Ford CEO Jim Farley says the secret to climbing the corporate ladder flows through this department-and Tim Cook is proof it works

Copyright Fortune

Ford CEO Jim Farley took a more traditional approach. As a student at Georgetown University, he studied general business before earning his MBA from UCLA, setting him on a path to climb the corporate ladder. However, if he had to start over, there’s one field he’d focus on above all the rest: supply chain. “Of all the C-suite jobs that people should aspire to, if you want to make a difference in our society, I would pick one: supply chain,” Farley said in an interview with the Office Hours: Business Edition podcast. Because supply chain experts are so integral to companies like Ford that rely heavily on trade, they must be on top of everything: geopolitics, technology, logistics, and more. And if you can master that, Farley says you may be on the fast track to the top job. “It’s no surprise to me that Tim Cook and many of the CEOs in great companies today come from a supply chain background,” Farley added. “No surprise at all to me, because the leadership required to be world class at supply chains is the same capability you need to run a company.” Working in the supply chain helps professionals master problem-solving, strategy, and collaboration. Every day brings a new challenge—balancing global logistics, managing supplier relationships, or adapting to sudden demand changes—all under tight deadlines. People in this field learn to use data to forecast trends, streamline operations, and mitigate risks before they escalate. Perhaps most importantly, it cultivates a systems mindset: the ability to see how each decision ripples through a complex web of global interdependencies, shaping business performance and customer satisfaction alike. Cook, Apple’s CEO, famously revamped the company’s supply chain while serving as COO—a background that’s helped Apple navigate global disruptions, like tariffs, in recent years. General Motors CEO Mary Barra also spent time overseeing supply chains before taking the top job, experience that’s proved vital to the automobile’s stability. And for those interested in the field without aspirations for the corner office, the field can still be enticing. Logisticians earn a median annual pay of $80,880, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics—and the profession is expected to grow by 17% over the next decade. Farley’s worry over entry-level jobs While Farley is bullish on supply chain as one pathway up the corporate ladder, that advice comes with a caveat. The 63-year-old has been one of the most vocal executives questioning the value of a four-year degree—and the way today’s job market is structured around it. “There’s more than one way to the American Dream, but our whole education system is focused on four-year [college] education,” Farley said at the Aspen Ideas Festival this summer. “Hiring an entry worker at a tech company has fallen 50% since 2019. Is that really where we want all of our kids to go? Artificial intelligence is gonna replace literally half of all white-collar workers in the U.S.” Instead, Farley argues for elevating trade and technical education—pathways that lead to high-paying, stable careers and are far less vulnerable to automation. “We all sense that America can do better than we are doing,” Farley added. “We need a new mindset, one that recognizes the success, the importance of this essential economy and the importance to our vibrancy and sustainability as a country.”