“The mark of achievement for myself, for my team members, and for the procurement function as a whole is to be viewed as a valued, trusted advisor and partner to the business.”
As procurement has worked to reposition ourselves as a source of value beyond savings, we have had to rebuild our relationships on a foundation of credibility and rapport. That hasn’t been an easy change for all procurement professionals and teams, and some stakeholders have been easier to win over than others. We have made significant progress to date, but the journey continues.
Canda Rozier is a multiple-time CPO with experience working across a number of leading global organizations. She recently started her own procurement consulting firm, Collabra Consulting.
In this interview, Canda shares her point of view on some critical considerations for procurement teams looking to partner sustainably with the business:
[8:56] Why companies need to affirm their commitment to sound spend management practices from the top down and clarify the role procurement will play in carrying them out
[13:03] How procurement can build trust and win influence by asking good questions just as much as by providing detailed answers to tough questions
[18:49] The most memorable contributions procurement can make when creating value-beyond-savings for stakeholders
[21:45] Why the ability to handle nuance may be the most important soft skill procurement can possess
