- Procurement in large corporate organisations - because it's the environment I've worked in for over 30 years.
- Inspiring change - because effective change comes from motivated people who are open to making the changes needed.
- Creativity and Innovation - because there's a law of diminishing returns, and if we keep doing what we've always done we get what we're always got!
- Soft skills - because if achieving your goals relies on working with other people soft skills are the fastest way of unlocking misunderstandings and achieving results. My passion for soft skills development has resulted in the development of the Purchasing Coach Soft Skills Toolkit. It brings together a series of postcards written to Procurement from their soft skills. More here.
- Language - because words have power, and we often unconsciously use words that promote failure and hinder success.
- Use of unconventional tools - because the tools I use are particularly good at bypassing barriers or resistance to change to unlock potential. The advent series of posts in December provided an overview of 25 of the tools I use in the work I do.
- Don't leave your humanity at the door - because I get frustrated when I hear people tell me that we have to leave our authentic selves/humanity at the office door, and instead apply rules that cause other people and the planet great distress. I believe taking our humanity to work with us is what being a B Corp is all about, and is something I'm going to be talking to B Corporations about during the year. Here's additional links to two posts that explain more about this. 1. My response to the excuse for the lack of humanity in business "that's just the way business is", and 2. "the sky is not the limit" a reminder that nothing is impossible.
I trust that has given you a sense of who I am, why I do what I do, how I do it, and started to perhaps give you a sense of the impact I can have on getting individuals and teams out of their comfort zone and into where the magic happens.
Wishing you all a wonderfully creative and inspiring 2018, I do hope you'll get in touch to see how we may work together this year - directly or for your team or clients.
Alison Smith
The Purchasing Coach
To find out more about how I might be able help you or your team to get out of their comfort zones in 2018 do call me on +44(0)7770 538159 or email alison@alisonsmith.eu. I look forward to hearing from you.
I'm a procurement professional of over 33 years, who started to develop an understanding of soft / people skills 18 years ago and obtained a qualification as a result. Since then I've undertaken certification on training, coaching and some unconventional tools.
I'm a very effective category manager, great and enthusiastic procurement and soft skill trainer and coach, and an expert at using unconventional tools to help unlock potential.
If you'd like to know the qualifications that support the work I do here's the most relevant:
- Acorn Accredited Coach - Advanced Certificate in Coaching Practice Accredited by the Association for Coaching - 2016
- Frameworks for Change Coaching Process coach – InnerLinks - 2008
- International Neuro Linguistic Programming Training Association (INLPTA) – NLP Practitioner, Master Practitioner, & Trainer - 2000/2003
- Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply (CIPS) - 2000
- BA (Hons) Business Studies - 1985
