I was talking with a CEO last month who described his company’s supply chain technology as “watching a movie of our business instead of actually running it.” That conversation crystallized something I’ve been thinking about for years: the fundamental difference between observing and commanding. Most organizations have invested millions in what the industry calls “control towers” – sophisticated dashboards that provide beautiful visibility into their supply chains. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: visibility without action is just expensive entertainment. Let me share why the military comparison your technology vendor used to sell you that control tower might have been backwards from the start. The Military Metaphor Everyone Gets Wrong When supply chain vendors talk about “control towers,” they’re borrowing from