
Today’s post is the third in a three-part series by author, PI Window on Business host, and ProcurementInsights.com blogger, Jon Hansen. Part One of this series on Vendor Blogs can be found here, and Part Two on Interactive Intelligence can be found here.
Special Introduction to Procurement Professionals, from John:
Some may suggest that Social Media, the “Power of Publicity” and “Increasing Your Profile,” have very little to do with the world of procurement. However, and as we are finding out, by not paying attention to these important areas of professional development it can, and often does have serious consequences regardless of your profession or area of practice. Just ask the individuals whose expertise is in the areas of Lean and Six Sigma.
Amongst the first to be laid off in large numbers were those professionals whose very role was to drive the efficiencies and savings that were supposedly indispensable during an economic downturn.
As we have discovered in recent segments of the PI Window on Business Show, remaining part of the faceless herd no longer guarantees job security, let alone advancement within an organization.
It is within this renewed lens that I invite you to listen to my interview with Marsha Friedman. My own thoughts on the interview follow, below.
Why Purchasing Professionals Should Care About Personal Branding
There were many tremendous insights provided in my September 17th broadcast in which national radio show host, author and Public Relations Genius Marsha Friedman shared the “Three Step Method to Increasing Your Profile and Exploding Your Business” from her new book “Celebritize Yourself.”
One piece of advice that Marsha gave in terms of helping people to Stand Up and Stand Out in the ephemeral world of social media is to “write a book.”
While writing a book may be too ambitious a task or perhaps even a tad overkill for most purchasing professionals the strong underlying message is simply this: Have you done anything to build your personal brand and community of first level contacts?
As you know, it has always been my belief that purchasing professionals are more than the positions they hold in a company. Like CIOs and CFOs, the artificially established historical boundaries associated with functional silos are becoming blurred. This means that the traditional, and in retrospect narrow, definitions of one’s duties are ceding to a more holistic or enterprise-wide understanding of the many operational areas that were previously off limits.
Included in this broader horizon, is the need to effectively communicate and establish a brand presence with what is a diverse group of internal, as well as external stakeholders. Many with whom the average purchasing professional has had little if any interaction.
This of course doesn’t mean ignoring the indigenous or traditional aspects of purchasing. What it does mean is that we now have to view the world though a more enlightened lens that takes into account a bigger role on a much larger stage.
The challenge however is that the stage is becoming increasingly crowded which means that standing out and securing your future requires considerably more than just being good at your job. Here of course, is the rub: Fear of self-promotion is the problem.
According to a recent study, “The fear of self-promotion is a condition in which even highly competent people receive far less in position, compensation and recognition than they feel they deserve. Doing the best job doesn’t always get the best rewards. Those rewards tend to go to people who promote themselves, what they’ve done and what they can do.”
Now I am not talking about the get up on the soapbox and broadcast yourself to the world mindset. As the international guest panel of experts on my June 4th segment “The Psychology of Social Networking” stated with absolute certainty, telling the world how great you are will get you nowhere in a hurry.
It is therefore important to remember that those individuals who are most adept at leveraging social networking and social media start off by becoming involved in a group or a community of mutual interest. They then look for ways to make a contribution to the group or community as a whole by responding to questions and sharing expertise.
In the process, these individuals build a reputation for making a positive contribution and, as a result establish their personal brand as experts in their respective areas of practice. In short, personal branding is getting involved and delivering value to those with whom you come into contact and associate with on a regular basis.
Think of social networking as an accelerated multiplier in that it enables you to reach more people in a short period of time from the convenience of a single location. You just add the value.