I’m Christopher Aitken and This is How I Work

· Location: I currently work for Hearth & Home Technologies in Lake City, MN, a small town in southeast Minnesota that is adjacent to Lake Pepin and is considered the birthplace of water skiing.

· Current Gig: I’m a Procurement Manager who oversees a team of 6 members, including 5 Buyers and 1 Procurement Engineer. Collectively, my team is responsible for over $60M spend in direct raw materials on an annual basis.

· One word that describes how you work: Sedulous

What apps/software/tools can’t you live without? Why?

At work, I mostly utilize our Microsoft Office suite including Outlook, Excel, Word and SharePoint. These programs are essential to completing my daily tasks. I also utilize my Gmail and Google Drive for some external collaboration activities with a few key Suppliers. When I travel, I utilize audible and Spotify to kill time. The audiobooks help with my professional development and Spotify helps get my mind off of work.

What’s your best time-saving shortcut/life hack?

I minimize Microsoft Outlook when I am working on other tasks and I disable instant notifications for new email alerts. This helps with my productivity at work. If it’s an emergency, I can always be reached on my cell phone. If its not an emergency, I will catch the notification or request when I scan my inbox periodically (every 2 hours or so) throughout the day. You can take this a step further and disable automatic send / receive in their inbox, then manually send and receive when you want to update your inbox. I also really like the conversation setting in Microsoft Outlook. It will automatically group your email messages by topic and track all responses and replies so you can easily look at a conversation history.

What everyday thing are you better at than everyone else? What’s your secret?

I’m really good at problem solving. I have been through multiple training sessions that cover various problem solving approaches and tools to use in the problem solving process. I am constantly facing “opportunities for improvement” (my positive way to frame up problems for others) and I have the ability to drill down to the root cause of a specific problem, but I can also look at situations from a higher level and identify what the process failure was that led to the problem in the first place. I am efficient in this process not simply because I have had the training, but I enjoy the challenge of identifying root cause and implementing corrective action.

What do you listen to while you work?

I don’t listen to anything at work, but when I travel I listen to either audiobooks on Audible or whatever genre of music fits my mood on Spotify.

What are you currently reading?

We are preparing for a two day training on Negotiations and “Getting to Yes” is a required reading for the training. I have read this book in the past, but will read it again as a refresher since I am utilizing this training session to become a future trainer for the course.

Are you more of introvert or an extrovert?

I consider myself more of an introvert. I am not the type of person that has to be outspoken and have a strong opinion on everything. Instead I like to sit back and listen, then formulate my response after some careful thinking. I am a little shy in new situations, but that is really dependent on my comfort level with the people involved and the topics being discussed. The more knowledgeable of a topic and more familiar I am with the people involved, the less likely I am going to sit quietly.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

“If you pursue a career doing something that you love, you will never work a day for the rest of your life.” I have heard this message from multiple people and have even read it in a few books as well. I haven’t found a career or position that I am 100% passionate about yet, but I am mindful of this advice and continue to search for this. I am hopeful that I will find this eventually.

Where do you find inspiration and new ideas?

I am a big advocate of learning continuously and this has been one of my key areas of focus in my individual development plan over the past few years. In addition to working towards my MBA, I listen to audio books and attend other relevant training sessions offered through work. The current training I am enrolled in is called “Leadership Foundations” facilitated by www.mranet.org and it covers many topics that are relevant to first time managers like myself. I can honestly say that this training has been the best training that I have ever attended and I have many tools and techniques that I can take back to my current role to more effectively support both my manager and my team.

What kind of leader are you?

I am a reliable person who works conscientiously to perform in a steady and predictable manner. I am also a team player who is happy to do my part to contribute to the team’s success. I make my best effort to ensure standard systems and procedures are in place because accuracy and precision are important to me. When communicating with others, I maintain a diplomatic approach. I also strive to think carefully before speaking.

Is there anything else you’d like to add that might be interesting to readers?

I spent two years living and working in China from 2008 to 2010. It was a unique opportunity offered through my company and got me started on the career path that I am currently on.