The first 100 days in a new procurement role should be used to “pull information” from stakeholders, the top buyer at Aspen Group has said.
Buyers who are starting as head of procurement in a new organisation should avoid over-selling themselves or the function when first meeting new stakeholders, said Michael Pearson, group head of procurement at insurance firm Aspen. Instead use those initial interactions to learn about the culture of the business they’ve just entered.
“I strongly believe that you make a much better impression if you listen,” he said. “We’re passionate about the benefit procurement can bring to an organisation, we want to talk about all the good things we’ve done elsewhere, [but] that probably isn’t really what the stakeholders want to hear.
“I think you’ll make a much better impression if you pull from them information about their concerns, about their department, about their business.”
Speaking at eWorld in London, Pearson said listening to stakeholders can help buyers understand the culture of an organisation they are new to. “The reason that’s so important is because I really strongly believe that the success of you and your team [depends on] how closely aligned you are to the cause of the organisation.”
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