Low-hanging fruit

“We’ve exhausted the low-hanging fruit, so what do we do now?” 

This is a challenge many procurement departments face. 

Before jumping in with a logical exploration of what to do next - because I suspect you’ve tried that already numerous times - let’s see what a metaphorical exploration can provide. 

That is, if low-hanging fruit is picked quickly, and only once, how do we get more harvest for our organisations? 

• get a ladder
• wait for the higher-hanging fruit to fall
• remove the overgrowth hiding the fruit
• look for the harder-to-reach fruit
• find ways to increase the yield
• reduce waste
• find uses for the wonky fruit
• ensure we compost the rotten fruit
• get more revenue for the fruit we do pick
• reduce the total cost of growing and harvesting
• expand the amount of fruit we grow (perhaps expanding to other orchards)
• change the variety we plant
• buy fruit from others
• elongate the harvesting season
• plan next year’s harvest better
• move to better soil, or less climate-affected areas
• use fruit from other areas
• diversify into growing other fruits or vegetables 

Any other ideas? 

Somewhere within the metaphorical exploration is a seed of an idea for delivering more value.

Photo by niklas_hamann on Unsplash

My ideal client

Just to say, my ideal client is a procurement team I can get to know and spend a few days every month training, mentoring, and coaching individuals or small groups on ‘how’ they do what they do.
This will most likely include developing the team’s stakeholder engagement, communication, influencing, and creative thinking skills.
Other topics covered might also include mindset, confidence, values and beliefs, and other topics that increase individuals’ self awareness, which are the building blocks to having an affective and adaptable approach to ‘how’ things get done.
I’ve been a passionate procurement professional for over 30 years, and for 20 of those years I’ve been a NLP and soft skills coach and trainer, and geek on new and innovative tools for personal development and transformation.
If you’re interested in me supporting your procurement team to fully embrace their potential, do get in touch.
With capacity to only provide this to a small number of organisations it’s not something everyone will be able to get access to.

Forget digitising procurement, I want more humanity

Digitisation is coming to Procurement.

We’re embracing 4.0.

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.

Purchasing Coach: Advent Calendar 2017

25 unconventional coaching and facilitation tools to surprise and delight

NB: The links won't work until the date on the window

                                                No 22                                                 No 19

       No 12

                                                 No 17                                         No 9                 

No 11

No 2                                                                                                                            No 13

No 4

         

                                                  No 6                                                                                  No 15

No 21

                                                   No 5                                        No 25                         

No 23

       

                                           No 10                                               No 1

No 18

                                               No 16                                        No 24

 

No 7

                                                   No 8                                                                         No 14

No 3

No 20

Alison Smith

Unlocking procurement potential - using conventional and unconventional tools
Procurement and Business Speaker, Coach, Trainer, & Facilitator
alison@alisonsmith.eu +44 (0)7770 538159

Is there barbed wire between you and your stakeholders?

Is it procurement that's behind the high walls surrounded by barbed wire in this picture, or your stakeholders defending themselves?

Procurement doesn't take place in a vacuum. Instead procurement is undertaken in a complex environment with multiple parties, often with conflicting objectives, and various beliefs about who is responsible for what.

Effective stakeholder engagement, cooperation and communication is therefore essential for any procurement activity to be successful.

It's a topic I return to often here (see links at the bottom of this post to other posts I've written on the subject), and certainly something we explore in coaching and training sessions.

Human relationships are not always easy. Especially when we often start with the premise that we're right, and it's the other person who needs to be persuaded of the error in their thinking.

The challenge is then about us putting our beliefs down long enough to understand the impact our behaviours are having on the situation, and then as a result of that insight making changes to our own communication.

Earlier in the year, during a creativity session on a category management workshop, I asked one team to draw the problem they were having with a stakeholder. (Another group were asked to explore the situation using pipe cleaners, another used problem reversal.)

The above picture was the outcome of that request.

The group described their stakeholder sitting behind high walls, which were also surrounded by barbed wire. 

I then asked them to draw what the end result they wanted looked liked, and they drew this:

As they drew the two images they were discussing the reasons behind the situation, and options to positively change the relationship.

This post "it's like talking to a brick wall" takes the use of metaphor a little further than we went during the workshop.

One thread of discussion included the group wondering who had built the walls, and a solution emerged once they took responsibility for the current situation. It would seem they'd felt isolated from their stakeholder, and unable to talk the same language to get them to listen. I may have even asked if it was really the stakeholders behind the high walls or procurement. 

