You’re as experienced and as clever as the strength and breath of your network.

You’re as experienced and as clever as the strength and breadth of your network.

Somewhere right now, a Procurement Manager is watching Home Alone 2, eating a mince pie… …satisfied they issued the RFP in time for a Jan 2nd response deadline. Listed as a core skill on their LinkedIn are the words: Supplier Relationship Management.

We went from December 1st to December 19th in 2 days

I’ve never believed in the statement: Procurement is a support function. It implies optionality and sidelining that just devalues us from the very start.

At its most fundamental level, successful influencing depends on the answer to just one question How much do people value your time?

I’ve seen Procurement done badly and the damage that can do. But when delivered well, I believe it’s the foundation and cornerstone of every successful business.

Every effective negotiation begins with alignment on just three simple things: • Vision • Principles • Numbers

Whenever I get an angry comment or someone sniping at my thoughts on here… I always check their profile to see if they ever give away any helpful tips or advice themselves. They never do. Never fails!

A barometer of how far Procurement’s progressed Will be when there are less people saying they just ‘fell into the profession’ Than those who saw it as a brilliant career option from the very start.

I once logged in for a meeting, introduced myself and a guy spoke non stop for 15 minutes. All over the place. Couldn’t even nudge in or politely interrupt to get conversation back on track. Eventually I just interrupted, said I had something come up, logged off and closed the

There’s nothing more important than the quality of the line manager you report into when it comes to your happiness at work.

All effective negotiations are delivered through just 4 simple concepts. Let that sink in. 1. BATNA and ZOPA ➟ Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement ➟ Zone of Possible Agreement 2. The 7 Principles of Negotiation ➟ Attend to Communication Issues ➟ Focus on