Vendor Management – and - The Trap

When things go wrong in vendor management. . .

I have SO many stories of things going wrong in vendor management.

Over the decades of my career, I have seen compliance and vendor management done poorly far more than done well.

And almost every time – they fell into the trap.

It’s a natural thing to do. You have probably done it many times, too.

What is the trap?

It’s when I decide:

• There is one entity at fault for the problem. This leads to “The Blame Game” where one person or company has to fall on their sword as though they alone caused the failure. Or,

• There is “one thing” that needs to be changed – “and then everything will be OK!!” . . . One symptom or factor of the problem may be much more obvious than other factors – that happens all the time. However, tagging that factor as “the cause of the problem” and assuming “all will be well” when that factor is corrected or eliminated. . .

THAT is the trap.

When I assume or insist that only one person or factor is responsible for this problem – I have fallen into the trap.

There are many reasons why we tend to fall into the trap – but let me just capture one of them. . .

We view life too simplistically.

Life is complex. There are many contributing factors to every situation and relationship. And where those factors intersect – that is where problems can and do show up.

So, how do I keep out of the trap?

Over the next few blog posts, let’s talk about that in the context of Vendor Management.