Episode show notes
“Everyone should be learning right through their career. It’s actually the power of saying very little, and listening.”
Soft skills are an undoubtedly vital part of any procurement professional’s skillset, but it’s such a vague term for something so key.
That’s why Tom Mills’ advocacy for soft skill development makes him the perfect guest on Talent Talks for a two-part discussion around how new professionals can stay a cut above the rest.
Join us for part 1 with Tom, where he covers the specific skills to develop, a comprehensive approach to stakeholder management, and the challenging language pervading the industry.
This episode of Talent Talks covers:
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- Why soft skills have evolved to become 10 times more important than before
- Which specific soft skills are best for budding procurement professionals to develop
- Flipping the narrative in stakeholder management
- The language of procurement and whether it clouds the understanding of how essential soft skills can be
The Talent Talks Podcast is proudly sponsored by Staverton Consulting. Staverton Consulting delivers tangible and sustainable cost reduction as well as reducing business risks throughout the supply chain for private equity backed businesses, SME’S and growth companies. For more information please head to stavertonconsulting.com.
Episode highlights
“Soft skills is a general term, but critical thinking and emotional intelligence are key.” – 4:20 – Tom Mills
““I flipped the narrative – rather than asking what we’re buying and how we’ll buy it, I ask why we’re buying and what’s important for the customer.” – 7:40 – Tom Mills
““I’m always learning, and I think everyone should be learning right through their career. It’s actually the power of saying very little and listening. I find that you can learn so much if you listen to understand rather than listening to respond.” – 10:30 – Tom Mills
“There’s inconsistent understanding of procurement’s role across organisations, which could come from the evolution of procurement being a low level of maturity.” – 20:50 – Tom Mills
Links & references
Tom Mills – https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-mills-procurement/
Bibby Financial Services – https://www.bibbyfinancialservices.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/bibbyfinancialservices/
Martin Smith, Founder & Director of Talent Drive – https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinsmith2009/
