{"id":3308,"date":"2020-06-18T08:30:00","date_gmt":"2020-06-18T12:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.certitrek.com\/nlpa\/2014\/06\/18\/self-motivation-for-procurement-professionals\/"},"modified":"2026-01-27T09:20:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T13:20:10","slug":"self-motivation-for-procurement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.certitrek.com\/nlpa\/blog\/self-motivation-for-procurement\/","title":{"rendered":"Self-Motivation For Procurement Professionals"},"content":{"rendered":"

Procurement is a rewarding job.\u00a0 You get to work in a fast-paced profession, creatively solve problems, and have a measurable impact on the success of your employer.<\/p>\n

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Procurement is also a challenging job.\u00a0 Sometimes, you feel caught in the middle of suppliers who just can\u2019t get the right thing done and internal customers who seem impossible to please.<\/p>\n

Procurement can wear you down over time.\u00a0 \u201cBack in the day,\u201d people used to cruise into retirement in procurement.\u00a0 Today, only the strong can survive.<\/p>\n

So, how do you keep yourself motivated when the going gets tough?<\/p>\n

I recommend always reminding yourself \u201cwhy you do this.\u201d<\/p>\n

In other words, why do you choose to get out of bed and drive to work where you do?<\/p>\n

The knee-jerk response to that question is \u201cfor the paycheck.\u201d\u00a0 But look beyond that.<\/p>\n

What makes that paycheck worth it?<\/p>\n

Everyone\u2019s answer will be different.\u00a0 I\u2019ll share the things that motivate me to show up every day and do what I do.<\/p>\n

First, it\u2019s the love of helping others.\u00a0 I spent many years in the procurement department.\u00a0 I helped my employers.\u00a0 I helped my subordinates.\u00a0 I helped my peers.\u00a0 I helped my management.\u00a0 I helped my internal customers.\u00a0 But I had a hunger to help as many people as possible with my work, so I left that environment to found Next Level Purchasing and teach procurement professionals in over 100 countries around the world \u2013 people just like me, doing the same work and facing the same challenges.<\/p>\n

Second, it\u2019s the joy of giving employment to others.\u00a0 This was an unexpected benefit of being an entrepreneur.\u00a0 But, now that I see what entrepreneurship can do for others, it\u2019s pretty darn cool.\u00a0 Knowing that I can provide a way for others to earn a living, to provide for their families, to prepare themselves for retirement, to treat themselves to the occasional luxury whatever that means to them\u2026it\u2019s heartwarming to know that one person\u2019s ideas can result in the financial security of many others.<\/p>\n

Finally, it\u2019s knowing I can provide for my own family.\u00a0 Sunday was Father\u2019s Day.\u00a0 On that day, I got to reflect on how lucky I am to be a dad and an entrepreneurial dad.\u00a0 To know that I can raise my kids in a safe neighborhood, to know that they will have meals when they need them, to have the faith that I can someday fund their higher education so that they can pursue their potential\u2026wow.\u00a0 I know that there are plenty of children in third-world countries that don\u2019t even have what we consider necessities for survival.\u00a0 And I feel fortunate.\u00a0 Not for myself so much, but for my children so that they have never known such suffering.<\/p>\n

Talking about my kids, like a proud papa, I have to share the \u201cProcurement Preschool\u201d videos they did some time ago\u2026<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why I go to work.<\/p>\n

I encourage you to take a few minutes to think about what having your procurement job really does for you and your life.\u00a0 It may make that supplier\u2019s faux pas not so aggravating, that internal customer not so unreasonable, and that boss not so\u2026bossy.<\/p>\n

All the best to you my friends!<\/p>\n

Become a member of one of the world\u2019s largest procurement associations today.<\/a><\/p>\n

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