As they explored dismantling the walls other solutions appeared, and a confidence emerged that the current situation wasn't set in stone. They discovered they did have much they could do to alter the situation.

If you've tried to resolve a situation using more conventional means you may want to try more unconventional tools, after all where has convention ever got us?

Always happy to help you and your team unlock your potential using conventional and unconventional tools and ways of thinking alison@alisonsmith.eu

Alison Smith
The Purchasing Coach
Unlocking procurement potential

Other popular posts written on stakeholder engagement include:

• 10 things to remember when communicating.
• We assume other people think just like us, and therefore give them what we would want in this situation. 
• The world that you see is not the whole truth.
• Is your language stopping you from finding a solution.
• Standing in their shoes to get an alternate perspective - a tool I use with most coaching clients because it's the quickest way I know to get a different perspective on a situation.
• Are Procurement set back by arrogance? a question a procurement team asked themselves during a strategy day I facilitated.

I've written a blog on that part 2

I've just had one of those great months full of what I'm passionate about.

Just in case you're not sure what I do, therefore, I thought I'd summarise why I'm so enthused, and then share a few posts that I've mentioned to people recently in a "I've written a blog on that" sort of way.  

Over recent months I've been busy with:

• Category management / procurement workshops - including stakeholder engagement, value levers, and creativity. Keeping the energy up, minds open and constantly looking for new ways to bring the 'theory and process' alive.
• 1:1 Coaching - OMG - I love the diversity of challenges we explore, and real difference it can make. Always searching for those powerful questions that unlock people's potential - in procurement, business and personally.
• Vlogging - thanks Tina for reminding me how much I enjoy exploring ideas this way  - even if I'm rarely in front of the camera :-). (see my YouTube channel for more)
• Writing - more very soon on this - with great things planned for 2018. 

And if that's not enough I'm still managing to open water swim here in Scotland which all adds to the high. (This picture was taken at 0745 one November morning just before sunrise with frost on the ground and an air temperature of 3 degrees. We think the sea will have been about 8 or 9!)

 

After a busy few months of workshops I've a number of new followers for this blog, and as I've also mentioned a few posts during those workshops I thought I'd provide an index of them here.

But first, a few indexes of posts any new followers might also find helpful:

• I've written a blog on that - part 1 - an index from 2 years ago of posts covering the softer skills covered on the workshops at that time (I'll add any additional ones written since then and mentioned on the workshops below) 
• The Top 10 Purchasing Coach posts - written in February this year 
• Purchasing coach's year (2016) in posts - a great insight into what I'm passionate about
• Applying unconventional tools to some of procurement's biggest challenges (those who have attended the workshops won't be surprised where this goes.)

Posts written since the last index, and mentioned either in conversation or whilst facilitating include:

• Don't leave your humanity at the door 
• Building Confidence - which for me is one of the 7 keys for optimal performance
• 10 things to remember when communicating
• Standing in the shoes of your internal stakeholders
• We see people through our own lenses
• Are you searching for 'solutions' or 'answers' - because words have power
• Is your language getting in the way of you solving your problem?
• The language of change and transformation.
• What to do when you're going around in circles 
• Where has convention ever got us? 
• How could pipe cleaners have the answer?
• When did you last have a walking meeting?
• Do you have all the information? 
• Getting on the same page as stakeholders
• A Pinterest board of examples of procurement gone wrong - because they didn't think it would happen to them
• You may also like the advent series of posts sharing more about 25 unconventional tools used in coaching, facilitation, problem solving and innovative thinking. 

And for anyone interested in reading more about the subject of the book I'm writing then do see my Landscaping Your Life blog.

I have also written a number of more procurementy posts for Future Purchasing (even if with an Alisony twist), including:

• The critical success factors of Category Management 
• Marry in haste and repent at leisure - in life and in category management 
• The similarities between Category Management and elections
• Sustainable training - getting learning to stick 
• The similarities between parenting and category management 
• Have you taken your eye off the ball on coaching?
• Inspiring creativity and innovation in your category and supplier management 
• How you can gets the most from attending workshops
• How managers can ensure their teams get the most from attending workshops
• Do you want adaptive of generative learning from your teams?
• Communicating business requirements differently.
• Do procurement find it easy to be creative? 
• Processes that drive wrong behaviour
• Procurement's sat nav
• Relationship forecasters
• Channel hopping stakeholders

I hope something here will have had you exploring a post or two, and a nugget of insight obtained as a result.

Topics for future posts always welcome (please be kind :-)). 

