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The Fast Company Impact Council is an invitation-only membership community of leaders, experts, executives, and entrepreneurs who share their insights with our audience. Members pay annual dues for access to peer learning, thought leadership opportunities, events and more. The pandemic fully exposed global supply chains vulnerabilities and inefficiencies. While most brands were agile enough to shift strategies to address the uncertainties of the time, many prioritized speed and cost to meet the pressures of the moment, at the expense of long-term adaptability, resilience, and flexibility post-pandemic. Today, new supply chain pressures like tariffs, trade wars, climate change, and geopolitical uncertainty serve as reminders that complexity and disruptionthe two words used to describe supply chain management in 2025 per Thomson Reuters’ global trade reporthave the potential to once again, impact business and life. As brands and retailers analyze current risks across global operations, they ask: How did we get here again? Create adaptive supply chains A mid-pandemic EY survey found that enterprises were making plans to transform supply chain strategies to become more resilient, sustainable, and collaborative, leveraging technologies like AI, analytics, and automation. But did they? The answer is both yes and no. Once the urgency of the pandemic disruptions cooled, consumer packaged goods and retail companies turned their attention back to revenue generation, workforce optimization, and production. There was certainly some investment in digital transformation. Still, Food Technologys Technology Trends Survey completed in 2024 found that about half of the food, beverage, and ingredient manufacturers surveyed were still in the planning stages, hoping to invest in AI (50%) and/or supply chain tracking systems (48%) as part of their 2025 digital transformation strategies. The time to re-invest in digital transformation is now. Creating and maintaining a resilient operation that can weather costly disruptions and meet shifting consumer expectations requires an adaptive supply chain supported by modern technology. As proven during the pandemic, supply chain breakdowns can derail economies. Short-term changes can be a Band-Aid fix but do not support long-term resilience when the next crisis comes along. Conversely, collaborative supply chains with structural flexibility, end-to-end visibility, and advanced analytics can transform existential threats into manageable challenges and unlock fast, predictive decision-making capabilities, no matter the crisis. As business leaders look ahead, here are the areas that will help organizations meet todays supply chain pressures, and better position companies for long-term adaptability and resilience. Strategic alignment: Supply chains should be viewed as strategic assets foundational to decision making and performance optimization and can provide companies with a competitive advantage, not just as a target for cost-saving initiatives. Importantly, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach; upfront strategic alignment is critical. For example, retail behemoths Amazon and Costco set the gold standard with their supply chain strategies but have distinctive approaches supporting their unique business goals. While Amazon optimizes for endless selection, convenience, and speed, Costco focuses on delivering value through scale, simplification, and operational efficiencytwo different approaches that achieve the same end goal: strong growth and loyal, happy customers. It’s critical for businesses to first align on what they’re trying to accomplish and what their strategic differentiators are and then set a supply chain strategy. Data foundation: Given the complexity of our global marketplace, supply chain visibility and advanced analytics are foundational elements of effective supply chain management strategies. Though many companies currently collect extensive data, it’s not immediately actionable. A yogurt brand, for example, might manufacture its product in the U.S. but rely on ingredients imported from different countries. Especially with looming tariffs, brands need insight into their products bill of materials to determine where each ingredient is sourced and access to clean, real-time, granular data to help them quickly understand the potential impact of tariffs on their operations. A fresh fruit brand could be navigating a food safety incident and need to quickly locate the affected inventory to determine where impacted batches were distributed. Companies must gather, collate, and normalize data from various inputs across their supply chains to inform quick decision making when needed. Cross-functional collaboration: In resilient supply chains, partners at each stage share information to optimize the flow of goods. Starting with the planning stage, accurate demand and supply forecasts allow procurement to source the correct quantities of production inputs from suppliers. It also helps identify which suppliers meet the company’s quality standards and consistently deliver on time so that manufacturing can maintain efficient production schedules. Accurate information on warehouse capacity and logistics resources is needed to ensure on-time delivery. Adaptive supply chains require cross-functional collaboration and real-time data sharing between and throughout organizations so that companies can identify potential issues in advance, such as low inventory or production bottlenecks, and act quickly to avoid disruptions. Cultural commitment: McKinsey data found that only one-quarter of supply chain survey respondents observed regular reporting on supply chain risks at the board level. Resiliency is a muscle that requires regular exercise, not something companies should only pay attention to when crises emerge. Supply chain transformation must be an ongoing change management imperative across the organization and at the highest levels, with strategies and plans regularly revisited and updated. By identifying early warning signals sooner, companies can make decisions faster and revise strategy and plans to mitigate the impacts of future crises. Supply chain disruptions are rarely predictable. The best approach for companies to stay ahead of future disruptions is creating a foundation that allows for agility in daily operations and for significant events, such as tariffs, which require fast decision making. By creating systems and processes that facilitate end-to-end visibility and collaboration, business leaders can focus on supply chain agility now, so we are ready for the next crisis when it occurs. Are Traasdahl is founder and CEO of Crisp.
