So, You Want To Be A Logistics Manager But Do You Have What It Takes?

The logistics industry could always use a few more operations managers, but it can be a little tricky to get your foot in the door. And before you even start putting yourself and your resume out there to potential employers, there are a few other steps that you are going to need to observe.

Now, these may seem like extremely simple steps. And you would be right to think that; because they are indeed pretty basic.

But guess what… as simple as these steps are, people seem to overlook these more often than not. And that is an absolute mistake because they are actually the most important.

Luckily for you though, we are going to look at the first few steps that you need to be taking to not only help you land that new position but also help you maintain it.

Get To Know The Logistics Landscape

Before you venture into any career field, you need to be familiar with the overall breadth and landscape of the industry you are wanting to work in. And let me tell you, this couldn’t be any truer when it comes to the logistics field.

We are in an ever-changing industry full of just as many regulations and requirements as constant innovations. Sometimes it is hard to keep up with the shifting landscape and adjust to it. And this is something that is felt at every level of the industry, from the executives sitting in a nice office, all the way down to the handlers at the warehouse. Your immediate supply chain relies on your ability to do your job and do it well.

So, knowing what the current landscape looks like before you venture into it will surely give you an idea of where you can be the most useful and what you are going to need in order to even land the position you have your eyes on.

Know Which Skills You Will Need

You will only be able to get so far in any industry if you don’t possess all the necessary skills to actually complete the tasks required by the role you are aiming to fulfill.

Social Skills

You absolutely must possess solid social and interpersonal skills if you plan to be successful in the logistics space. Seriously, you will not get very far without them.

As a logistics manager, you will be dealing with people of all shapes, sizes, positions, and attitudes. This means that you need to know how to build a good rapport with everyone from your bosses to your employees and everyone in between.

There is no room for error nor miscommunication in your position. You must be able to delegate responsibilities, keep good working relationships, and find your voice so that all the operations you are responsible for overseeing are running smoothly.

Leadership Skills

As a logistics manager, you are in a position of power and you have a team working for you that require your constant guidance.

You will have a lot of eyes on you, and people running with the tasks you have delegated to them. Because of this, you must exhibit good leadership skills. You achieve this by always being clear on your expectations and objectives, showing recognition and praise for employees who are doing well, and handling difficult situations responsibly and with a level of finesse.

By showing that you recognize the hard work and dedication of your employees, you will gain their respect. As a bonus, when your work culture is structured in such a way, your employees will want to provide more value to the company.

Organizational, Analytical, And Decision-Making Skills

The ability to analyze massive amounts of data in a single day is a skill that not many people actually possess, but it is indeed something that is expected from a good logistics manager.

You have shipments coming in, goods going out, employees to account for, documents to draft or sign off on, and a plethora of other tasks that you alone will be responsible for keeping running smoothly. Oh and don’t forget that there are AQLs, BOLs, and other various KPIs that you will need to monitor and improve upon as well.

Analyzing all that data is just the first part of the equation, though. It’s not enough to just analyze and understand the data; you also have to know how to put it to good use. Once you have analyzed all of that data, you have to implement or otherwise recommend changes that should be made in order to improve operations in your warehouse.

Adaptability

As I mentioned previously, you are going to be responsible for the majority of the organizational, analytical and decision-making efforts. But that also means that as you are implementing various changes throughout the warehouse… you also need to be able to adapt to the very changes you are making.

The logistics industry is one in which things are changing all the time and you have to be able to quickly change gears and shift focus in the blink of an eye.

Final Thoughts

A career in the logistics field can prove to be a highly rewarding one. And while it is a career that is in high demand, it’s also currently short on all the people it needs in order to fill all the open and emerging positions.

That means one thing; there is no better time than right now to start taking the first steps toward landing a career in logistics… but it’s going to take some skills and solid legwork to get there.

Do you have what it takes to be a logistics manager?