10 best ways to up skill

8/8/2019 10 Best Ways to Up Skill

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Hello and Welcome

10 Best Ways to Upskill Yourself...

... and Boost Your Job Prospects in the Process!

s you read through these 10 Best Ways and how they canhelp you youll easily be in a position to make a difference toyour organisation and your career more easily and more often.

In fact:

It is the lack of knowledge and application of these 10 Best Ways thatstops more procurement professionals making more money than any

other single factor.

Over the years, working with large and small organisations in both thepublic and private sectors, I have seen procurement people fail to take full advantageof these 10 Best Ways and as a result fail to get the breakthrough in their careerprogression that was available to them. They have had to settle for mediocreperformance at best when outstanding results were possible.

Ive made this report as brief as possible but at the same time, I

have given you everything you need to know about the10 BEST WAYS TO UPSKILL YOURSELF.

No padding or waffle just useableideas you can put into action immediately!

But one more thing before we start:

ASteve Carter

Procurement

Practitioner and

Consultant

10 Best Ways to Upskill Yourself ...

... and Boost Your Job Prospects in the Process!


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That is, why should you listen to me?

A good question and one that I would ask if I was in your shoes.

The reason is that I have been working for more than 20 years with organisations,

both large and small, in the public and private sectors. I have done this both as apractitioner (I have held senior line positions in purchasing and supply functions withmajor US and UK multinationals) and as a consultant. In that time I have workedwith hundreds of people perfecting the ideas I will share with you today ... so theyare all tried and tested methods that work.

The next question I know you want to ask is ... Why would Steve giveme this FREE report on the 10 Best Ways to Upskill Myself?

You may not have phrased the question quite like that true?

But you still knew deep inside that there must be a reason (or catch!) for me to taketime out from my busy consulting practice to write this report and build the websitethat goes with it yes?

Well, here is the reason:

The reason WHY I wanted you to have this important report was to do a number ofimportant things:-

I only wanted to give the report to people who were serious about taking control of

their career, whether this be in the private or public sector (and there are moresimilarities between the two than are often acknowledged) and helping theirorganisation in the process

This report, I hoped, would show anyone that read through it that I do have somegreat ideas practical ideas for improving individuals procurement effectiveness

Once someone reads this report they will be more positively inclined to take a look atthe paid for services I offer (informational products, software, online coaching andconsulting)

Its a good way to start a relationship with a new client by ...

... making the first sale an easy sale

And whats easier than a FREE product to start!

Does all of that make sense to you?

Good!

Then lets start.


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Once upon a time I knew a procurement officer who continually complained that hereceived no recognition for his work from his Chief Executive. He was convincedthat his career was being held back because his CEO did not recognise the value headded. It got to the stage where he approached his CEO one day in the car parkand told him about his frustration.

The CEOs reply was illuminating.

He said that he looked at procurement people in the same way that he did the frontwheel of his car. He didnt pat his front wheel every day and thank it for getting himsafely from one place to another it was the wheels function in life to do exactlythat.

However, if he ever had a tyre blow out, he would be eternally grateful that he hadchosen the right wheel for the job!

The message that my friend drew from this was that the value his CEO attributed toprocurement was to keep him and the organisation out of trouble! In other words,procurement, in the CEOs eyes, was to act as a policeman and security expert make sure we stick to the rules, keep us away from risk and sort it out quickly andeffectively if things go wrong!

This CEO had no understanding of how procurement could help to drive hisorganisation forward and add significant value. Without this understanding, it isdifficult to get a seat at the top table in other words, become a Director or VP ofyour organisation.

The way, then to boost your career prospects is to equip yourself with the means ofadding value, deliver that value and then shout it from the rooftops!

Here are the 10 Best Ways I have seen over the years for doing this.

Way #1: Set and Achieve Audacious Goals

If your organisation is in the private sector, the two things thatare continually on the mind of your CEO or MD are: how do I

make this organisation more profitable? and how do I makesure that we are not running any risks that could destroy thecompany?

If you work in the public sector, risk is still one of the two topitems for your CEO but profit is not a consideration. Theequivalent in the public sector is how do I deliver all of our services to the degreeneeded and stay within budget?

Whether profit or budgets are the driver, getting cost reductions are key.

But to grab your CEOs attention, small cost reductions are not enough. You need tomake BIG reductions 10%, 20%, 30% or more.


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So, how do you do that?

