{"id":1706,"date":"2018-10-31T14:00:11","date_gmt":"2018-10-31T14:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.certitrek.com\/nlpa\/?p=1706"},"modified":"2021-03-29T02:25:28","modified_gmt":"2021-03-29T06:25:28","slug":"the-worst-business-combination-stupidity-low-self-awareness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.certitrek.com\/nlpa\/blog\/the-worst-business-combination-stupidity-low-self-awareness\/","title":{"rendered":"The Worst Business Combination: Stupidity & Low Self-Awareness"},"content":{"rendered":"

Back in January, I blogged about \u201cthe possibility of the U.S. economy overheating in 2018<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Well, the economy has definitely been hot this year. \u00a0Has it \u201coverheated?\u201d \u00a0I\u2019m not sure where the actual boil-over point is, but there\u2019s no doubt that businesses \u2013 likely including many of your suppliers \u2013 have been struggling to find adequate talent for their teams.<\/p>\n

Heck, even Walmart \u2013 long known for compensating workers at bare minimum levels \u2013 is advertising jobs in my town starting at a wage no lower than $11\/hour. \u00a0That\u2019s voluntarily more than 50% above the federal minimum wage that many have protested to have raised. \u00a0Employers are having trouble just finding people, let alone good people, for their job vacancies.<\/p>\n

What should scare you in procurement is that, right now, your suppliers are probably forced to hire\u00a0stupid people who will mess up your orders just to have warm bodies doing some degree of work.<\/p>\n

Are my words \u201cstupid people\u201d\u00a0unnecessarily rough? \u00a0Probably. \u00a0But, as I think of some basic capabilities that people working in today\u2019s economy lack, it\u2019s hard for me to be kinder.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not talking about the valiant employers who, with social responsibility in their hearts, hire people with disabilities. \u00a0That\u2019s wonderful. \u00a0I\u2019m talking about employers who hire under-qualified people for jobs that would normally be considered\u00a0\u201cabove their pay grade.\u201d<\/p>\n

Perhaps it would be helpful for me to explain some criteria that I subconsciously use in arriving at the conclusion that a person in a responsible business position (like anyone who has to interface with a customer\u2019s procurement team or a procurement person him\/herself)\u00a0is \u201cstupid.\u201d<\/p>\n