Discussions about opportunities to make a difference with your team most welcome too +44 (0)7770 538159 alison@alisonsmith.eu

Alison Smith

The Purchasing Coach

Unlocking personal and procurement potential - with a smidgen of unconventional tools thrown in for good measure

The Purchasing Coach: Services for 2017

Last week in my blog I explored the topics that make me tick - those topics that inspire my action (including the odd rant), and that are subjects that I share often in the procurement consultancy, speaking, training, facilitation and coaching (1:1 or 1:3) work that I do. They're also subjects that I have expertise in, enjoy, and that also make a difference when applied well.

Posts have covered the following topics (follow the hypertext link in the heading to the post I wrote on the subject):

• Procurement in large corporate organisations - because it's the environment I've worked in for over 30 years. (Did I really type that? Although more can be found about the journey of working for myself in my happy 10th anniversary blog written in March 2016.)

• Inspiring change - because effective change comes from motivated people. 

• 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! 

(The plate was made using Marianne Williamson's wonderful words - our deepest fear...)

• 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.

• 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. 

• 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. (Post script links to two posts that explain more about 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.) 

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 it can have on the individuals and teams I work with.

Another means of finding out more about who I am, what I do and the results achieved can be found be reading 2016: My year in blogs which was written at the end of 2016.

Wishing you all a wonderfully creative and inspiring 2017, 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
Using unconventional tool to unlock the potential of procurement teams

To find out more about how I might be able help you or your team to inspire change in 2017 do call me on +44(0)7770 538159 or email alison@alisonsmith.eu. I look forward to hearing from you.

The Purchasing Coach: Procurement

30+ years ago as my finals approached I still didn't know what I wanted to do, and went to see a career's adviser who said, "with your out going personality and analytical skills I'd suggest procurement is the profession for you".

And as they say - the rest is history: expediter, direct buyer, indirect buyer, category manager, procurement manager, communication and personal development manager, and for the last 10 years procurement and supply chain consultant, speaker, trainer and coach (see blogs on the enablers covered in recent category management and supplier management workshops).

After qualifying in coaching, soft skills and use of some highly unconventional tools there have been times in the last 15 years when I've thought I might like to venture into life or business coaching on a more full time basis, or considered delivering self development workshops, but the pull of procurement has always been greater.

I remember listening to this video blog a few years ago, and hearing my enthusiasm for procurement towards the end of the recording.

I realised that if you cut me through the middle it says procurement - it always has and always will be a big part of my life.

It's why I now focus on delivering the coaching, soft skills and unconventional tools to procurement professionals and teams. I understand the work procurement does, I understand best practice and the challenges of implementing it, and have certainly got the T-shirt with working with challenging stakeholders and suppliers.

It's my enthusiasm for procurement and for inspiring change within it that shines through the work I do. It's what keeps me engaged and enthused, and yes often provides the momentum for the rants shared in the blog.      

If you're in need of change in your procurement team then why not get in touch and let's explore how I may help your team achieve achieve their goals, and even exceed expectations. alison@alisonsmith.eu or +44(0)7770 538159. I look forward to hearing from you.

Alison Smith
The Purchasing Coach
Inspiring Change - inside and out

This first week of 2017 I've explored the topics that make me tick - those topics that inspire my action (including the odd rant), and that are subjects that I share often in the procurement consultancy, speaking and coaching work that I do. They're also subjects that I have expertise in, enjoy, and that also make a difference when applied well.

Posts have covered:

• 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. (Post script links to two posts that explain more about 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.) 
• Language - because words have power, and we often unconsciously use words that hinder us achieving our goals.  
• Soft skills - because if your goals rely on working with other people soft skills are the fastest way to achieving your goals
• Use of unconventional tools - as above because they're particularly good at bypassing barriers to change. 
• Inspiring change - because effective change comes from motivated people. 
• 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!  
• Procurement in large corporate organisations - because it's the environment I've worked in for over 30 years. (Did I really type that? Although more can be found on the journey of working for myself in my happy 10th anniversary blog written in March 2016.)

Another means of finding out more about who I am, what I do and the results achieved can be found be reading 2016: My year in blogs which was written at the end of 2016.

The Purchasing Coach: Creativity & Innovation

One of my Moo business cards uses the above gaping void image  

creativity always with purpose. 

Just as the use of unconventional tools I talked about yesterday is always with purpose too.

'If we keep doing what we've always done we'll get what we've always got' may be an over used saying but it's true - especially when the outcome we're getting isn't aligned with our goals. 