Set a BHAG a Big Hairy Audacious Goal! A BHAG is one that really stretches youto think differently about your value chains. Its the goal that's going to help youtransform the way you work with suppliers, rather than being satisfied with

incremental change.

The first step is to shake off any beliefs about what is possible in your supply chains.If you already have a mindset that limits your achievements youll never get seriousabout a BHAG.

Next, pose some Very Hairy Challenges like these:-

I want to halve my costs in the next 12 months

I want my supply chain to deliver the highest quality product or service inthe UK

I want to reduce the delivery time for my purchased products from 2 weeksto one day.

Now you have to work backwards from this end point in 3 steps. Lets take the halveyour costs example.

Step 1: Brainstorm ideas (or use other techniques that are explained in our coachingcourse visit http://AcademyForProcurementExcellence.com ) for reducing costs.

No limits remember everything is possible.

For example:

Reduce the purchase price

Eliminate all sources of waste in the supply chain

Re-design the product or service

Innovate a new way to deliver the service and sell this to otherorganisations (in other words, change a cost into a revenue generator)

Find a way of leasing the product or service rather than buy it.

Step 2: Make a list of obstacles and ways of getting around them.

Dont have any ideas for re-designing the service? Get some userstogether and have a brainstorming session.

Dont know how to innovate? Identify people who have this reputation andhire them in as a freelance.

Suppliers wont lease the product? Take the idea to a leasing companyand see if they will do a deal.

Theres nothing that cant be overcome if you are really committed.

Step 3: Identify what needs to happen for you to be successful.


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For example:-

Surround yourself with creative people

Build your knowledge in certain areas

Set monthly Little Hairy Audacious Goals that progress you towards your

milestones Get the support you need.

Way #2: Develop Your Leadership Skills

Why are leadership skills so vital for a Procurement Executive? Well, if you thinkabout it, you are tasked and goaled with managing and reducing costs and bringingabout innovation with your suppliers but you have no executive authority in the

areas affected.

For example, you are tasked with reducing costs butthe budget for the things you buy are usually ownedby someone. You cant deliver without theircooperation.

The same thing goes for getting more value andinnovation from your suppliers. If they dont see your account as important or areplaying you off against your colleagues who own the budget then they are unlikelyto play ball.

What you need to do in all of these cases is show leadership skills that motivatepeople to align themselves with your goals.

So, what is leadership?

One good definition of leadership is this:

Leadership is influencing people by providing purpose, direction, andmotivation, while operating to accomplish the mission and improve theorganisation.

This means that leadership is largely about relationship building skills. It also meansyou have to have good plans and the ability to set meaningful goals (which wecovered in Way #1) and set a strategy that delivers them.

It also means that the test of your leadership skills is the results that you deliver foryour organisation.

Here are some key factors that determine whether or not you are a good leader:-

The ability to set goals which was Way #1 described earlier.


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The ability to communicate those goals clearly and concisely so that no-one isin any doubt as to what you mean (keep checking understanding its nogood taking the attitude they must know; I told them myself).

The ability to influence people to adopt your goals and align their work to

them.

Good decision making always base your decisions on sound facts. If youonly have opinions or guesses, work out what you need to do to turn them intofacts. Also, make your decisions quickly and decisively.

Good listening skills. Avoid the temptation to screen out information that doesnot support the decisions you have already made whether consciously orunconsciously.

The ability to plan ahead. Its no good having goals without realistic plans to

deliver them as is often said, a vision without a plan of action is adaydream.

Problem-solving skills. This is so important that I cover this in a later Way its importance is that problems are the obstacles that get in the way ofdelivering your plan and so your objectives.

Handling difficult people. This is another key skill and I explain more in Way#5.

Handling performance issues. These could come from your colleagues oryour suppliers. You need to learn to handle them sensitively so that you dontturn people off and they withdraw their support but you do need to be decisiveand get things back on track (see Way #6).

Way #3: Be Interested in Colleagues and Find Out What They Value

One major reason that you might find it difficult to get the cooperation of yourcolleagues outside of procurement and so demonstrate the value you can add is this:

What they want doesnt always line up with what you want!

For example, marketing people have goals that centre on building market share,developing new products and getting them to market. Theymay well perceive your cost cutting objective as potentiallydamaging their ability to deliver their goals they may equatecost cutting with damaging their relationship with theircreativity agencies which in turn will impact in a bad way thequality of their advertising.

