5 Leadership Essentials No One Tells You: The Playbook for Women in Supply Chain
By Sheri R. Hinish | Supply Chain Queen
Here’s a reality check: Women represent 40% of the supply chain workforce—down from 41% last year. At the current pace, it will take 48 years to reach parity in senior leadership.
48 years? Unacceptable.
I recently presented at a women’s leadership summit, and I didn’t sugarcoat the challenges. But I also didn’t come empty-handed. I shared the playbook I wish someone had given me when I was starting out—the 5 leadership essentials that determine whether you survive, thrive, or define the game entirely.
These aren’t the technical skills. Those you’ll master. These are the non-technical capabilities that actually move the needle on your career trajectory.
The Journey: 5 Essentials That Change Everything
Essential 1: Navigating Power Relationships and Structures
Understanding the game
Organizations aren’t meritocracies—they’re complex social systems. The org chart shows formal authority, but the real power map shows who has the CEO’s ear, who controls budget, and who influences decisions.
Your move: Draw your organization’s power map monthly. Identify decision-makers, influencers, connectors, and gatekeepers. In matrix structures (hello, supply chain), this skill is non-negotiable.
Essential 2: The Art of Influencing Without Authority
Playing it effectively
Research shows women are more likely to exhibit transformational leadership—emphasizing vision, inspiration, and connection. This is your strategic advantage.
Master the 5 influence currencies: Expertise, Relationships, Resources, Information, and Vision. Learn which currency each stakeholder values most. And here’s a pro tip: phrases like “I’m curious about…” and “Help me understand…” are powerful influence moves that navigate the double bind women face.
The truth: Anchor in data, frame in relationships. Be competent AND warm.
Essential 3: Understanding Mentorship vs. Sponsorship
Building your team
Here’s the stat that matters: Women are 54% less likely to have a sponsor than men. This gap explains much of the promotion gap.
The distinction:
- Mentors ADVISE you (you need multiple)
- Sponsors ADVOCATE for you (you need 1-2 powerful ones)
Women with sponsors are 27% more likely to ask for raises and 22% more likely to seek stretch assignments. Sponsors speak your name in rooms you’re not in. They use political capital on your behalf.
The challenge: Don’t wait to be perfect. Ask early. Be explicit.
Essential 4: Building Your Adaptability Quotient & Protecting Your Foundation
Maintaining your power source
Supply chain is constant disruption. Adaptability Quotient (AQ) is your competitive advantage—but you can’t be agile from a place of depletion.
The brutal reality:
- 50% of senior women are burned out
- 43% of female executives vs. 31% of male executives report burnout
- Only 25% of companies reward women’s DEI and emotional labor
The reframe: Self-care isn’t bubble baths (though enjoy those!). It’s protecting your capacity to execute at a high level consistently.
Build these 7 micro-habits to strengthen your AQ: Flexibility, Curiosity, Unlearning, Relearning, Refocused Resilience, Tolerance for Failure, and Delayed Gratification.
Remember: You can’t sprint a marathon. Boundaries are leadership competencies.
Essential 5: Finding and Using Your Authentic Voice
Owning your destiny
This is where I get personal.
I spent years code-switching, performing a version of leadership that wasn’t mine. The exhaustion was real. The identity crisis was real. The depletion was real.
Then I asked myself: “What if I owned my narrative instead of letting others write it?”
That question led to Supply Chain Queen—not an exit from corporate, but a declaration of agency. I built a brand representing MY voice, MY values. I defined my value proposition on MY terms. I stopped asking permission to be myself.
The result? OPTIONS. And options = power.
Your framework:
- Authenticity ≠ Oversharing (it’s alignment of values and actions)
- Your voice is your competitive advantage (differentiation wins)
- Build your personal brand (inside or outside corporate)
- The Both/And truth (success + authenticity | corporate + entrepreneurship)
- Permission to evolve (your voice at 25 ≠ your voice at 45)
The integration: When you master Essentials 1-4, you have the foundation to use Essential 5 without fear. You’ve built the skills, relationships, and resilience to back it up.
These Essentials Work Together
They’re not linear. They’re iterative.
You navigate power while building your voice.
You influence while finding sponsors.
You adapt while protecting your power source.
This is the playbook. The one I wish someone had given me. The one you need to lead, transform, and change the game.
Download Your Free Guide
Ready to put these essentials into action? I’ve created a comprehensive digital handout with:
✓ Detailed frameworks for all 5 essentials
✓ The critical statistics you need to know
✓ Action plans (this week, this month, this quarter)
✓ Self-assessment tools and worksheets
✓ Resources for continued learning
DOWNLOAD THE 5 LEADERSHIP ESSENTIALS GUIDE
Save it to your device and reference it whenever you need.
Take Action Today
For Young Women in Supply Chain:
- Map your power structure this week
- Identify 2 mentors + 1 sponsor
- Audit your energy investments
- Write YOUR point of view on one topic
For Senior Leaders:
- Commit to sponsoring someone
- Reward the invisible labor women do
- Model sustainable high performance
- Amplify women’s voices in rooms they’re not in
The Challenge
48 years until parity? Unacceptable.
You are not here to wait your turn.
You are here to earn your seat, claim your voice, and change the game.
Now go write your own Supply Chain Queen story.
About Sheri R. Hinish
Sheri is the founder of the Supply Chain Queen brand and CEO of Supply Chain Revolution Global consulting firm, where she specializes in supply chain transformation, sustainability, and innovation. With a widely recognized executive, personal brand and distinct point of view in the market, she has led multi-year transformative programs for Fortune 500 companies while advocating for women’s leadership in operations-heavy industries. She is passionate about using her platform to change the narrative and accelerate gender parity in supply chain.
Connect with Sheri:
LinkedIn | Website |YouTube
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