How to Capitalise on Procurement Career Moments that Matter
In procurement, we like to think that every day – and every little thing we do – matters. And certainly, at the time, whatever we do does matter and it all contributes to us making a meaningful difference at work.
But, here’s the thing. Careers are not made or broken by small tasks; they are made or broken by patterns of behaviour and achievement. Mostly, small wins don’t matter: they only matter in the cumulative.
If you look back at how the most successful people got to where they are today, often people, and especially women, attribute their success to good luck. The reality is, though, that luck never has much to do with it. Instead, successful people are very good at identifying what moments matter, and making the most of these opportunities.
So, from a career, how do you know what matters? And how can you ensure that you take advantage of the most important moments and opportunities?
Defining objectives
From a career perspective, there is not one definitive answer to ‘what matters’ as what matters to you, may not matter to the next person.
Understanding what matters first starts with defining objectives.
And one of the best way to start to define your own objectives is to start with what matters to you most: your values.
As a procurement professional, what you value may (and in fact, should) change over the course of your career. Perhaps you’ve recently graduated, are extremely ambitious, and are more than happy to do whatever it takes to progress? Or perhaps you’re nearing the end of your career, and you’re more interested in contributing your wealth of knowledge on a part-time basis?
Your objectives, and identifying the moments that matter, will be intrinsically linked to what you value at work. For example, if you’re an ambitious recent graduate, the moments that matter for you might be looking for, and securing, an influential mentor or sponsor.
If you’re nearing the end of your career, the moments that matter could be the reverse: you might seek out opportunities to partner with a mentee to guide them, but also learn some new skills they have, but that you haven’t yet mastered.
Whatever stage you’re at, it’s important to define what matters to you and how you want to work, and to translate these into a career plan.
Amplifying your presence
Goals, objectives and values is where you start in identifying career moments that matter. Actually capitalising on them, though, requires amplifying your presence. Because, after all, opportunities will only come to those who people notice and remember.
Yet amplifying your presence, especially if you’re a female in procurement, can be a little challenging.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, much of the world switched to working from home entirely. At the time, some argued that the move would disproportionately benefit women, as they could now take advantage of flexibility while juggling other commitments. Others, however, argued that, with many children now at home because schools were closed, a ‘pink recession’ was underway where women were having to home-school their children and being forced to give up their jobs as a result. No one could seem to decide then – and now – whether working from home was actually more productive or not.
While the outcome wasn’t clear, one thing was: post-pandemic, many companies have opted for a hybrid model. This often gives employees choice – which is definitely a good thing – but it seems that women could still be at a disadvantage.
For the reasons that remote work was so beneficial in the first place, many women opt to work more from home. This can reduce their access to important opportunities to amplify their presence, including to mentoring and sponsorship. It can also lead to misassumptions about commitment and difficulty in speaking up and being heard.
Working hard to amplify your presence, including powerful communication, showcasing your expertise, networking, and participating in industry conversations, is particularly important to ensure you’re noticed and have access to career moments that matter.
Leaving a last mark
Working hard, working strategically, and amplifying your presence are key strategies to ensure you can make the most of career moments that matter.
But in addition to these, it’s also important to put effort into leaving your mark.
But what does this look like?
One particular concern for women in procurement is that often, despite their achievements, they don’t want to speak up, for fear of looking boastful. This uncertainty can also translate into what opportunities they put their hand up: research shows that women are unlikely to apply for jobs unless they meet 100% of the criteria.
In order to capitalise on moments that matter, it’s important to measure and communicate your impact. In procurement, this almost always looks like measuring and communicating what you’ve achieved vis-a-vis the strategic and commercial objectives of your organisation. When doing so, it’s important to always strive to innovate, so as what you do is truly noticed.
Where do you want to be in a few years? What matters most to you? Will you be able to recognise great opportunities and perform when it’s most important. Our BRAVO women’s leadership program will show you how to do this, plus much more.
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