What you need to do is to work out how your objectives can

support theirs. But first, you need to know what theirobjectives are what do they value?


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Heres how you go about it.

You meet them and ask questions!

The kind of questions that you can ask to build rapport and get them to open up to

you should be open questions questions that begin how, why, who, where,what and when. These are open questions that elicit a reply.

Another word that should be used as frequently as possible is you. Too manytimes we use I or me these focus on what you want to get out of it which haslittle interest for non-procurement people.

Here are some typical questions you can ask to get your colleagues or suppliers togive you an insight into their world and their objectives.

What could we do to make this a good meeting, well worth your time? What are your goals? What is the biggest challenge youre facing right now? What is it costing you in time/money/resources? What would be an ideal outcome? Is there anything else we need to talk about today?

Answers to these questions naturally lead onto additional questions that you can askuntil you are completely satisfied that you understand their real issues. Try askingwhy five times after you get an answer to probe for the real underlying issue.

Once you have identified what their goals, problems and issues are, you can workout how your goals can help them to deliver theirs or how you can help solve theirproblems or resolve their issues. This is what gets their attention and their interestand ultimately their agreement to help you.

Here are some potential benefits that you can deliver to colleagues from yourmanagement of suppliers:-

Service related benefits

Early supplier involvement helps to shape the question that their product orservice aims to answer for you and so gives a more effective solution

Captures and shares IPR Provides a better balance between technical and purchasing requirements

Reduces the supplier learning curve

Acts as a free source for hot housing and incubating new ideas and problemsolving

Commercial related benefits

Lower cost of bidding and engagement

Marginal costs from account planning

Lower costs from target costing and benchmarking

Reduced costs from supply chain management i.e. suppliers suppliers

Better lock in of suppliers if demand outstrips supply


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Shared risk

People related benefits

Continuity of work allows suppliers to have a career path for their people (ifyou are buying a professional service such as consulting) and refreshes

ideas and lowers costs Enhanced skills from problem-solving with suppliers

Improved communications and collaboration (if your organisation has multiplesites)

Process related benefits

Reduced non-value adding tasks

Capture and use knowledge and learning for use in future work

Faster response to your needs from improved processes

A more consistent pool of people (if a service related purchase) who will build

a knowledge bank of your organisation

Way #4: Learn How to Create and Deliver Value With Your Suppliers

In supply management you get value from your key suppliers by agreeing a purposefor your relationship with them and then translatingthis into objectives, targets, measures and specificactions that deliver that purpose. If you dont do thisthen their failure to deliver real value either goesunnoticed (and so operational problems are never

solved and there is no innovation) or at best isinformal and unstructured and therefore neverdelivers.

To get this value you need a process and this article explains the seven steps insuch a process.

Step 1: agree a purpose for the relationship. A client of mine and one of their keyengineering services suppliers agreed that the purpose of their working togethershould be to create a relationship that continues to deliver value to both sides. Thismakes it a mutual strategy and one that continues into the future.

Step 2: write a mission statement based on the purpose. The mission that thenflowed from my clients purpose with their supplier (abbreviated here for simplicity)was for each party to be first choice for the other in commercial matters (for examplethe supplier bringing new ideas and innovation to the buyer first).

Step 3: set objectives based on achieving the mission. Three objectives wereagreed that supported their mission (to identify gaps in the suppliers service offeringthat the buyer wasnt commissioning; to reduce the cost for the supplier in bidding forwork from the supplier; and to start open book costing and activity based costing sothat the true cost of providing the service could be identified and waste eliminated).


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Step 4: develop a strategy for achieving each objective. In my example, one strategywas to extend the range of services it offered my client and start a process of earlysupplier involvement in setting project briefs that they bid for.

Step 5: decide how you will measure the progress of these strategies. One measure

my client and their supplier agreed was the percentage of the suppliers range ofservices that my client used in a year. Another was the cost of bidding for newprojects.

Step 6: set targets for the measures you have just agreed. For the measures justdescribed, the target for the first measure was 60% of the suppliers services used inthe following year and for the second measure that bid costs should be less than10% of the value of the contracts for which they bid.

Step 7: develop improvement initiatives that will deliver the targets. Initiatives aredelivered by cross-functional teams from both sides assembled for that specific

project and then disbanded when the project is completed. The projects are the gluethat holds the whole process together and are the means of achieving value for bothsides (because they are linked to the objectives, mission and purpose of therelationship).

