It will deliver huge benefits and transform how we work. Really?
If we talk to our suppliers or to our internal stakeholders they’re telling us there’s one thing missing.
Our humanity.
It feels like we’re running before we can walk with many of us still struggling to get to 2.0.
Of course there are some trail blazers getting the mix right and delivering real value, but there’s plenty of examples that suggest there are Procurement peeps stuck at 1.99.
Someone on a category management workshop once said “oh, I didn’t know I could do that” when I simply suggested they use a wider range of their behavioural skills with a stakeholder i.e. be human; not a computer running a stereotypical programme from the 80s.
On another workshop we had a heated debate about whether there was room for kindness in procurement. Ok, it was me that got heated when I was told their KPIs wouldn’t let them be kind.
Which is why I don’t apologise for bringing the following qualities others have used to describe me into the soft skills procurement development I do:
Heart-led, intuitive, insightful, real, creative, trustworthy, unconventional, and passionate.
Because these are the qualities I want to see more of in Procurement.
If 200 firefighters could walk into that burning building anything is possible. Imagine therefore what difference we would make if we all acted from own inner hero?
Little did I realise at the start of the year how much I would be reminded of our shared humanity as the year progressed. At the time I shared my desire to ensure that we don't leave our humanity at the office door.
As recent events here in the UK have demonstrated it's our humanity that we have in common. It's our humanity that means people will put their differences to one side, and go to extraordinary lengths to help another. It's also our humanity that means that people are now looking for sustainable change so that the mistakes of the past are never repeated.
If we can continue to keep our hearts open, and take the level of humanity we've seen in recent weeks and months into the work we do - just think what difference we could all make in organisations, politics and beyond.
It would seem you can't take the trainer out of the girl.
"What was your biggest learning" I asked my friend's 13 years old son who had accompanied me to Edinburgh last night to hear Colonel Chris Hadfield, astronaut and previous commander of the International Space Station, speak.
"To go after what I want to do in life" he replied.
I certainly couldn't ask for more from a very early birthday present.
On the other hand, having written only the day before on taking humanity into business, or more precisely on not leaving humanity at the door, Auntie Alison had other learning from the talk. Others there I'm sure will have taken other insights from hearing him speak.
Space exploration has for many reasons asked us to consider our humanity.
Back in the 60's when I was born Russia and America's goal was the moon, and yet what it seems space exploration gave us first was a view of the Earth.
Here's a film called the overview effect which shares the insight about humanity from those who have seen the earth from way out there in space.
And whilst not mentioned specifically during last night's talk here's Chris talking about how the overview effect gave him perspective. If you have time do please listen to him talk about "seeing the world over and over again until it seeped into me permanently."
On that day in November 1962 when I was born "the goal to go to the moon was not just hard, it was impossible". In fact, on the morning of July 20 1969, as Chris reminded us "you still couldn't land on the moon."
Then at 20:18 UTC this happened:
The impossible became possible, and the sky was no longer the limit
The first words spoken by Neil Armstrong as he stepped onto the lunar surface say it all
"One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."
Fast forward to 2017 and you have an International space station that was "built by 15 countries who don't get along". Built because they had a "shared vision of the impossible".
In questions at the end Chris was asked about his aspirations for his future. He spoke of the need to inspire the young and "let them see things that don't exist yet."
Space exploration, those first steps on the moon, the journey there and since certainly invite us to think about what it means to be human. Invite us to have a vision of the impossible so that those things that don't exist yet at some point will exist.
I realised when I wrote my post on Thursday "It's just the way business is" that many believe that it's impossible to turn the tanker that is business around and away from its current course. I wrote then about not giving the belief, that it's impossible to take humanity into business, any room to take hold.
Last night reminded me - If humanity can do the impossible and go to the moon, humanity can certainly do the impossible and go into the board room!
I'll leave you with a video of Chris singing space oddity from space
"Can you hear me Major Tom"
Alison Smith
The Purchasing Coach
Inspiring Change - inside and out
To explore taking humanity into business, and into purchasing too, do please get in touch - in comments below, by email alison@alisonsmith.eu or call me +44 (0)7770 538159.
