A couple of weeks ago, I shared 25 different lessons that I have learned from interviewing thought leaders across the first 50 episodes of the Art of Procurement podcast. I was taken aback at the response, with over 4,000 views to date!
The thought leaders that I interview on the show share a ton of invaluable content across a number of different subject areas. One topic that frequently comes up is, what even is the role of procurement? In this post, I wanted to share seven different quotes from interviewees that help stimulate thoughts on what we are here to do, and how can we position ourselves accordingly.
In no particular order:
“Procurement is in a great position to build consensus across an organization”
– Tibor Shanto, Prinipal, Renbor Sales Solutions.
Takeaway: are you building consensus or driving compliance to ineffective / unsuitable processes?
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“If procurement does its job properly, it makes the rest of the organization run smoothly as it is aligned”
– Gerard Chick, Chief Knowledge Officer, Optimum Procurement
Takeaway: are your actions aligned with helping your stakeholders achieve what is important to them, or do you view them as a way for you to meet your objectives?
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“Procurement to my mind should be forward thinking with regards to pushing a business towards future success and a lot less about executing historical business more efficiently”
– Tom Derry, CEO, Institute for Supply Management (ISM)
Takeaway: are you focusing enough on helping your company lever supply markets to generate more revenue in the future?
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“Over time, hardware and software is going to replace work that was previously done by humans”
– Bill Michels, CEO, Aripart Consulting
Takeaway: are you aware of what portion of your job can be automated, and do you have a plan to take advantage of this trend rather than have it negatively impact you?
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“The things that we define as strategic today may change”
– Jason Busch, Founder & Head of Strategy, Spend Matters / Azul Partners
Takeaway: technology has no regard for what we consider strategic vs. transactional. As you prepare for a future where large parts of our roles can be automated, it is likely that some of those activities we consider strategic today may be considered transactional tomorrow.
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“We talk about getting a seat at the executive table. It never stops. The reality is that you don’t ask for permission”
– Jon Hansen, Founder, Procurement Insights
Takeaway: are you doing everything you can to be relevant to your stakeholders and leaders, while demonstrating to them the value that procurement CAN deliver rather than waiting to be asked?
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“A lot of procurement professionals do not have the courage to advance the ideas and concepts that need to be advanced for them to do well in the field”
– John P. (Jack) Miles, Managing Partner, MainSpring Advisors
Takeaway: are you ready to stand up and elevate the role of procurement -and help others do the same?
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These quotes really stood out to be – both in helping me better understand the role of procurement, and that if we are to continue pushing our profession forward, change really has to be driven from within – we can’t wait for an invite!
This article was originally published on LinkedIn
