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Blog
Placing Orders Is Not Enough
June 20, 2007
Most employees want to do a good job and most feel they are doing a good job. They feel they are accomplishing all the things they were hired to do. The question is, “Would you give someone a big raise or a promotion if they were just doing the job you hired them for?” Employers are saying, to get a big reward, it is not enough to simply do your job. It is not enough if you are simply placing orders quickly when you receive requisitions. It is probably not enough to be considered for a promotion even though you believe you are negotiating big savings.
What should you do? The American Purchasing Society says you should be prepared for emergencies, be able to plan and anticipate supplier problems so most of the time they can be avoided. When problems do appear, you need to be prepared and ready to solve them and to prevent them in the future.
One of the best managers I worked for in the Briggs-Weaver days was a manager that always said, “I don’t listen to problems, I listen to solutions.” He said it is like driving a car, if you head for a ditch, you pull away from the ditch; if you can’t get the car back on the road, then come to me. Most employees felt he was a hard person to work for. If you handled your work, learned to find solutions, asked for help when needed, you received his help and you learned a lot along the way. He was quick to reply. He gave you the authority to handle your problems. He did not micromanage.
One suggestion I saw recently was to keep up to date on the latest developments in your profession. Read and learn about your products and your industry, so that you become an expert and so people come to you for answers. Develop alliances by letting colleagues know news about the industry.
With the automation in purchasing, many people look at us as button pushers. We need to revert back to the day when buyers were trained in the products they purchased. Suppliers would offer training in their products to sales and include the buyers. We are making a mistake by just letting the sales get trained in this. Knowledge in a product line can save you time and money.
Posted by Mary Walker on June 20, 2007 | Comments (0)