It's only through creativity and innovation that we can truly understand the opportunities that exist. The challenge is we so often expect creativity to appear just because we've put it on our to-do list, or by command when we all sit around the meeting table in the office, and decide there and then we're going to write a list of innovative solutions to the challenges we're facing. 

Change is never going to happen if we stay in our comfort zones and think we already know it all, or believe we've already tried it, and it didn't work! 

Change also isn't going to happen if we operate within our safe and known stereotypes. A stereotype that for procurement were described as Mr Wolf by some suppliers in 2016!  

Change comes from thinking differently, from changing our perspective, and from opening our minds to the possibilities that have yet to make themselves known.

Change might therefore come from deciding to take the red pill (see the extract from the film The Matrix below)

Or from metaphorically walking through door B (in the middle of this collage) and avoiding all the A doors around the edge that just lead us to back to what we've been doing for some time.

Change might also come from going in squares and not circles as happened on a recent workshop,

or from allowing the pipe cleaners to determine how to move from ineffective communication 

to joined up communication.

or from going for a walk 

Or any other activities that get us out of our normal way of thinking.

What gets you into a creative or innovative frame of mind, and when will you next need its support to get those creative juices flowing in order to find the solutions you're searching for, and that have thus far eluded you?

Alison Smith
The Purchasing Coach
Inspiring Change Inside and Out

This first week of 2017 I'm exploring the topics that make me tick - those topics that inspire my action (including the odd rant), and that are subjects that I share often in the procurement consultancy, speaking and coaching work that I do. They're also subjects that I have expertise in, enjoy, and that also make a difference when applied well.

Posts so far this week have covered:

• 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. 
• Language - because words have power, and we often unconsciously use words that hinder us achieving our goals.  
• Soft skills - because if your goals rely on working with other people soft skills are the fastest way to achieving your goals
• Use of unconventional tools - as above because they're particularly good at bypassing barriers to change. 
• Inspiring change - because effective change comes from motivated people. 
• Creativity and Innovation - as above.

The remaining topic to be covered tomorrow is:

• Procurement in large corporate organisations - because it's the environment I've worked in for over 30 years. (Did I really type that? Although more can be found on the journey of working for myself in my happy 10th anniversary blog written in March 2016.)

Another means of finding out more about who I am, what I do and the results achieved can be found be reading 2016: My year in blogs which was written at the end of 2016.

The Purchasing Coach: Inspiring Change

I expressed much of what I'd like to say about inspiring change in a blog last year - so I will let you read it there rather than get in trouble with the SEO police and duplicate it again.

I'll just leave you with some images from other blogs I've written to give a sense of what my passion for inspiring change is all about.

If we're resisting change through down right strength of character

or thinking the grass is greener (click image to find more of Leigh Rubin's work)

perhaps because we have our head in the sand

or we're even stuck in a rut

we may keep doing the same thing and expecting different results 

(please note: please turn down the volume before listening to this)

 or we might be feeling a little deflated 

or off colour

We need to be inspired to be the change we wish to see in the world

That inspiration can come from many different sources, and posts earlier in the week on language, soft skills, and unconventional tools, and tomorrow's on creativity and innovation can point to potential solutions. Solutions that result in

Stepping out of the rut,

turning a corner,

breaking out of the mould,

understanding other's points of view,

simply taking personal responsibility for our own actions,

knowing what we need to stop doing

or knowing where we're headed and where we are in relation to that

Where in your life do you need to be inspired to change, and what will you to today to achieve the motivation to take that action?

Alison Smith
The Purchasing Coach
Inspiring Change Inside and Out

This first week of 2017 I'm exploring the topics that make me tick - those topics that inspire my action (including the odd rant), and that are subjects that I share often in the procurement consultancy, speaking and coaching work that I do. They're also subjects that I have expertise in, enjoy, and that also make a difference when applied well.

Posts so far this week have covered:

• 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. 
• Language - because words have power, and we often unconsciously use words that hinder us achieving our goals.  
• Soft skills - because if your goals rely on working with other people soft skills are the fastest way to achieving your goals
• Use of unconventional tools - because they're particularly good at bypassing barriers to change. 
• Inspiring change - as above

Topics to be covered over the weekend include:

• Procurement in large corporate organisations - because it's the environment I've worked in for over 30 years. 
• 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!  

Another means of finding out more about who I am, what I do and the results achieved can be found be reading 2016: My year in blogs which was written at the end of 2016.