“Jon W. Hansen – We at least agree on the problem (~80% transformation project failure rate)… But clearly, we don’t agree on the way forward. I am for the carrot. You are for the stick. It’s as simple as that… Sticks have a way of leaving splinters.” – Joel Collin-Demers, LinkedIn Comment (October 12th, 2024)
The above admonishment I received from a young procurement colleague for my review of the Globality demo suggesting that I had somehow subjected the provider to public flogging, which would cause other solution providers to go into hiding, caught me off guard.
By the way, here are the links to the offending posts – including the detailed scolding I received from Joel. Have a read, and by all means share your thoughts:
Of course, I don’t mind being called out or challenged. By the way, Jason Busch, I consider our relationship and rapport special in that we did not always agree but spoke our minds to one another with mutual respect and a sincere desire to get it right rather than be right. I tip my hat in the same way to you, Michael Lamoureaux.
The mere act of sincere and honest assessment of a situation was not seen as a threat or taken as a personal affront. In short, we could speak our minds, without having to slap each other in the face with a white glove and demanding a duel at dawn. In short, we learned from each other and everyone else we were fortunate to have in our procurement community.
It took me a good night’s sleep to think about how to respond to the young Mr. Collin-Demers. In the old days, when such scuffing of feelings would result in hurt bordering on outrage, being told to rub some dirt on the wound or suck it up immediately came to mind. After all, if Globality’s psyche is so fragile that they can’t take genuine feedback in which there were also some positive things said, they are definitely not a provider with whom I would like to work.
Fortunately, the patience that comes with experience got the better of me, and such responses were relegated to a reminiscent smile of a seemingly long-forgotten past because, at the end of the day, consensus is not what we should be seeking. In this regard, I agree with Joel’s acceptance that the “80% transformation project failure rate” is what’s important.
So, I will do just that.
Hurt Feelings Versus Poor Outcomes
To start, I am going to share a few links with you – which are just the tip of the iceberg:
With VA procurement, the level of service and care veterans receive should be the primary focus . . . (pay particular attention to the Bay Pines incident and the resulting congressional hearings)
Once again, the above are just three of many real-world case examples from the Procurement Insights archive.
While I will leave it to you to review the above links at your convenience, I want to share these closing thoughts with you:
In 2005, a General in the Department of National Defence told me that, unlike any other procurement practice, lives could be at stake if the military supply chain isn’t operating efficiently or breaks down. He then gave me a Cornelius military pin to remind me of the importance of my work.
While I have always believed that the supply chain touches every area of our everyday lives, most of the time, we don’t think about it. However, the General’s words took on a whole new depth of meaning when COVID hit because, without the supply chains that continued to function despite the challenges of a global shutdown, I am confident that lives would have been impacted even more significantly than they tragically were.
So, Joel Collin-Demers, I am sorry if you felt that I scuffed the shiny apple of Globality’s demo and trivialized the quest for the coveted “ProcureTech Cup” by offering both positive feedback and constructive criticism.
Now, here are the “cruel to be kind words” that the up-and-coming generation of procurement professionals will benefit from hearing:
2025 will be a very difficult year for most solution providers, and only those with the most robust constitution will survive.
If, as Joel suggests, reviews like mine will cause solution providers to stop giving demos, then they better close shop now because they don’t have what it takes to do business in a world that is becoming increasingly demanding, impatient, and in some ways unforgiving.
Finally, if we don’t correct course today, we will have this very same discussion about the high rate of initiative failures 15 years from now.
It is time we stopped letting PR and marketing people run our narrative. By the way, I am not saying all PR and marketing people are shooting glitter, so please don’t take offense as a profession, as some of my best and most respected friends are in PR and marketing. What I am saying is that there are things far more important than good press and shiny brochures touting generalized platitudes.
The only thing that ultimately matters is how we stop the high rate of generational initiative failures. Let’s not let that get lost in the marketing hoopla.
