The 7 C's of Resilience and how to apply these to Procurement

There’s no getting around this, Resilience is such an important facet of being able to enjoy Procurement.

It’s not talked about enough and we should remind ourselves of the 7 C’s of resilience and how to apply these to Procurement.

Let’s take each of these in turn.

1. Competence

This is the ability to handle situations effectively.

To build competence we need to develop a set of skills that help us to trust our judgements and make responsible choices.

This is where qualifications, e.g. CIPS, plays a part. But also, frameworks that you’ve developed to be able to cope with certain scenarios or experience you’ve gained.

2. Confidence

True self-confidence is rooted in competence. Procurement pros gain confidence by demonstrating their competence in business situations.

Remember that feeling when you first deliver a saving within your new role or when you start in your new business? You’re using your competence to build your confidence through successful delivery.

That feeling when you deliver a successful outcome through an RFP or you get great feedback? It comes to you because you’re competent.

Action breed confidence

3. Connection

Not talked about enough. It’s the close ties you have to your team, your wider network and community that provide a send of belonging.

This can be anything from the camaraderie you have with your Procurement colleagues to your wider network outside of work.

Even being part of communities like this one: Procure Bites, gives you a sense of connection. That feeling you are not alone.

We’ve had to develop new ways to build connection since 2020 as the business world has shifted towards the online.

4. Character

Procurement pros need to hold a fundamental sense of what is right and what is wrong to make responsible choices, contribute effectively within our businesses and experience self-worth.

It’s where our integrity interplays with what we do. The sense of alignment is key to our ability to be resilient in tough situations.

5. Contribution

Having a sense of purpose is a powerful motivator.

Contributing to the success of your Procurement team and positively impacting the business reinforces positive reciprocal relationships.

This is why having an activity tracker and quantifying your value is so important.

Pro Tip: As a leader, developing a team vision is strongly related to how individuals within the team feel about their contribution.

6. Control

Developing an understanding of internal control helps us act as problem-solvers instead of victims of circumstance.

When we learn we can control the outcome of our decisions, we are more likely to view ourselves as capable and confident.

7. Coping

These are the external mechanisms we use to ensure we are able to increase our resilience during the more stressful situations.

The basis of all resilience, both physical and mental is the quality of our health.

In simple terms, how much sleep we get, how hydrated we are and how healthy our diet is will have a huge impact on our resilience.

We don’t talk about the 7 C’s enough.

They’re completely agnostic of age, experience and to a large extent hierarchy too.

We can all develop frameworks that improve our interplay between personal strengths and outside influence, no matter what stage we are at in our career.