Podcast Summary: "Reflections on 2025 & 3 Supply Chain Lessons Learned for 2026"

Podcast: Supply Chain Now
Hosts: Scott Luton & Mike Griswold (Gartner)
Date: January 5, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode of Supply Chain Now kicks off the new year by examining lessons from 2025 and projecting strategies for supply chain professionals in 2026. Scott Luton and recurring guest Mike Griswold (VP Analyst, Gartner) reflect on recent industry trends, insights from the Gartner Supply Chain Planning Summit, and three key lessons poised to define global supply chains moving forward: trade and tariffs, AI integration, and transforming talent strategies. The conversation balances high-level perspectives with actionable advice for leaders facing an era of disruption, innovation, and workforce evolution.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Evolving “New Normal” in Supply Chain

• Disruption and Uncertainty as Status Quo
  • Modern supply chains operate in a continual state of volatility and disruption.
  • Success is defined by resilience, agility, and the capacity to deliver value in this environment.
  • Quote, Mike Griswold [00:00]:

    "What we're living now is kind of the new normal with disruptions and that level of uncertainty. And now to be successful, you need to figure out how do we manage through that and how do we deliver value through that."

2. Lessons from Historic Endeavors (Space Shuttle Analogy)

• Reflecting on the space shuttle program as a parallel for supply chain ambition, setbacks, and innovation.
  • Major initiatives in supply chain, much like the space program, will face adversity and develop unexpected but valuable byproducts.
  • Leaders should avoid complacency and continuously seek forward momentum.
  • Quote, Mike Griswold [04:27]:

    "Any major endeavor that you want to go and build or deliver or create is going to have setbacks... But I think it's how do you push through those? How do you continue to see the value in this endeavor, whatever it might be, and how do you rally the program through those, through that adversity, through those tragedies, to continue to deliver the vision of that endeavor?"

3. Three Defining Themes for 2025–2026 Supply Chains

a. Trade & Tariffs: From Crisis to Core Strategy

• Tariffs have transitioned from “reactive events” to critical, ongoing factors in supply chain design.
• Inventory strategies evolved from just-in-time to asset-based approaches due to ongoing disruptions.
• Quote, Mike Griswold [11:04]:

  "We’ve evolved from a very reactive stance to tariffs at the beginning of the year to now a much more proactive response to tariffs as we move into 2026."

b. AI in Supply Chain: From Pilots to Differentiation

• Leading companies have moved beyond experimental AI to targeted, scaled solutions across planning, sourcing, and logistics.
• AI’s value is in augmentation, not just automation—helping people make better, faster decisions, not replacing them.
• Overreliance on AI risks weakening critical thinking skills.
• Quote, Mike Griswold [13:48]:

  "The bigger AI value proposition is really an augmentation. How do we help people make better, faster decisions? We’re using AI as a tool to do that, not as replacing human experience, but augmenting the technology with human experience."

c. Talent: From Hierarchies to a Skills Puzzle

• The convergence of AI and talent means upskilling, critical thinking, and organizational design are increasingly inseparable from technology initiatives.
• The pace of technological change far outstrips the ability to retrain and reskill the workforce—a marathon (people) versus a sprint (technology).
• Quote, Mike Griswold [23:17]:

  "There is often going to be a fairly visible and different lead time to how we can tackle both ends of that strategy...The talent side is kind of like a marathon and the technology side of this is a sprint."

4. Lessons Learned & Actionable Advice for 2026

Lesson 1: Make Trade Policy a Core Input, Not an Exception

• Integrate policy and risk factors into the supply chain strategy, not as one-offs.

Lesson 2: AI is No Longer Optional—It’s a Competitive Differentiator

• AI must move beyond experimentation to become a core driver of value creation and efficiency.

Lesson 3: Talent and AI Strategies are Intertwined

• Organizations must approach talent and AI development holistically, with synchrony between upskilling and digital advancement.
• Quote, Mike Griswold [21:36]:

  "Your supply chain strategy is connected to whatever your corporate strategy is, and you as a CSCO have not only visibility to that overarching strategy, but also can influence that."

Practical Analogy & Advice:

• Use a simple framework—list top challenges, measures of success, and AI’s potential role for each. Not every problem is an AI problem.
• Quote, Mike Griswold [35:45]:

  "List out the three biggest challenges... how am I going to know that I've fixed this...what role, if any, does AI play in that particular challenge? I think if you build that very simple matrix... you'll have a much clearer picture on what you want to focus on and prioritize in 2026."

5. Reflections from the Gartner Supply Chain Planning Summit

• AI has removed past data and tech limitations, but organizations must beware of "analysis paralysis".

• Effective leaders know when to move from planning to execution—advanced insights are only valuable when actionable.

• The new normal is thriving amid complexity, volatility, and uncertainty, enabled by technology and empowered, skilled people.

• Quote, Mike Griswold [27:48]:

  "Now that technology is not the barrier, how do I get my organization to realize when is enough analysis enough? And now I need to move from that planning stage, that analysis stage, into the execution stage."

• Emphasis on "getting comfortable being uncomfortable"—adopted as a coaching lesson and supply chain mantra since COVID.

6. The Billion Dollar Challenge for Leaders

• Leaders must clarify the biggest problems to solve, define how success will be measured, and assess where (and if) AI is the answer.
• Alignment, prioritization, and targeted investment—avoid "AI for its own sake."
• Expect continued focus on tariffs, AI, and talent, with more nuances emerging over time.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [04:27] Mike Griswold:
  "While those [shuttle tragedies] were certainly tragedies, the program itself was worth continuing... there's things that will come out of it that probably were not on the original drawing board."

• [09:32] Scott Luton:
  "There's a great lesson, I think, for leaders everywhere, that... when Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon, we're done... there's more that we could possibly do. And we did."

• [13:48] Mike Griswold:
  "There is a risk with all of this focus on AI that we lose sight and we weaken some of our critical thinking skills..."

• [27:48] Mike Griswold:
  "The companies that are having the most success understand when enough models are enough, when enough analysis is enough. And we're now just going to move quickly and efficiently into execution."

• [31:50] Mike Griswold:
  "You have to be comfortable being uncomfortable. And I think ever since COVID, the supply chains that have gotten really good at being comfortable being uncomfortable are the ones that have had success..."

• [35:45] Mike Griswold:
  "Take a piece of paper and just list out the three biggest challenges your organization has... in the second column, how am I going to know that I fixed this... and in the third column, what role, if any, does AI play in that particular challenge?"

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:00] – Embracing disruption as the new normal
• [02:30] – Space shuttle program as a model for supply chain ambition
• [10:08] – Three defining 2025–2026 lessons: tariffs, AI, talent
• [13:48] – The value of AI: augmentation vs. automation
• [23:17] – Talent and AI strategy: a marathon and a sprint
• [27:48] – Planning Summit recap: From analysis to execution in the AI era
• [31:50] – Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable
• [35:45] – The billion dollar supply chain leader’s challenge: focus, measure, assess AI’s role

Final Takeaways

• The most successful supply chain leaders in 2026 will deeply align their strategies with corporate objectives, integrate risk and trade factors as core inputs, and approach AI with targeted, measurable business cases—not as a panacea.
• Organizations must recognize the growing gap between technological advances and workforce readiness, closing it with purposeful upskilling and change management.
• Maintain a mindset of resilience, adaptability, and continuous improvement—"getting comfortable being uncomfortable"—as the only constant is ongoing disruption and innovation.

Connect with the Speakers:

• Mike Griswold: [LinkedIn] or mike.griswold@gartner.com
• For more resources, event details, and further reflection, visit supplychainnow.com