Humanity by way of our soft skills gets a look in in the Purchasing Coach Soft Skills Toolkit that brings together a series of postcards from your soft skills - it's entitled Dear Procurement, with love from your soft skills. More here.
I started 2017 with an intention, or was it a plea, to ensure that Procurement didn't leave their humanity at the negotiation door. After attendance of a conference on mental health today I realise leaving humanity at the door is a challenge many in business face, not just procurement professionals.
The conference I attended was HeadTorch's#WorksMental in Glasgow. I was official tweeter sharing some of the snippets from the day, and connecting with other's from around the world also speaking about mental health whether at Davos, Westminster Palace's #Headstogether, or BellsLetsTalk over in Canada! (see the # link for more on the tweets shared).
The picture below shows us all celebrating our #mentalhealth, and acknowledging that it's something we all have, 100% of us, with NO exceptions. Acknowledging that just like physical health, mental health is something where we all have good days, great days, meh days and bad days.
The challenge is whilst physical health is generally talked about and accepted in organisations, there's still a stigma associated with talking about mental health.
As I heard the stories of managers reactions to those with mental health difficulties today I was appalled and saddened. Bullying behaviour, disrespect, abusive language all being validated by the words "That's just the way business is"!
Interesting to consider of course that those business leaderships wouldn't feel the need to justify their behaviour if they thought it was acceptable.
With January 20th, and the presidential inauguration fast approaching, I'm also reminded of similar bullying responses that seem to suggest "That's just the way politics is" too! The same self interest, protectionism, bullying behaviour that justifies inhumane treatment has been seen there too.
I wish I could wave a magic wand and change the situation - but I can't - not over night anyway.
Here's where my thoughts are on WHAT WE CAN DO:
If "it's just the way business is" then it's like that because people acted without humanity and people accepted it. Over time we learnt that the values that drive our actions outside of work are certainly not the ones that can or should drive our actions at work! Somewhere along the lines we all started to believe the lie "That's just the way business is" and started to act from that belief. We accepted or turned a blind eye to those actions that, if undertaken in our personal lives, would have us disowning or walking away from the relationship.
I often get told I'm naive to expect business to operate differently. I also get told:
You can't do that in business (about some of the unconventional tools I use) - when I do do that in business
You can't be honest to a supplier - when I get GREAT deals from suppliers by being honest
You can't turn down work when you have no work just because it's unethical - when I did just that and survived to tell the tale, and didn't compromise my values as a result!
It's a refreshing change for a purchaser to act like that
I'm not that different really - all I've done is not accept the belief that I have to leave my humanity at the door when I'm working.
Yes it is that simple.
Before you start with "But that won't work" or "If I do I'll get abused/harassed for it", please hear me out.
Firstly who is this "business" you're talking about - are you not a part of this entity called a business? And if so what are you doing to change your own actions to align with this better business we want to see in the world.
If you believe it won't work, and that's your reaction before you've tried doing it then you are still believing that business can not change - belief in the possible has to come first, otherwise change will never be possible.
I was the same over 11 years ago - I felt dis-empowered, bullied, and couldn't see that there was a different way for business to operate. Time and distance provides a perspective that says business can be all the positive things we want it to be - we just have to believe that it's possible.
It doesn't come, however, without making difficult decisions.
Just like the bullied wife, who can't see beyond the belief of her husband that she's worthless without him, and thus so far has stayed and put up with the bullying, disrespect, abusive language, self interest and protectionism, we each have a choice:
Leave and find a relationship that enables us to take our humanity to work every day
Have faith in the underlying humanity of the other person and work on the relationship, so it may grow into it's full potential
Continue to believe the lies that "that's just the way it is", and accept the consequences of that decision
Together we can bring humanity back into business - we just have to believe it!
PS: Having just returned from hearing astronaut Colonel Chris Hadfield speak I've written a post "the sky is not the limit" where I end with the words:
"If humanity can do the impossible and go to the moon, humanity can certainly do the impossible and go into the board room."
Alison Smith The Purchasing Coach Inspiring change inside and out
To provide more evidence of the possibility of taking our humanity to work I'm wanting to interview organisations where humanity is embraced in all of its daily actions, and especially procurement. I'm hoping that will include B Corporations, and that The Elders may also be able to point me in the right direction. Any suggestions of organisations to talk do please do get in touch +44(0)7770 538159 alison@alisonsmith.eu.