Category:
E-Commerce
The Fast Company Impact Council is an invitation-only membership community of leaders, experts, executives, and entrepreneurs who share their insights with our audience. Members pay annual dues for access to peer learning, thought leadership opportunities, events and more. In a world with a constant information deluge and a labyrinth of disinformation to continually navigate through, people are exhausted. What is true? Who is honest? Who and what can I believe? Who can I trust to lead in a way where I know they understand what I need? Will anyone do what is best for me? It is no wonder that people are frustrated with those in chargeeverywhere. Politicians, media personalities, business leaders. Our leaders are often out-of-touch elites, or worse, reckless liars. By and large, leaders seem self-interested rather than keeping the needs of those they serve at heart. Compound this with a sound bite society where click bait reigns supreme and memes are a surrogate for journalism, but without the research, context, or analysis. No one can tell person from bot on social media anymore. And peoples worst behaviors lead to the highest monetization on those platforms. Its no wonder people are fed up. Desperate for authenticity All of this is resulting in anger from older generations and disillusionment among younger ones, causing both apathy and a lack of motivation to work toward something better, as it all feels hopeless. But emerging generations futures are threatened as they inherit the fallout from generations of selfish, inauthentic leadership, and are left with only dire economic prospects, unsteady liberties, and a planet literally on fire. Adding insult to injury, they are now asked to try to survive it all and to fix it themselves when leaders havent been or arent interested in doing so themselves. Amid all of this, people are desperate for leaders who are authentic. Leaders who face the hard truths. Leaders who understand the reality of the people they serve. And most importantly, leaders who deliver results for the actual humans they are leading. People are drawn to leaders who get it and who tell it like it is regardless of whether their intentions are altruistic or nefarious, evidence that authenticity is what people crave most right now. What makes an authentic leader? So what are some key elements seen in authentic leaders? Give a damn about those you lead. Genuinely. Deeply reflect on your intentions. If you dont actually care, your people will know it. Understand that leadership is a responsibility. A privilege given to a few. A great leader is a servant. Listen to those you lead to hear things spoken and unspoken. Build structures to make sure you have eyes and ears everywhere to get to your teams truths and feelings. Understand that others rely on you and that you can do nothing without a team of engaged, productive individuals. Admit when you are wrong or when you dont know things. Everyone else will know anyway and not admitting it just looks foolish and stubborn. Overcommunicate to ensure your team knows your intentions, your actions, your decision making. Speak candidly, openly, and transparently. Trust is built on understanding. Make the best, well-informed decisions considering the needs of everyone. Deliver. Rinse and repeat ad infinitum. This all feels so obvious. So why is it so rare? Because it takes far more work and sacrifice than not doing it. First, it all takes time, and sometimes money, which I believe many leaders feel is wasted on this soft capital. And it requires competencies that are not often valued, and sometimes demonized, in our strong-man leader archetype. Listening requires EMPATHY. Collecting feedback requires HUMILITY. Open communication requires THOUGHTFULNESS. Making the best, well-informed decisions requires INTEGRITY. Admitting mistakes and learning from them requires VULNERABILITY. Transparency empowers others to act and therefore requires TRUST. Results for your employees are your own ACCOUNTABILITY. And while my hope is that leaders will be driven to be authentic because they truly give a damn about people around them, I know that many leaders care most about the business value of their decisions. Whats at stake? What is the cost of lacking authenticity? LOST PRODUCTIVITY due to low employee trust and engagement. LOST MOMENTUM due to turnover and attrition. LOST GROWTH due to shallow candidate pipelines as employees seek out authentic leaders. LOST EFFICIENCY due to not developing team members to deliver and respond. LOST FAITH in our social contract, the most expensive of them all. Regardless of the motivations, authentic leaders are in demand and ultimately, the only leaders who will achieve success with the current workforces state of mind. Investing in this soft capital will pay dividends, financially and socially. And frankly, none of us, individually or collectively, can afford not to. Julee Brooks is CEO of Woodcraft Rangers.
Category:
E-Commerce
The tech industry is often cautious about tying layoffs to performance, even if it might play a role in who gets dismissed during widespread job cuts. But this year has signaled a noticeable shift in how some of the biggest players in tech approach layoffs: Earlier this year, Meta cut more than 3,000 employees in a move that the company framed as non-regrettable attrition. The number of Amazon employees on performance improvement plans reportedly surged in recent years, leading up to layoffsand Microsoft has allegedly cut thousands of employees who were classified as “low performers.” Now Microsoft is giving low performers the option to accept a payout and leave the company rather than being placed on a performance improvement plan (PIP), according to a new Business Insider report. Separation agreement or a PIP An internal email obtained by Business Insider outlined Microsoft’s new performance management system, which the company’s chief people officer described as having “clear expectations and a timeline for improvement.” For those who want to forgo performance management, Microsoft is reportedly offering a separation agreement that would be the equivalent of 16 weeks of pay. (Microsoft did not immediately respond to a request for comment and also declined to comment in response to Business Insider’s inquiries.) Any Microsoft employees who are eligible for a buyout reportedly have five days to accept the offer; if they opt to get on a performance improvement plan instead, they forfeit the option to voluntarily resign and receive a payout at a later time. A previous Business Insider report also claimed that Microsoft is now barring low performers who leave the company or get terminated over performance issues from rejoining for at least two years. Shifting strategies for low performers Microsoft’s new strategy for managing low performers is not unheard of in the tech industry. Amazon uses a program called Pivot that presents similar options to employees who are deemed low performers, and Meta reportedly also employs a “block list” of former employees who should not be hired back by the company. But navigating performance-based layoffs can be tricky: At Meta, some employees who were affected by the recent job cuts claimed they had received high ratings on their performance reviews and expressed frustration over the fact that they were publicly characterized as low performers. (Meta did not comment on all such claims, but in response to one report, a company spokesperson said: “Simply because someone had a history of meeting or exceeding expectations, does not mean they continue to consistently meet the bar.”) It’s possible that some of these employees were impacted to meet the 5% quota Meta reportedly set for layoffs across departments, in spite of their performance reviews. Even otherwise, experts say relying solely on performance ratings to determine layoffs can put certain employees at a disadvantage, given the potential bias that is baked into the process. There is also quite a bit of variability across managers and departments, and in some cases employees may not have been performance-managed properly. At a moment when many tech companies are already facing employee dissent and low morale over culture issuesincluding strict return-to-office mandatesresorting to performance-based layoffs could also engender further mistrust.
Category:
E-Commerce
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