Procurement Leaders big tweet chat debate on Friday focused on how procurement must change in order to attract talent got me thinking about the key traits that will define purchasing executives in the future. What we need to know, how will we conduct our work, what traits we need to pay attention to when hiring and promoting the profession. When looking at my list I admit that it is rather generic – the traits are essential for anyone in business these days and not just limited to procurement.
A broad business understanding, the ability to manage relationships, communication and using potential networks to affect and react to changes defines the modern business professional in my eyes. And it is as such that we need to look at purchasing; one of the modern business professionals.
Understanding the big picture
Purchasing is not an island unto itself. It never has been and it never will be. In our ever changing world purchasing managers must be able to understand what makes the business evolve. Business development skills should be on top of all lists.
In most cases, purchasing is the center of gravity in the full supply chain and as such it owns many of a company’s most crucial relationships. This should not be treated unlightly.
Managing relationships
As the center of gravity in the supply chain, understanding how to manage and affect all types of relationships is crucial; be it supplier-, end-user customer- or sales/marketing relationships. Purchasing managers must be able to – much like a chess player – be able to analyze the implications that may arise if and when relationships change.
Using networks
Some argue that as the internet evolves – and the power of Google increases – that using social networks will in some ways replace traditional web searching as a way to gather information. Nielsen released their findings on the subject a few months ago and found that 18 percent of all respondents used social networks as a starting point when searching for content.
Communication
As relationships evolve a multitude of grey scales replace the black and white rendering of the first impression. This stresses the importance of communication – especially across borders and when using emotion unfriendly tools such as e-mail (and in some cases social networks). Being able to speak to suppliers, c-level executives, stakeholders and end-customers alike to get their attention requires a deep understanding of the perceived value of purchasing.
When looking at the traits that define these four areas – the big picture, relationships, networks, communication – I’d argue that they are areas in which more women than men that would excel in. Yet the tradition of the profession is so male centric it is scary at times, I’ve been at purchasing events where less than five (5!!!) percent of the attendees have been female. Procurement is unfortunately – as is sales and marketing – a rather male arena.
So will the next wave of CPO:s be female?
I surely hope so.
If we manage to raise the status of procurement through whatever means – it is a fantastic opportunity for female professionals. Looking at the amount of talent that is out there (below the c-level) and the skill sets necessary for procurement excellence I’m hope that we will see a paradigm shift in the near future; off the top of my head I recall Sandra Petersen of Skanska and Christina Di Luca of BP spearheading the male confines of procurement and remember that Barbara Kux of Siemens recently made Fortunes 10 Global leaders list.
