I’ll admit it. I was pulling for the Falcons. Even though I lived in Atlanta for six years, I didn’t really have a stake in the game—I was never a big fan. It’s not that I’m not into sports—I was a huge Braves fan when I lived in Atlanta (when they went from worst to first) and I can tell you the names of every Golden State Warrior who was traded for Kevin Durant. Seriously. But this Super Bowl for me was a little like the election—I was rooting against one team more than pulling for another.
Now picture this…we’re watching the game at a friend’s house. We wisely recorded it so we could enjoy the good commercials and skip through the bad. It’s the 3rd quarter and the Patriots finally score a touchdown. Knowing that the Pats would still need two touchdowns, two 2-point conversions and a field goal in order to TIE the game, the odds were against them. Seemingly impossible. Now fast forward to the final two minutes. Under Tom Brady’s leadership, they’ve tightened the score to 28:20 and are driving the ball. And then it stops. What?! The DVR had STOPPED RECORDING THE GAME. That’s right. One of the best 4th quarters in Super Bowl history and the only one to ever go into overtime and we missed it.
To say I was shocked by the outcome would be an understatement. Atlanta had controlled most of the game. But as I reflect on the day, I can’t help but think of the valuable lessons it reinforced:
Last week I had the honor of giving the closing session at SIG’s latest event on my side of the Atlantic: the SIGnature event in London, hosted by Mayer Brown. At that event, Peter Dickinson, global co-lead of Mayer Brown’s Business & Technology Transactions practice (and a great friend of SIG) gave a fantastic presentation in the morning on “Reimagining Sourcing for the Digital Age” where he looking at emerging technologies and services, the benefits and challenges that they provide, and why a new approach to sourcing is required when it comes to operating in this brave new world.
Sourcing and outsourcing lawyers benefit from a very useful – if hard-earned - combination of perspectives, in that they are as deeply immersed as anyone in the minutiae of specific deals while at the same time needing to maintain as broad an understanding as possible of the macro-level trends and developments driving the evolution of the space: it’s impossible to serve a client adequately, let alone superlatively, without knowing what’s happening far beyond the confines of one deal and/or partnership. Peter demonstrated to our London attendees just how potent that mix of perspectives can prove with a fascinating “state of the nation” address examining how the key emergent technologies are driving change in the outsourcing landscape, in how providers are serving their clients (and who’s doing both buying and selling), and in how corporate strategies and behavior are being transformed by an extraordinary complexity of overlapping factors – all illustrated on a micro level by well-chosen examples pulled from the extensive experience of Peter and his team at Mayer Brown.
Another year is upon us and we have 49-some weeks to implement and perfect our resolutions. You have probably already promised yourself to spend more time with family, hit the gym more often, cut your carb intake and adopt a more positive attitude. These are fantastic goals, but achieving them will be difficult if you have not also determined how to better manage your time in order to accommodate these goals. Here are a few best practices and recommendations for managing your time better.
Delete Unnecessary Email Real-time
If a message is not important or does not require follow-up or saving, delete it immediately after reading it. You do not even have to move your mouse, just a simple CTRL + D will get rid of that message (you can do this directly from your Inbox). You should also sweep your Inbox daily. Deleting unnecessary messages real-time will help that sweep go much quicker.
Categorize, Color and Document Your Tasks
Another great practice is to categorize every task you need to undertake. In Outlook, you can use the Tag feature to assign a Category (with a color code) to every email received. I have never found a to-do app that was more effective and useful than my old-fashioned handwritten list. So, as I write tasks on my to-do list, I also assign a color category to them. Regardless of how you track your tasks, as you perform each task write down how much time was spent addressing the task. At the end of the day or week (depending on the urgency of the assignment), create a color-coded matrix of how much time was spent on each task. This has really helped me understand where I waste my time and how long it really takes to complete an assignment - which is especially helpful as more urgent items arrive on my desk. This way I can project how much time I can spend on an unexpected task and still accomplish my scheduled tasks.
Take that Break
Mary Zampino, Senior Director of Global Sourcing Intelligence, SIG
In our final installment in the discussion on the importance of education and the value of options like SIG University, Jamie Liddell shares key takeaways from students who hailed from Honda North America, PNM Resources and Florida Blue.
Students Become Teachers An "enthusiasm for feedback" was highlighted by Esteban Valenzuela, a project manager with Honda North America Indirect Procurement, as a critical aspect of SIG University. According to Esteban, the suggestions made by the students as they went through the course as to how it might be improved were assessed, and solutions implemented in real time by the SIG U staff (in Esteban's words, "Throughout the course I have made many recommendations and the SIG staff have already made many changes.")
Having come to the end of the course and with the ability to look back holistically on the experience, we asked our students what other suggestions they could make to keep SIG University firmly on the continuous improvement pathway. Without revealing too much, the depth and variety of the feedback (from the structural - with Tammy Way, a Sourcing Consultant for Generation at PNM Resources, who suggested we launch two new certifications; to the tactical - with Esteban’s advice to develop workbooks, videos and enhanced interactivity) was heartwarming evidence of the degree to which the students had embraced the course and wished to contribute their own efforts to SIG University's success: exactly the kind of philosophy which SIG U and the broader SIG family seek to develop within the sourcing profession as a whole.
Jamie Liddell, Editor, Outsource and Co-Head of EMEA, SIG
In our second installment in the discussion on the value of education and more specifically a SIG U education, we discuss preconceived ideas and expectations. After the first class of students completed the training, SIG and Outsource’s Jamie Liddell interviewed students from Honda North America, PNM Resources and Florida Blue for candid opinions.
