A recent article in the CPO Agenda had some good Dos and Don’ts of Procurement Leadership that are worth repeating. Today we’re going to dive into five of the don’ts and put an SI slant on them. DON’T:

• Overpromise

  Procurement still doesn’t have the recognition that Marketing, Sales, Legal, and other traditional business functions have. And we’re not going to get it if we set expectations we can’t deliver on. So while it’s important to promise (almost) as much as you can to get notice, it’s even more important not to over-promise.

• Overreact

  You’re going to face countless challenges and frustrations on a daily basis. It’s part of the job. Trust in your ability, and that of your team, to get through it, because if you overreact, the C-suite might think that maybe you’re not ready to be a business leader and even considering outsourcing your department and you.

• Limit Your Ambitions

  A CPO is an agent for change. You should always be striving to find ways to do better.

• Miss An Opportunity

  Be sure to sell your success ever time you’re in front of a C-Suite Executive or a Board Member. It’s part of The Quest for Purchasing Fire.

• Spread Yourself Too Thin

  Be sure to focus on the biggest priorities and cost reduction opportunities first. There’s always next year for the other opportunities, and maybe changing market conditions will allow for greater cost reductions on those opportunities next year. If you’re not sure where to start, do a spend analysis. After all, with a real spend analysis tool, the traditional reasons why data analysis is avoided are irrelevant.