The Value Multiplier: Why ELTV Should Guide Every Supply Chain Team

Jeremy Tiffin • December 1, 2025

Supply chain leaders are judged on one thing. 

Results. 


Fewer delays. Cleaner data. Better visibility. Stronger flow from end to end.
And behind every one of those wins sits a simple truth: 


Your people determine your performance. 


In From Bottlenecks to Breakthroughs — an eBook built for supply chain leaders who want to hire with more clarity and intention — there is a concept that deserves far more attention than it gets: Employee Lifetime Value, or ELTV. It is a way to measure the long-term contribution a person delivers from the day they start to the day they leave. And in a function where a single hire can stabilize an entire operation, this lens becomes strategic. 


Here is how ELTV reshapes how supply chain teams hire, lead, and perform. 


1. Why ELTV Belongs in Supply Chain 

In supply chain, a poor hiring decision does not stay hidden.
It shows up in gaps that slow production, create avoidable delays, and force your team to spend time fixing issues instead of preventing them.
It becomes a drag on performance, trust, and momentum across the operation. 


The eBook frames this clearly: the biggest loss is not salary. It is lost momentum — the compounding friction that weakens flow, coordination, and confidence across your operation. 


Momentum is what keeps a supply chain healthy.
And momentum is exactly what breaks when the wrong person is in the role. 



ELTV helps leaders zoom out.
Instead of thinking about filling a vacancy, you start thinking about the long-term operational contribution that person will bring. 


When ELTV is high, one hire can lift planning accuracy, strengthen supplier reliability, or eliminate recurring bottlenecks for years. 


2. How ELTV Grows Over Time 

The ELTV curve outlined in From Bottlenecks to Breakthroughs shows how value builds over time when hiring and onboarding are done well.


As leaders, you influence every part of that curve: 


  • How quickly someone ramps 
  • How effectively they absorb your processes 
  • How consistently they improve performance 
  • How long they stay engaged and contributing 


In complex supply chain environments, this curve matters even more.
The research cited in the eBook notes that top performers in knowledge-heavy roles can be up to 400 percent more productive than average ones. 



That is not incremental improvement.
That is transformational impact. 


3. Leadership Moves That Strengthen ELTV 

You shape ELTV long before a candidate accepts an offer. 


Start with the operational challenge, not the job title. 
The eBook encourages leaders to begin with a simple, high-impact question: 
What business problem is this role meant to solve? 
This level of clarity ensures you hire someone who drives outcomes, not someone who simply covers tasks. 


Use the S.O.L.V.E. framework to define success. 
Situation. Outcomes. Levers. Values. Evidence.
It anchors the search to business needs and aligns your team around clear expectations. 


Keep the hiring process tight and intentional. 
Top supply chain candidates move fast.
Slow communication, unclear decisions, or inconsistent engagement will push the best people away. 


Treat onboarding as phase two of hiring. 
The first 90 days determine whether someone gains traction or stalls.
This is where expectations, systems knowledge, and early wins take hold.
This is also where ELTV begins to climb. 


4. What Damages ELTV 

Most breakdowns in ELTV come from leadership gaps, not talent gaps. 


As outlined in the eBook, ELTV drops when: 


  • Expectations are vague 
  • Onboarding is passive or rushed 
  • The role does not align with the candidate’s goals 
  • The leader becomes distant or inconsistent at key moments 



These gaps slow the ramp, create doubt, and spark unnecessary churn.
The cost always shows up in operational performance. 


5. ELTV Turns Hiring Into a Competitive Advantage 

Supply chain teams win by controlling variation, improving flow, and reducing friction.
ELTV connects all of these. 


Because when you put the right person in the right role, you: 


  • Strengthen supplier relationships 
  • Improve planning and decision making 
  • Reduce firefighting 
  • Build trust across the organization 
  • Protect margin and operational stability 


From Bottlenecks to Breakthroughs ends with a reminder supply chain leaders should keep front and center: 


Every hire you make is a leadership decision that echoes long after the contract is signed. 


ELTV is how you measure that echo. 


Conclusion

Supply chain performance depends on people who can execute with clarity, speed, and ownership. ELTV is the simplest way to evaluate whether your hiring decisions are setting your operation up for strength or struggle. 


If you hire with intention, onboard with structure, and lead with consistency, ELTV rises.
And when ELTV rises, your supply chain becomes more stable, predictable, and resilient.

 

Because hiring in supply chain is not about filling roles.
It is about building the team that keeps the business moving. 


Want to go deeper? 

Download From Bottlenecks to Breakthroughs to learn the full ELTV model, the S.O.L.V.E. Framework, and the leadership principles that help supply chain teams remove friction and scale with confidence: https://www.horizonrecruit.com/from-bottleneck-to-breakthroughs 

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