Attendance at other #worksmental conferences have had me writing the following posts:
Is your head in the sand - about our contribution to others' mental health - because whether we like it or not we will be impacting others mental health - positively and negatively
Welcome 2017 - my wish for 2017 is that it facilitates and inspires positive change in health, politics, business and procurement.
There's many ways we can feed the inspiration, and one way I'm going to fuel the fire is by undertaking the creative 10 minute tasks set daily by 64 Million Artists.
"64 Million Artists is a national campaign to unlock the potential of everyone in the UK through creativity. We use a simple, fun and free process: Do, Think and Share to support people who’d like to use creativity to express themselves, get a bit more of a spring in their step, or connect better with others"
Yesterday's task involved writing a media headline we wanted to see in 2017. Here's my headline:
"We didn't leave our humanity at the door"
Leaving our humanity at the office door was a topic that first arose in February last year, when we delivered a procurement workshop to a group of leaders within a supplier organisation. The post I wrote at the time 'Procurement:Mr Wolf or enlightened' explains more about the conversation that took place.
Leaving our humanity at the office door (ie before we walk into the room) also arose many times in the latter months of 2016. When facilitating procurement clinics I often heard the words:
"I didn't know we could do that in business"
"I thought I had to act this way not that way"
"You might be able to do that but I couldn't possibly"
These were all responses to being invited to respond to a situation with humanity - or perhaps more accurately to act from their humanity, that is, from their authentic self.
I wasn't asking them, as procurement professionals, to roll over and let a supplier walk all over them. I was simply asking them to consider an authentic response, one from their mind, head or soul that felt right to them. A response that didn't rely on following a set of rules they thought they should, ought, or must use when they turn up for work everyday, but rules that apply to every day living the rest of the time.
The collage below, made in 2015, demonstrates my interpretation of what I was hearing. The image might be an over reaction in terms of the conversations we were having, however, it certainly expresses a fear I have - that we've forgotten what being human is all about.
I'll talk more in future posts about what I mean, and what it might look like in business and procurement. (Post script links to posts that support this. My response to the excuse for the lack of humanity in business "that's just the way business is", and "the sky is not the limit" a reminder that nothing is impossible, written after hearing colonel Chris Hadfield speak about going to the moon and space exploration more generally.)
I will leave you with my 2017 New Year's plea - please Don't leave your humanity at the door.
I'm going to be interviewing those who are already making this possible. I'm hoping that includes Patagonia, Ben & Jerry's, Leon's, Unilever, and other B Corporations. Any further suggestions of who to approach, or introductions to the above organisations, please do get in touch - in comments below or direct to alison@alisonsmith.eu +44(0)7770 538159.
Alison Smith
The Purchasing Coach
Inspiring change inside and out, and encouraging us all to take our humanity with us into business not leave it at the gate, turnstile, and revolving or office doors.
This week I'm summarising my blogs - that is I've written a lot of blogs on a few key subjects and to assist those interested in a specific subject I'm going to develop a contents page with links to every thing (ok perhaps not everything) I've written on the subject. It will be a great help to me for reference too.
Last week's news of ID chips being placed under the skin of employees in Sweden had a number of bloggers and tweeters taking to social media to express their concern. Me included, and had me reflecting that a large majority of my most angry blogs have been about what I see as the erosion of our humanity namely (although they only represent 3.5% of my content):
"I don't do soft fluffy stuff" - unless you're an android your every action is motivated and impacted by the soft fluffy stuff. So get over it and realise that the solutions to a large number of our problems lie in the soft fluffy stuff.
Don't turn a blind eye - don't leave your humanity at the door when you walk into work take it with you.
Although I realise that getting angry changes nothing and all I can hope to do is be the change I want to see in the world and business, and hope that the business archetype that's worryingly inhumane at times is replaced by a more enlightened one.
Don't worry I do blog about other less emotive subjects such as procurement, influencing, language, and well being and will share contents pages for those as the week progresses.
Alison Smith Inspiring change inside and out - when what you're doing isn't working
