I can feel the frustration

• I can feel the frustration.
• I can feel me digging in my heels.
• I can me whispering “over my dead body”.
• I can sense the dogged resistance to them getting their own way.
• I will not give up.
• They will not win.

I wonder if this ever how procurement stakeholders feel about us?

I wonder if this is ever how suppliers feel about us?

The content & details of the non work situation driving this behaviour in me is immaterial – even if I would love to gossip, moan & justify why I’m right & they’re wrong.

That’s going to get me nowhere.

If I step back, I can certainly see the behaviours that got us here:

• Changes imposed on another party with no consultation.
• An objection procedure that relies on emails/letters & no human contact.
• Facts & data ignored if it supports a different outcome or amended outcome.
• Ignoring other people's opinions because we've labeled them as NIMBYs 
• Key facts & data misrepresented or omitted at the final presentation.
• Only one party in attendance when approving the decision.

And

• Emails written when angry.
• Emails that stray from the facts & data.
• Emails that push the other party to defending their position.
• Not pushing hard enough for a face to face meeting.
• Not talking to another human being.

Which of the above behaviours may you need to step back from today?

There is another way, and among other things it involves: 

• Consultation 
• Communication 
• Compassion.

Join me for the 5 day Procurement Mindset Challenge on 9th September where alternate mindsets to the ones that led to the mutual frustration and impasse above will be explored.

5 day Procurement Mindset challenge

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” Aristotle

In the procurement mindset 5 day challenge starting on 9^th September we’ll be looking at ways of making a supportive mindset a habit.

Not in my back yard!

Are you listening to the “Not In My Back Yard” Procurement stakeholders in your life, or judging them as moaning Minnies defending their own self interest against a greater good?

NIMBYs are a pain, right?

As I reflect on my continued disagreement with the local council it certainly feels like I'm being judged as a NIMBY.

As I woke early, still feeling very frustrated, I realised how I'm feeling might just be how our stakeholders feel when resisting one of our brilliant strategies.

It's a feeling that's arisen from behaviours that certainly turn up in the many stories of procurement gone wrong (I have a Pinterest board full of the horror stories if you're interested).

Behaviours that include:

X relying on written communication
X avoiding face-to-face communication
X decisions approved behind closed doors
X not providing full details of the reasons and benefits for the strategy
X not providing the facts and data to support the reasons and benefits
X not addressing stakeholder facts, data, and concerns

I wonder how much of the behaviour we've experienced from the council is because we've been judged as NIMBYs. As if we and our concerns are invalid and are, therefore, dismissed because we're negatively impacted.

How do you handle NIMBYs in your life?