Welcome to the third in a series of newsletters from Crest Trade Services providing insights and updates on commodity trade execution.
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Execution Insight
High Performance in Commodity Trade Execution
Successful commodity trade execution hinges on the capabilities of the employees who ensure effective contract performance and secure payment. Developing a consistently high-performing trade execution (TE) function requires focused efforts on hiring, onboarding, and employee performance management.
Key Strategies for a High Performing TE Function
Establish a TE Organizational Blueprint
A detailed organizational blueprint defines the capabilities necessary to meet the functional objectives, the structure to support these capabilities, and how capabilities are to be organized into specific roles to be hired for.
Clarify Roles, Responsibilities, and Accountabilities
Clearly defined RRAs ensure employees have a comprehensive understanding of how they contribute to the success of the enterprise, its customers, and broader business stakeholders.
Enhance Hiring and Onboarding Processes
Effective hiring involves evaluating the skills, experience, cultural and behavioral fit of potential employees with the business. Robust onboarding processes enable new employees to quickly integrate and start contributing effectively to their roles.
Focus on Talent Management and Development
Large organizations often attract talent with structured programs that nurture technical and leadership skills, offering clear career paths.This makes the organization an employer of choice for many potential employees. SME traders can compete for talent by allowing employees to take on responsibilities early in their careers and develop skills and knowledge beyond TE. This can make SMEs attractive to those seeking early responsibility, diverse career opportunities, and skills development.
Implement A Performance Management Process
Employees should clearly understand how their roles align with organizational success. Setting performance expectations that support business objectives and strategies is crucial. Regular feedback, guidance, and recognition are essential to foster employee development and help them achieve their full potential within the business.
Improve Performance, Reduce Costs, Mitigate Risks
Clearly defining the TE capabilities needed to achieve business objectives, along with defining roles and the organizational structure to support these capabilities, is the first critical step in building a high-performing organization. As the business scales, having a clear hiring plan, aligned with budget considerations, adds value by enhancing the speed and agility of the talent acquisition process. Growth without a plan will inevitably require a future review and reorganization, with the associated costs and disruption that can arise.
Focusing on strategic hiring, a comprehensive onboarding plan, and continuous employee development drives success in TE and consistently delivers performance above expectations. Additional benefits include reduced employee turnover and a more engaged workforce, which lowers recruitment costs and mitigates business continuity risks.
Connect with Crest to start a conversation: info@crestts.com
With over 30 years experience in commodity trading we deliver training and expert consulting services to lead your TE teams to consistent high performance.
TECHNOLOGY CORNER
The current state of trade execution digitalisation
Digital transformation in trade execution varies widely across industries and organizations, making it hard to generalize. However, some trends and insights can be highlighted. The energy sector is generally considered to be ahead of the trade in agri-commodities. Vertically integrated organizations find more opportunities for digitalization than pure trading intermediaries. However, one constant remains—Excel is still the go-to tool for many professionals and trading SMEs.
Risks in growing enterprises
Excel's flexibility is both a strength and a potential pitfall. Over-reliance can lead to 'shadow' systems, increase data risks, and drag productivity. At some point, leadership must decide on the digital transformation and investment required in technology to continue their profitable growth.
Defining requirements and IT selection
Defining business requirements and selecting the best digital solutions can be daunting but presents a valuable opportunity. Discussions deepen knowledge, raise awareness, and highlight the benefits of increased digitalization. With the advent of SaaS application models, the cost and risks of embarking on a digital transformation have significantly decreased in recent years. There are many lower-cost solutions that SME traders can embrace, which could bring significant improvements in business control and productivity.
What do you think about the current status of trade execution digitalization? We’d love to hear your thoughts .
Crest Trade Services - your partner in trade execution transformation.
Tel: +41 22 710 21 69
Email: info@crestts.com
Web: crestts.com
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