4 Supply Chain Resilience Focus Areas: Skills and Talent (2 of 4)

As we plan for 2026, I’ve been thinking a lot about what really makes a supply chain resilient. It’s no longer about preparing for rare events. Today, resilience means being able to operate effectively in constant uncertainty.

Over the next few posts, I want to share the four focus areas I see consistently determine how well supply chains absorb shocks and recover.

Focus Area #2: Skills and Talent

One thing I’ve learned over the years is that resilient supply chains are built by people, not just systems.

As networks grow more complex and digitized, the decisions teams need to make are harder, faster, and often more ambiguous. Tools can support these decisions, but they cannot replace judgment and experience.

I see many organizations invest heavily in technology while underinvesting in the skills needed to use it effectively. The result? Delays, inconsistent responses, or over reliance on automated outputs without proper challenge.

Building resilience requires more than frameworks or dashboards. It takes:

• A shared understanding of risk across the team

• Clear decision rights

• The ability to operate calmly under pressure 

Training and capability building turn data into action and frameworks into behavior, so teams don’t just react to disruption, they anticipate and manage it.