Adam Find out what it takes to be a top supply chain professional, including the tools you need and how your job can make an impact on your organisation whilst driving your career to new heights.
The best procurement professionals are always looking for ways to improve their skills. They know that the industry is changing rapidly, and they need to keep up with it in order to be successful. You may not have started out as a top procurement professional, but you can become one by following these five tips!
- Business integration – The first way procurement professionals be the best is ensuring they are integrated into the business. This is very important for understanding how they can help to create value in the process and within the category they procure for. It also helps them ensure they are being efficient with their time, and not spending it working on things that have no impact on the business overall. Therefore it is very important they collaborate with the wider team to understand what they are responsible for. This means that they must not be afraid to ask questions, or speak up when necessary.
- Information sharing – Furthermore, they become key players through information sharing. This means they are always up to date with the latest information about market trends, deadlines for tenders and more. This focus for data allows them to have information driven conversations with others whilst having real confidence in their position. Because of this, if they need help with something then they don’t think twice about asking for it.
- Integrity & Decision Making – The best procurement professionals have integrity. They might be buying goods or services but they know that it is not all about them. Instead, it’s about what is good for their company overall! Therefore, the best procurement professionals make decisions based on what is right for their business! They don’t get swayed by others easily or follow trends because they know that this could lead them down the wrong path.
- Relationship Management – They are also keen networkers and understand how to do stakeholder management . This means they are always up to date with their network and never let any key relationships slip. In addition, they can utilise supplier relationships to get the best outcomes for their organisation, whilst building long-term relationships with their suppliers to deliver future value.
- Continuous professional development – Finally, the best procurement professionals focus on continuously developing their skills. They are always looking to learn new things and never stop striving for the next level in their career.
Procurement professionals are the backbone of any organisation. They manage suppliers, collaborate with stakeholders and make decisions that can affect an entire business or industry. The best procurement people focus on being integrated with their company’s culture, taking risks to promote collaboration and work hard towards building strong relationships in order to be successful. Following on from our post about how to be more influential as a supply chain professional, we hope you’ve found this blog helpful as we continue our series about what it takes to become a top-performing professional at your company! Have you taken any of the steps above? How is this helping your own success? Share your thoughts below so others can benefit from them too!
