bpost

As a procurement director at bpost, I am always on the lookout for good people to strengthen our department. Having had the opportunity to get to know the SupplyPlus ‘youngstar’ program, it attracted my full attention. Could I help define and build the buyers of the future while being the first in line to hire them as well?

We started off by defining the required competences needed to help me realize my vision for my department:

• The ability to apply the governmental laws of procurement in a non-constringent way;
• Creative, supply chain thinkers;
• Leadership and project management skills to guide all stakeholders through the sourcing process;
• Communication skills and customer orientation to help ‘sell’ our department internally.

When the youngster started, she had no sourcing experience but was very motivated.

• After one month, she was integrated in her team and was handling 4 projects on her own;
• After three months, her internal customers respected her, and she was handling all their projects;
• After six months, she took the responsibility over a strategic project of one of her clients.

Don’t get me wrong, she is not there yet, however the pass at which she is learning is amazing…

The on-the-job coaching guarantees bpost a qualitative output. As an issue gets intercepted and handled before it escalates, the youngstar learns while avoiding major impact on the projects for bpost.

Through the regular meetings with her coach, I am also able to follow up on the development of her competences as set out together in the beginning.

For those that might have the following question: “Can’t your own managers coach her?”, rest assured. The coaching is anchored into the bpost organization. However, to help coach young people into the future vision of an organization, you need:

• a procurement specialist;
• a coach who can take people where they can’t go themselves;
• someone in line with your own vision of the future;
• someone who has time to invest in the youngstar.

By offering youngstars this program, we invest in them and help them build a broad, basic spectrum of competences. We teach them where and how to find what…

I do believe that we are building the buyers of the future in this way. It gives us a nice ROI in the 12 months they are working for us, and… when we are able to convince them to stay, it becomes an ultimate win-win situation for both the youngstars and bpost.