664: Three (3) Indispensable Skills for Today’s Procurement Leaders W/ Stephen Ashcroft

“In procurement, we have a perception of the world we’re in, and we put boundaries around ourselves. But we have to explore beyond those boundaries and think about what we can do that will be different and better.” - Stephen Ashcroft

A seismic shift is underway in procurement. Teams are adapting to a rapidly changing global business landscape and new technological realities. The best procurement leaders will take advantage of this transformational period to develop new strategies, tactics, and tools that will elevate their impact and position procurement as an invaluable partner for the business.

In this episode, Philip Ideson goes one-on-one for a second time with global procurement thought leader, entrepreneur, and influencer Stephen Ashcroft, founder of the innovative new procurement professional development program Map & Territory. Steve, the former Head of Procurement for the African Development Bank, shares the greatest lessons he learned from his procurement experience in over 40 countries.

They discuss: 

• The 3 most valuable skills every procurement leader needs to succeed today
• Where procurement is most underrated, and how to turn that around
• How a different approach to professional development and community building, like Map & Territory, can help procurement rise and adapt to new global realities 

Links:

• Subscribe to This Week in Procurement
• Stephen Ashcroft on LinkedIn
• Setting the Standard for Procurement Across Africa w/ Steve Ashcroft
• Map & Territory: A Procurement Leadership Program