Carrying out these seven steps successively will show that you are a roundedbusiness person not just a procurement technician but someone who can setbusiness related objectives, design a strategy and plan to deliver them and motivateand lead people to achieve great results when you dont have formal responsibility.

Way #5: Resolve Conflicts Constructively

Even if you have managed to agree your goals with your colleagues and suppliersand have co-opted them into your team and plans, therewill inevitably conflicts along the way. These are anatural consequence of having different priorities,measures of performance and pressures from higherlevels of management. With suppliers conflicts oftenoccur because of tensions created by the contract withthem.

The question is how to resolve these conflicts without destroying the relationshipsyou have worked so hard to build and seeing your projects hit the buffers.

This ability to resolve conflicts in such a way that the outcomes are constructive is akey skill that you will need to have if you are to climb the corporate ladder.

The starting point in resolving conflicts is to listen carefully to the other party. Its tooeasy to assume that we know what the problem is and jump straight to solutionmode. Or even worse, start to criticise or threaten the other person.

Active listening is a way of checking whether your understanding is correct. It alsodemonstrates that you are listening and that you are interested and concerned with


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the way the other party feels or the problems that they face. But beware ... activelistening is not the same as agreeing with the other person. It is a way of showingthat you are prepared to listen and to understand their point of view.

In resolving conflict you need to avoid doing or saying anything that will escalate the

situation. Here are some pointers:-

Be careful with your choice of words (here is one occasion when using Imore often than you can in fact help) avoid using words and phrases thatcould be seen as inflammatory; words that are hurtful, provoking ordemeaning.

Soften the tone of your voice.

Make sure your body language echoes the words you are using.

Be specific and factual and avoid generalisations.

What this means is that these discussions need to be face to face. Too often,people use emails for this and without the benefit of seeing the body language andhearing the tone of voice the wrong inferences can be drawn. Studies have shownthat by only communicating with email, supplier conflicts are escalated and becomeconfrontational much earlier than they do if people have real contact.

A key part of resolving conflict is your ability to solve problems. Here is a well-

proven approach to problem solving:-

Step1 What's going on? In this step you identify the problem.

Step2 What do you know? This is the data gathering step.

Step3 What are the underlying issues? Here you analyse the data collectedin the previous step and draw conclusions that aid you in developing asolution.

Step4 What could you do? In this step you generate options for addressing

the underlying issues and solving the problem in step 1.

Step5 What's the best thing to do? Here you select the best solution interms of meeting the problem as posed by your colleague or supplier.

Step6 How do you go about it? This is where you plan for implementingyour chosen solution.

Step7 Have you achieved your objectives? In this step you implement yoursolution and test that you have achieved a result your colleague orsupplier agrees solves their problem.


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Step8 Can you improve on what you have? This step keeps an eye on theproblem originally stated to check that it has been solved or whetheran improved solution has emerged.

Ultimately, though, your objective should be to avoid conflict rather than resolve it.This means being aware of what could trigger conflict, having a process to deal withit and training your team members in the skills of conflict resolution.

Way #6: Become a Commercial Consultant, Coach and Mentor to

Your Colleagues and Suppliers

The barriers to achieving your plan and objectives are what we know as problems.These often need creative solutions if you are to

resolve them to everyones satisfaction.

This is where you need to develop consultancy skills.

So, what are consultancy skills?

The first skill you need to develop as an internalconsultant is the ability to identify the real problem. What I mean by this is that in thereal world (a phrase I hear a lot as a consultant!) problems dont come to you neatlypackaged as a problem that everyone can immediately see and agree. In the realworld, problems are unstructured, result in lots of issues and can be red herrings.

Your role is to put structure into all of this and drive out the real problem that needsto be addressed.

Here is one way to do it:-

[chunking]

You also need to encourage others in your organisation and in those of yoursuppliers to overcome barriers to performance by challenging, encouraging andmotivating them to achieve their objectives and yours. This requires you to have

coaching skills.

A good coach has certain attributes. A good coach is:-

positive. Your job is not correcting mistakes, finding fault, and assessingblame. Instead, your function is achieving goals by coaching people to peakperformance.

enthusiastic. As a coach, you set the tone. If you project gloom and doom,then you'll get gloom and doom back from those you are coaching. If you put

forward reasons why things won't work out, you will never be disappointed things won't work out.


