It is not enough to know your job. You really have to understand the value proposition you're offering the customer, what the customer's needs are, what the competition is doing, where the money goes, and what the cost structure is. You've got to know enough about the larger environment so that you can make good decisions. To support that responsibility, you need a lot more breadth of knowledge and expertise. The skills required are things like problem analysis, problem solving, and decision making.
Teamwork is a critical skill both within the company and with customers or suppliers.
These are skills that we haven't had occasion to develop all that much in the past. These are some of the characteristics needed if you are to make a larger contribution, as opposed to merely doing a job. Francis J. Quinn is editor of Supply Chain Management Review .