Credibility and procurement

I recently had the good fortune to attend a lecture by the Swedish Finance Minister, Anders Borg, at the LSE - you can access the transcript of his speech here. Perhaps you managed to catch him being interviewed on Newsnight. His ear-ring and pony-tail are not what you expect from a successful politician and economist - appearances are one thing.

Borg impressed. He spoke with authority, was charismatic and above all was credible. Indeed 'credibility' could have been the theme of his speech as it seemed to be weaved throughout his message. For example, the need for the market to view the national economic strategy as credible.

Credibility is central to anyone paying attention to you, your opinions and your plans. Lose credibility and you are in a very precarious place. One of the reasons I am sceptical about some of what I hear is the absence of credibility, for example, the sprochling* for a cause of the recent horse meat debacle. Nevertheless, think of the last time a supplier made a promise to you, let you down, then again, and then the defaulting supplier said: "we've it sorted, trust me".

The CPO needs credibility too. Those who engage, both internally and externally, with CPOs need to be convinced that the sustainable procurement policy will make a difference, the new procurement strategy will make a difference, the sourcing plans will make a difference, the new eProcurement solution will make a difference - I'm sure you recognise it. The CPO needs to be credible if they are to bring about change and bring key stakeholders with them.