The Perception Gap: Supply Heads Overrate Their Impact 

In corporate strategy circles, supply chain leaders are often judged by throughput, cost, or resilience metrics — but far less often by influence, alignment, or trust. That’s at the heart of a new Gartner-backed survey: While 75% of CSCOs rate themselves highly effective, only around half of their executive peers would give them the same score. The gap reveals a critical vulnerability: supply chiefs may execute well, but lack perception as strategic partners.

To close that gap, leaders must turn successes into narratives, cross over organizational silos, and speak the language of growth, innovation, and risk, not just logistics. Below is an excerpt capturing the core findings and the recommended shift for supply leadership.

As reported by MH&L staff in “Supply Chain Officers Overestimate Their Effectiveness” on MH&L:

“There is a disconnect in the C-suite. According to a recent survey from Gartner, Inc., chief supply chain officers (CSCOs) overestimate their effectiveness compared to C-suite perceptions.

The survey found that 75% of CSCOs gave themselves a score of at least 75 out of 100 when asked how effective they were in their position. However, only a little more than half of C-suite peers did the same when scoring their CSCOs.

‘Collaboration is prioritized by both CSCOs and their C-suite peers, but our data shows a disconnect between how effective CSCOs truly are in this critical measure of effectiveness,’ said Claudia Clemens, senior director analyst in Gartner's supply chain practice, in a statement. “More than 60% of CSCOs state that they make proactive investments in peer relationship building, but less than half of their C-suite partners actually recognize these efforts.”

The survey identified that driving value with the C-suite through effectively collaborating across departments contributed to a disproportionate impact among five key traits that C-suite executives identified as contributing to CSCO effectiveness.

Both CSCOs and their C-suite peers agree that the ideal CSCO is an innovative, ‘maverick’ leader willing to push the boundaries of what a supply chain could be. CSCOs who embody the maverick profile are more likely to claim a seat in the boardroom.”

Continue reading “Supply Chain Officers Overestimate Their Effectiveness” on MH&L. 

Why It Matters to You 

Execution is necessary, but not sufficient. Supply leaders must also earn credibility. If a CSCO’s achievements aren’t visible or tied to strategic outcomes, they may be undervalued or sidelined. Closing the perception gap transforms supply from support function into strategic enabler.

This is true across sectors, whether in industrial, energy, logistics, or infrastructure, supply constraints or misalignments erode competitiveness. A leader seen as strategic can drive investment, influence risk plans, and shift from firefighting to foresight.

Next Steps 

• CSCO/Supply Strategy Lead: Hold a 360° perception audit to learn what your peers and board think you deliver versus what you think you deliver. 
  
• Supply/Operations Teams: Begin packaging key wins (e.g., saved cost, avoided disruptions) into executive narratives, tying them to growth or risk. 
  
• CIO/COO/CFO: Define cross-functional value maps: how supply chain improvements affect margins, revenue, risk. 
  
• HR/Leadership Development: Train supply leaders in storytelling, cross-functional influence, and stakeholder engagement skills. 
  
• Executive/Board: Treat supply performance as strategic by including supply metrics, narratives, and investment proposals in board decks.