Procurement Insights
Scuffing Apples: A Milillenial Scolds A Boomer For Being Too Harsh
Posted on October 13, 2024
0
“Jon W. Hansen – We at least agree on the problem (~80% transformation project failure rate)… But clearly, we don’t agree on the way forward. I am for the carrot. You are for the stick. It’s as simple as that… Sticks have a way of leaving splinters.” – Joel Collin-Demers, LinkedIn Comment (October 12th, 2024)
The above admonishment I received from a young procurement colleague for my review of the Globality demo suggesting that I had somehow subjected the provider to public flogging, which would cause other solution providers to go into hiding, caught me off guard.
By the way, here are the links to the offending posts – including the detailed scolding I received from Joel. Have a read, and by all means share your thoughts:
Globality Demo > The Road to the ProcureTech Cup: Episode 25-06
Why do we hesitate to ask the honest, hard questions?
Of course, I don’t mind being called out or challenged. By the way, Jason Busch, I consider our relationship and rapport special in that we did not always agree but spoke our minds to one another with mutual respect and a sincere desire to get it right rather than be right. I tip my hat in the same way to you, Michael Lamoureaux.
The mere act of sincere and honest assessment of a situation was not seen as a threat or taken as a personal affront. In short, we could speak our minds, without having to slap each other in the face with a white glove and demanding a duel at dawn. In short, we learned from each other and everyone else we were fortunate to have in our procurement community.
It took me a good night’s sleep to think about how to respond to the young Mr. Collin-Demers. In the old days, when such scuffing of feelings would result in hurt bordering on outrage, being told to rub some dirt on the wound or suck it up immediately came to mind. After all, if Globality’s psyche is so fragile that they can’t take genuine feedback in which there were also some positive things said, they are definitely not a provider with whom I would like to work.
Fortunately, the patience that comes with experience got the better of me, and such responses were relegated to a reminiscent smile of a seemingly long-forgotten past because, at the end of the day, consensus is not what we should be seeking. In this regard, I agree with Joel’s acceptance that the “80% transformation project failure rate” is what’s important.
So, I will do just that.
Hurt Feelings Versus Poor Outcomes
To start, I am going to share a few links with you – which are just the tip of the iceberg:
With VA procurement, the level of service and care veterans receive should be the primary focus . . . (pay particular attention to the Bay Pines incident and the resulting congressional hearings)
A Canadian view of the NHS procurement controversy in the UK (Part 1 of 2) by Jon Hansen
SAP White Paper – https://www.slideshare.net/piblogger/sap-a-propensity-for-failure
Once again, the above are just three of many real-world case examples from the Procurement Insights archive.
While I will leave it to you to review the above links at your convenience, I want to share these closing thoughts with you:
In 2005, a General in the Department of National Defence told me that, unlike any other procurement practice, lives could be at stake if the military supply chain isn’t operating efficiently or breaks down. He then gave me a Cornelius military pin to remind me of the importance of my work.
While I have always believed that the supply chain touches every area of our everyday lives, most of the time, we don’t think about it. However, the General’s words took on a whole new depth of meaning when COVID hit because, without the supply chains that continued to function despite the challenges of a global shutdown, I am confident that lives would have been impacted even more significantly than they tragically were.
So, Joel Collin-Demers, I am sorry if you felt that I scuffed the shiny apple of Globality’s demo and trivialized the quest for the coveted “ProcureTech Cup” by offering both positive feedback and constructive criticism.
Now, here are the “cruel to be kind words” that the up-and-coming generation of procurement professionals will benefit from hearing:
It is time we stopped letting PR and marketing people run our narrative. By the way, I am not saying all PR and marketing people are shooting glitter, so please don’t take offense as a profession, as some of my best and most respected friends are in PR and marketing. What I am saying is that there are things far more important than good press and shiny brochures touting generalized platitudes.
The only thing that ultimately matters is how we stop the high rate of generational initiative failures. Let’s not let that get lost in the marketing hoopla.
30
Share this:
Related