After winding down for the summer, the silly season is over and its time to start planning your resources for the challenges 2010 will bring. Like most companies, the economic downturn may have forced you to cut back your procurement staff, and you very likely may have lost some star performers.

The first few weeks of September can be critical in the talent market so for purchasing departments everywhere, the quest to find the best talent is on. The question is; how do you replace the loss of star performers and how do you build the star team that can manage the challenges ahead?

Well by focusing on the “skills and traits” that have the biggest impact on procurements ability to deliver strategic value,procurement leaders can secure those “skills and traits” instead of the traditional “tool-sets” sought after by other less enlightened procurement departments.

In recent times Procurement departments have focused too narrowly on specific sector or category experience, whilst looking for evidence of negotiation skills. To meet the growth challenges of the 21st Century this is about to change as our research has highlighted the following skills as most important to drive the next step change in procurement:

1. Broad business skills
2. Entrepreneurial drive
3. Collaborative & integration skills
4. Ability to drive innovation
5. Ability to sell ideas

Industry sector and category experience can be acquired quickly whilst the real value adding skills can not. So whilst your less farsighted competitors are focusing on specific sector or category expertise to gain short term benefits, nothing fundamental will change for them.

Meanwhile, as a leader seeking to build the best ‘fit for future’ procurement team; by focusing on the listed skill sets, you will face less competition and price pressures securing the talent that will build real value changing capabilities and place your performance head and shoulders above your competitors.