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supportive. This means more than providing an encouraging word and a paton the back. To lead, you must serve, anticipating needs and preventingproblems from happening.

focused. Deal in particulars. Keep the task manageable. You're far morelikely to get action if are focused on resolving the issue at hand.

goal-oriented. If you leave people wondering what they need to achieveafter you've explained a task, you've only done half the job. Base yourcoaching on clear, definable goals. Tie specific tasks to those goals.Communicate those goals to the people who actually have to do the work.

knowledgeable. Do you know what you're talking about? If you do, you'llcommand respect and loyalty because you know the job better than anybodyelse, not because you have the job title. Above all, if you dont know the

answer to something, say so and then find it for them.

A mentor on the other hand acts more as a role model and advisor, sharingexperiences and often suggesting courses of action rather than helping the individualidentify the solution for themselves. They dont teach, train or instruct in the way thata coach does.

You know you have been a good mentor if the person you are mentoring:-

becomes more self-aware, understanding their own strengths andweaknesses, their personal skills and how they add value;

becomes self-directing by setting their own goals, knowing what action to takeand driving themselves to achieve their goals without being directed byothers;

gains insights into themselves and others and translates this into actions thathelp deliver organisational and personal goals.

Way #7: Keep on Top of Trends and Events in Your Markets

If you are to be effective in showing your colleaguesand senior management that you can add value, youneed up to the minute information about your supplymarkets and trends within those markets. Here is someof the information you need to collect and top tips forcollecting it.

Market trends can be split into four groups:-

Cost and price trends

Technology trends


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Market structure trends

Demand and customer trends

The end result of all three will be an analysis that can help determine when to buyand even how to buy. There are two ways in which you can monitor markets for all

four groups of trend; desk research and field research.

Published market information and your own data can tell you a lot about yoursuppliers and your markets - but it's unlikely to tell you everything.

Field research can be quantitative or qualitative:

quantitative research provides statistical information - for example, how manypotential suppliers there are and what their average sales are

qualitative research examines people's feelings and attitudes towards yourorganisation or service and what motivates them.

Top tips for field research:-

Do ask the right questions avoid closed questions that only elicit a yes orno answer. Instead ask questions that begin with how or explain.

Do talk to the right people check that the people you are talking to have theright level of experience and knowledge to answer your questions credibly.

Do talk to enough people basing your analysis on the views of a limitednumber of people may not give you the depth and breadth of analysis that youneed.

Dont ask leading questions these are questions that also suggest theanswer. You want independence of view from others even if you have strongviews yourself.

Do be careful as to what conclusions you draw people may give you ananswer that is designed to distort the result. For example, suppliers may saythat they would be interested in providing X if the price was higher.

Dont be selective in your use of your research it can be tempting to useonly data that supports the view you already have. Ignore this temptation at allcosts.

Way #8: Develop Your Personal Skills

As we have seen in this book, career success in procurement is not only a matter ofhaving the right technical knowledge to buy things effectively and let contracts. You

need to become a rounder business manager if you are to deliver outstanding resultsthat your senior management value and so reward.


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Many of the skills you need are not specific to procurement. The skills you needinclude:-

Leadership

Goal setting

Strategy setting

Listening and questioning

Problem solving

Research

Communications

Persuasion and influencing

Psychology

Coaching and mentoring

You might think that some (if not all) of these skills are things that you are born withand to an extent you might be right.

But many of them can be taught if you seek out the right wayto acquire the skills. Although reading articles and booksand attending training courses goes some way to acquiringthe knowledge you need, unless you see how to use thempractically, the knowledge will quickly melt away.

The answer is to acquire the knowledge and then to apply itunder the supervision of a coach who can help you when you

get stuck or cant immediately see how to do it. But where can you find an effective,affordable coach that can fit into your busy work schedule? I suggest you visithttp://AcademyForProcurementExcellence.com.

Way #9: Learn to Manage Risk

Risk is inherent in everything we do including running an organisation. Asuccessful leader needs to acknowledge this and manage it. Unfortunately, toooften procurement professionals are perceived by their colleagues and management

as being totally risk averse which can be seen as counter-productive.


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The starting point is to list all of the potential sources of risk. This is best done as abrainstorming exercise with the team members of the sourcing strategy project or as aDelphi type process as explained previously.

What you do then is to rate each risk in terms of its potential impact on your organisation ifthat risk event was to happen. A scale of 1 to 4 where 1 represents a minor impact and 4 isa mission critical impact) is sufficient.