Preconceptions and Prejudices Any prospective student contemplating a particular course will have preconceived ideas – however inaccurate – of that course and the institution providing it. In the case of this first cohort of students, of course, there was no existing commentary available to them from previous graduates of this specific course which could colour their expectations; nevertheless, the students could build a certain perspective on the reputation enjoyed by SIG itself – and for Tammy Way, a Sourcing Consultant for Generation at PNM Resources, this in particular gave rise to high expectations indeed: “Given SIG’s buy-side focus and collaborative knowledge sharing approach to just about everything, I fully expected the program to involve trainers from very diverse buying experiences who encouraged others to engage in discussions, share experiences and knowledge, and freely exchange tools and templates aimed at making the work a little lighter for all of us.” Thankfully, she added, “The course did not disappoint.”
Jamie Liddell, Editor, Outsource and Co-Head of EMEA, SIG
“Education,” wrote John Dewey, “is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” That’s a philosophy that SIG has from its inception held very close to its heart: the idea that throughout our lives and our careers we should continue to learn and develop, not simply for the benefits that learning brings us – and our community – professionally but also because education is a good in itself. Hence the strong focus at SIG’s Summits, Symposiums and Roundtables, in our webinars and our Student Talent Outreach program – truly, in everything we do – on growing our members’ knowledge and understanding of the practice of sourcing and the environment within which we work.
Jamie Liddell, Editor, Outsource and Co-Head of EMEA, SIG
Few areas of the economy have faced stronger headwinds over the past year than those occupied by commodity manufacturers. Chemicals, steel and plastics are all feeling the effects of China's economic slowdown in a highly competitive and price sensitive marketplace. Many of the top commodity manufacturing firms have reacted decisively to these conditions; however, after the first wave of layoffs are complete and excessive overhead costs are reined in, the prospects still remain gloomy. The sustained impact of depressed demand and oversupply are forcing executives to look inward for additional, innovative sources of cost savings. The positive news for many organizations is that the "good years" of strong demand and rising prices have left behind pockets of inefficiency and waste that can be structurally addressed in the interest of long-term corporate competitiveness. A few examples of such opportunities are as follows:
The digital era is creating new paradigms as it relates to commercial relationships between business and individuals. It's not a new concept, but it is getting stronger each day and changing the way people contract services and products. The sharing economy is a system in which its users share and exchange goods and services through digital platforms.
Uber and Airbnb are some of the most popular examples that are revolutionizing the market, with their respective target markets in the transportation and accommodation industry. Could this new business model also change how organizations contract services and products? Could the new sharing economy open up opportunities for organizations to achieve their constant search for cost optimization?
The benefits that emerging businesses in this space can bring include the provision of cost-effective services and products with reduced lead times. Additionally, these technological applications help to identify available resources in a certain geographic proximity that meets the needs of a company. Another benefit is to directly contract services eliminating the brokerage relationships characteristic of the truckload and 3PL Industry. The Uber model could change and replace traditional freight brokers. Right now there are some companies preparing to support this new business model which gives small truckers the opportunity to offer their spare capacity and resources.
With global sports industry revenues over $145Bn and growing at a rate of 3.7% over the past 4 years, it is evident now more than ever, that behind the tackles and buzzer beaters, sports remains a business. Negotiations in business are usually governed by several tangible measurable data points that are indicative of future performance. Given below are a few aspects that are unique to negotiations in the sports industry:
After a period of immense volatility, the banking sector appears to be reaching some level of normalcy. The financial crisis of 2008 was the trigger for drastic changes in the way the industry manages spend. As revenue streams froze and the spending behaviors of banks become front-page news, procurement was invariably thrust into the spotlight as a means of preserving the reputation and profitability of these organizations. Procurement teams operating in the banking environment face a challenging landscape when it comes to controlling spend. A great deal of change is needed, both structurally and culturally before banks can truly take control of their spend. However, procurement technology, if used effectively, can be a vital catalyst for these required changes.
What are they buying? Banks are essentially service organizations. The vast majority of their spend passes the professional service category (roughly 40%) in the form of management consultants and other temporary workers. Information technology and facilities management make up the next largest spend categories accounting for roughly 20% of total spend each. Spend on services is traditionally more difficult to analyze, understand and control than spend on goods, and this presents a challenge for a service heavy industry like banking. However, by leveraging procurement technologies, leading banks are addressing these areas with great success.
Diptarup Chakraborti, Vice President, Global Marketing, Zycus
Lessons in Leadership from the Super Bowl
I’ll admit it. I was pulling for the Falcons. Even though I lived in Atlanta for six years, I didn’t really have a stake in the game—I was never a big fan. It’s not that I’m not into sports—I was a huge Braves fan when I lived in Atlanta (when they went from worst to first) and I can tell you the names of every Golden State Warrior who was traded for Kevin Durant. Seriously. But this Super Bowl for me was a little like the election—I was rooting against one team more than pulling for another.
Now picture this…we’re watching the game at a friend’s house. We wisely recorded it so we could enjoy the good commercials and skip through the bad. It’s the 3rd quarter and the Patriots finally score a touchdown. Knowing that the Pats would still need two touchdowns, two 2-point conversions and a field goal in order to TIE the game, the odds were against them. Seemingly impossible. Now fast forward to the final two minutes. Under Tom Brady’s leadership, they’ve tightened the score to 28:20 and are driving the ball. And then it stops. What?! The DVR had STOPPED RECORDING THE GAME. That’s right. One of the best 4th quarters in Super Bowl history and the only one to ever go into overtime and we missed it.
To say I was shocked by the outcome would be an understatement. Atlanta had controlled most of the game. But as I reflect on the day, I can’t help but think of the valuable lessons it reinforced: