It is one of the great paradoxes of the global recession: the requirement to cut organisational costs by shrinking travel and training budgets despite the need to invest in personal development and expand the skillsets that are critical to surviving the downturn.
Development also matters for selfish reasons: to create career opportunities should we find ourselves on the wrong end of a merger or restructuring. In the past, neither personal nor career development lent themselves to anything but in-person meetings and events.
But the technological era that is upon us is rapidly transforming how we can learn, develop skills and expand our professional networks.
I would recommend starting in some of the following places:
1. Webinars
There is a huge range of webinars available and the depth, focus and quality varies widely. But it’s easy to weed out the ones of particular interest from those that are better left rather quickly.
Look at the source of the webinar. If it’s a quality publication, such as the one you’re reading now, or an organisation such as the Institute for Supply Management or Sourcing Interests Group that has a good reputation for online content, and the topic suits you, take the chance. All you typically have to lose is 30-60 minutes. Even better, if the content isn’t useful, move on to something else during that time.
A personal tip: have two computers open (or use multiple flatscreens for one computer). This way, if the content isn’t scintillating yet you hold out hope for improvement, you can keep the webinar open and multi-task in the meantime.
2. Online conferences
Online conferences often differ from webinars in offering greater interaction among participants, usually over the course of multiple topics and presentations. Rather than a one-way “push” model that only permits interaction at the end of a presentation, if at all, online conferences and meetings typically allow interaction before, during and after a presentation.
I’ve attended a handful of events in the past 18 months and found them inconsistent, although at least one was a solid educational and networking experience. As with webinars, examine the source before investing your time and ask your peers for recommendations.
3. Virtual meetings
When it comes to online meetings, technology such as Adobe Connect is transforming interaction for small or medium-sized groups. If you have a licence to use it, why not arrange periodic meetings with likeminded colleagues in different regions, based on the spirit of Benjamin Franklin’s original Junto, a group of elite craftsmen and merchants in 18th-century Philadelphia who met periodically “to have debates in the sincere spirit of inquiry after truth, without fondness for dispute or desire of victory”.
4. LinkedIn
What was once a tool primarily for networkers, jobseekers and recruiters has evolved into a much broader community. There are dozens of LinkedIn groups focusing on specific business interests that allow users to ask questions on topical issues.
Many of these groups already focus on executive procurement and supply management issues, and you can create your own group if you’re not happy with what’s there. As membership is controlled, users need not feel they are exposing their supply-side flank to the entire web.
The CPO Agenda Network on LinkedIn has nearly 400 members, made up of CPOs, vice-presidents, directors and other senior practitioners.
5. Other networking sites
Other sites can also be ideal places to ask general questions of like-minded executives. Quietly sniff out opportunities or expand career options by coming up to speed on targeted subjects (for example, large, industry-specific spend categories) that only a few colleagues in the world could comment on.
Not only are these interactions often invaluable, but you can also pursue them in your own time, as few involve real-time chat features. Many allow you to protect your privacy and the degree of information you disclose.
Jason Busch (jbusch@spendmatters.com) is editor of www.spendmatters.com and managing director of Azul Partners, based in Chicago
