Treat Vendors Well – they are Humans too

I’ve been on the vendor company side of business all through my career. Here, by vendor, I’m referring to a company that provides a customised service, product, design or installation – not an off-the-shelf product. The companies I’ve worked with have been suppliers or contractors to small, middle and large organizations – the whole gamut. I’ve been on the customer side too in some instances but my exposure there has been limited.

I thought that the industry I used to work earlier in, was the only industry that was highly demanding on its vendors – to the extent of being unfair and inhuman sometimes. By inhuman my reference is not to physical abuse but rather the excessive mental pressure being inflicted on vendors. I moved through two other industries and found that I was wrong. It isn’t the industry which matters – it’s the people. People in this country (India) are largely alike in this context. Every company, almost every manager I have seen comes with typically the same mind-set – “squeeze the vendor”.

It seems to be ingrained in the Indian style of working. It is expected that a vendor:

• Outdoes the contractual obligations
• Gets paid lesser or just about whatever is agreed upon
• And still takes the blame for failures

Vendors’ representatives are expected to respond at lightning speeds, while customers can talk of stalled decisions due to processes and internal issues. Vendors’ execution teams are expected to work extra hours, slog it out and push themselves beyond professional limits. Vendors’ teams are even expected to make the customers’ team do their jobs. Yet the customer, in most cases doesn’t even say an encouraging word to the vendor team. In over a hundred managers, there is just one who understands the need to encourage and motivate vendors, just one who understands that vendors aren’t motivated just by the money they earn, they get motivated when they are treated as equals.

I have had much better experiences working with people abroad. They seem to have a more humane and professional approach to vendor management. They understand issues in the project and truly treat vendors as partners or extended hands.

The problem I’m referring to is something I encounter with Indian managers only. I’d really like to advocate better treatment to vendors by way of:

• Respecting them as humans first.
• Understanding that they are also employees and have a right to all employee rights and benefits as anyone else.
• Realizing that vendors excel when motivated by encouraging words and equal treatment.
• Appreciating that vendors are essential to the business and a happy vendor can do wonders.

Vendor development should not be just about processes but ought to also include a human touch to motivate, encourage and take along the employees in the vendor company.

A good vendor can transform business operations for customer and can, in instances, be relied upon more than a company’s own employees to deliver excellent results.

Handling Criticism

Here is a technique which works for me often. I’ve seen others using this method effectively too.

Undoubtedly, everyone faces criticism at some point of time. By the way, I’m only referring in this article to criticism in a person-to-person interaction, not a large group criticizing a specific person (like political criticism, etc.).

When you face criticism from some one, the most likely “thought pattern” going through your mind would be something like this:

• I didn’t make a mistake. I don’t need to be criticized.
• The critic has no right to talk about me like this.
• I am not going to listen to this and will defend myself. I don’t have to take this.

And then begins the argument, with you stating why you were right and why the critic is wrong. This could go on to any proportions imaginable, from a simple discussion to a permanent fight. The situation could be in any walk of life – personal or professional, with your boss, with you employee, with you wife, with your parents, etc.

This reaction is quite normal, natural and comes in like breath comes into the body. But as with breath, if you need to want to improve your breathing pattern, you need to consciously practice some techniques, like yoga, pranayama, exercises, etc. So it is with “thought patterns”. If a conscious effort is made again and again for a period of time, the natural “thought pattern” can and will change to the one you want to adopt.

So here’s my suggested “thought pattern” for handling criticism.

As the critic starts off and the natural thoughts come into your mind, add on (Italicized):

• I didn’t make a mistake. I don’t need to be criticized. But wait, I should think about this later rather than now. I don’t need to react now.
• The critic has no right to talk about me like this. But he/she is not going to listen to me right now as his/her mind would be clouded by his/her own opinion. I must talk to him/her some other time.
• I am not going to listen to this and will defend myself. I don’t have to take this. But I will do it later when the critic is going to be in a better mental state to listen to me and when I am ready with better-prepared defense.

A fourth add-on which would be more effective would be:

• I could also think about this and consider if what the critic is saying has some truth and meaning in it.

You would say that this is letting go of whatever is said. But wait, it doesn’t end here. There is one more important step:

• Speak to the critic within the next 24 (maximum 48) hours. During this period, think over the matter from all angles. Prepare notes in your mind on what to say, prepare lines and words which you know would not be offensive. Be ready for counter arguments. Prepare yourself both for a pleasant, productive discussion and an unpleasant one. Good preparation would help you handle the situation effectively. Don’t take too much time, but take enough time for both your and the critic’s mind to have a re-thought and be open to understand each other.

The essence is this, unless you have an extreme level of self-control and awareness, you are likely to react aggressively against the critic. It’s just like a reflex action when a pin pricks you, or something hot touches your skin. It’s unlikely that most people have the self-control to react calmly when criticized. Reacting aggressively is the natural reflex. But if you see the larger picture and understand that an aggressive reaction would not benefit anyone, then it makes sense to suppress the reflex. I would not say that the criticism has to be borne with and an inappropriate remark should be left to pass. It’s only that the reaction’s timing could be pushed off to give a more thoughtful and effective one (unless of course you already possess the cool headedness to handle it then and there with patience).

This method helps me. I do hope it would be use to you too. By the way, there could be other methods too. Choose whatever suits you best.