Next, you need to asses each risk for the likelihood that it would happen. Again, a scorefrom 1 (unlikely to happen) to 4 (almost certain to happen) will suffice.

You can then put these two scores (impact and likelihood of occurring) in a table as shownbelow. This gives you an indication of the extent to which your strategy option creates a risk.

One important risk management tool that procurement can major on is a businesscontinuity or disaster recovery plan for key suppliers. This spells out in very practicalterms what a supplier must do to carry on delivering a vital item or service in theevent of a major event disrupting its business.

One example of this is that several years ago one major distribution company thatworked for water utility organisations as ked itself what would happen if one of theirclients ran out of water. Although at the time this was a far-fetched scenario and one

for which this distribution company was ridiculed, nevertheless they went ahead andproduced a detailed plan for how they could transport water from one part of thecountry to another.

When a few years later there was a major drought and people in some areas of thecountry were having to collect water supplies from a stand pipe in the middle of theroad, this distribution company won contracts worth millions because they had thisdisaster recovery plan.


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Way #10: Have a Habit of Continuous Learning

The Duke of Wellington once said Fools learn when they must; Wisepeople learn when they can.

If you are to acquire and polish the skills I have outlined in these 10Best Ways to Upskill Yourself and Boost Your Job Prospects inthe Processthen you need to establish a lifelong habit of learning.

And not just the technical aspects of procurement but also the softer, personal skillsthat make you into a valuable business manager.

So, heres a question for you ...

If you are serious about improving your skills and knowledge in this vital commercialarea, will you take just a few minutes to take a look at a product that can accelerateyour learning?

Yes! Then all you need do is go to this link and you will have immediate access toeverything you need!

http://AcademyForProcurementExcellence.com

In the meantime, I wish you every success in your upskilling endeavours and your

career progression and look forward to speaking soon.

Kind regards

SteveSteve Carter


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About the author

Steve Carter has been a consultant and interim manager in Purchasing and Supply since1993. He has a wide range of clients from both the public and private sector, includingEssex County Council, Transport for London, Lloyds TSB, AXA, Compaq, Glaxo Wellcome

and the NHS.

Prior to that, Steve worked for Deloitte and KPMG (where he headed up KPMGs Purchasingconsultancy practice). His clients included National Power (at the time they were movingfrom the public to the private sector), LDV, BT and the Ministry of Defence.

Before becoming a management consultant, Steve worked in purchasing and materialsmanagement for two multinationals, one a UK specialty chemicals company and the other aFortune 100 manufacturing company in the automotive sector. In both companies, heworked with subsidiaries around the world to improve their purchasing and supply chainoperations.

Steve started his career as an accountant with the Co-operative Wholesale Society wherehe progressed to the most senior management accounting position in a division of more than100 factories.

Some testimonials:

Steve has been a huge asset to the Council in his role as interim head of procurement. Aswell as driving tactical savings, he has successfully introduced the concepts of categorymanagement and supplier relationship management, both of which have started to pay offand kick started the Council on its transformation journey. I would have no hesitation inrecommending Steve to any organisation that required a high level procurement professionalwho can deliver both short term, impactful results as well as longer term strategies. NickBell, Deputy CEO and Group Financial Director, Essex County Council

"... you demonstrated a level of professionalism I didnt believe existed in the consultancyworld " Graham Jackson, UK Head of Commercial Services, Compaq Computer

" ... thank you very, very much for the magnificent contribution you have made this year andthe way in which you have driven professional purchasing practice in this company forwards"Pete Wilkinson, Group Director of Strategic Procurement, AXA UK

" ... better value for money than some larger organisations" Denis Mellon, Director of Materials, ICLSorbus

" Over the years I have been involved with a number of companies that carry out strategic reviews butfeel you grasped our requirements very quickly and delivered results promptly and professionally. If Ineed to carry out a similar project in the future I will pick up the phone to you" John Hall, ChiefExecutive, Ring Ltd

"Steve brought critical thinking and strategic clarity to a complex and under-performing area of TfL'sbusiness while mentoring the TfL team and impressing a professional client base enough to securetheir support for a wide ranging programme of commercial change in one of TfL's most crucial areasof spend. Knowledge transfer has enabled TfL to drive the programme forward for itself now butcontinued support and training from Crest at critical stages in the project will be material in ensuringlong term success" Dave Williams, Group Director of Procurement, Transport for London

10 best ways to up skill

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