What to do in your first 90 days leading a procurement division

Changing jobs or even organisations can be daunting. Managing the change is a strategic process requiring a strong sense of visionary leadership, a clear picture of the objective and reasons and a strong process of communication and involvement.

Sanet Shepperson, a Procurement Executive at Cell C, provides a ‘play book’ on how to walk in, take the reins and lead a procurement department.

As a professional you have been headhunted and you will be starting your dream procurement leadership position in 30 days. This can be any leadership position.

Before you start: gather intelligence

From your internal stakeholders:

• Request the organogram of the department that you will be managing. Request the team’s CVs, titles, job specs, agreed working hours, daily attendance register, sick leave and disciplinary action, if any.
• Review their social media profiles; this will give you an indication of their personalities and the type of management style needed.
• Request declarations of connections to suppliers.
• Request procurement budgets from finance.

From your fellow executives:

• Review executives on social media so that when you meet you will have a connection point.

From external stakeholders:

• Request a report on the main suppliers.
• Review suppliers on the internet to understand their goals, objectives, annual reports and financials.
• Identify the main opposition; understand their needs and their tactics in competing for the same resources you are competing for.

Once you have completed the above you will be prepared to engage with your new team.

During the first 30 days in your leadership position…