic business environment.

• Analytical Skills

Superior analytical skills are essential if you want to build a career in this domain. These skills can be inherited by pursuing supply chain management programs. Strong conceptual, as well as analysis and reasoning skills, are necessary traits that an operations manager must possess.

• Planning Skills

Planning is a part of any manager’s job, be it operations manager, supply chain manager, or logistics manager. Coordinating the entirety of operations activity that occurs on a daily basis is an important skill to inherit.

• Negotiation Skills

As an operations manager, you’ll be dealing with retailers and suppliers on a regular basis. And, to obtain the best possible outcome in terms of pricing for your employers, you require good negotiation skills.

• Problem-solving Skills

Things go wrong all the time – someone forgot to send the consignment out, someone misunderstood the product specifications, or someone sent the order to an incorrect address. All these problems require an operations manager with strong problem-solving skills.

• Logistics, Warehousing and Distribution Skills

A key component on which an operations manager’s performance is evaluated is how well he/she is able to manage the physical flow of goods, which means the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively manage logistics, warehousing, and distribution are vital for success in this domain. By equipping you with theoretical as well as practical knowledge of supply chain and logistics, credible supply chain management programs are of immense help.

Final Words

The required skills can be inherited by pursuing supply chain programs, but one thing is certain – if you don’t like the idea of coordinating or maintaining logistics, or distribution, don’t choose a career as an operations manager. But, if you do choose to build a career in this domain, a course in supply chain management from XLRI can do wonders. By allowing you exposure to the problems and issues within logistics & supply chain, the course in supply chain management from XLRI helps you solve these challenges with reasoning and analysis. After completing a course in supply chain management from XLRI, the ability to lead, manage, influence, and inspire people will come naturally with an all-encompassing curriculum and knowledge imparted from industry experts.

More Information:

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Best High-Paying Jobs In Supply Chain Management

Career Prospects After Pursuing a Business Management Course

Lucrative Business Management Careers for Young Professionals

What are the Career Opportunities in Operations and Supply Chain Management?