On Capitol Hill right now, "fast-track" is the slowest thing going.

Raj India Trading Co. found itself with a happy problem when it switched from importing bulky flower planters to smaller cremation urns: plenty of empty space at its warehouse in the Seattle suburbs.

Developing leadership skills that transform the supply chain to new levels of excellence is becoming more of a priority for organizations. Supply chain organizations need to take a holistic, strategic and global approach to leadership development. APQC's research indicates that there is a significant gap between leadership competencies needed for an organization to be successful and the competencies that employees currently possess, suggesting that there is indeed a leadership skills gap.