Art of Procurement

Today’s episode was recorded last month at the SIG Fall Summit, with my good friend Antonio Humphreys. Antonio is Senior Manager of Global Procure to Pay at Adobe in San Jose, California. Antonio is a returnee to Art of Procurement, having previously joined me last year back on episode 157 when we discussed the Marketing category and general procurement organizational development. Today, we focused on Antonio’s experience in managing teams within a global and virtual environment, including his insights into fostering a sense of team across borders.

Normal service is resumed on the podcast today, as we return to our weekly interview format! Today, I’m joined by one of my good friends, Alison Smith. Alison has a broad range of procurement experience - as a practitioner, service provider, trainer, facilitator, and coach! I was first introduced to Alison's work via her moniker of The Purchasing Coach. I really enjoyed reading her blog, and her perspectives on how we can all unlock our own potential, within the context of procurement. Her thoughts and approaches challenge the status quo, which is something that really calls to me! As I got to know Alison, I began to count on her for some of my own coaching needs, and I’ve been excited to follow her progress as she began to write her first book, Can’t See the Wood for the Trees. Recently published, it helps readers unlock their potential, and turn challenges into opportunities by helping us to think differently. In today’s conversation, we take a deep dive into the book, and contextualize it for procurement professionals.

226: #TakeAction: 15-Minutes a Day I do not have an interview for you today. In fact, for the month of October, we are going to do something completely different. I ask practitioners about their challenges where ever I go, and the single piece of feedback I get is that for all the great ideas they read and hear about, it is hard to put them into practice First, I know many of you listen to the pod while commuting or working out - and it is hard to stop in the middle of a podcast and takes notes on what actions you want to take. And second, there is always a challenge for people between wanting to invest in their own personal development, and the time pressures of a hectic job. We have crowned October as #TakeActionOctober - because no phrase is complete these days without a hashtag! October will be all about taking the actions you need to elevate the influence and impact of you AND your team. Every day this month, you will hear a micro-sized pod - no more than 5 minutes per day - that I selected to inspire you to act. We’ve curated Content from the back catalog of over 200 Art of Procurement episodes, and more than 1,000 articles featured in our weekly newsletter This Week in Procurement. I’ll also throw in some of my own experiences for good measure. The commitment I ask of you is to take one action to put into practice - or to coach or mentor a team member or peer - your key takeaway from each episode.

225: #TakeAction: Have an Opinion on the Future of Procurement I do not have an interview for you today. In fact, for the month of October, we are going to do something completely different. I ask practitioners about their challenges where ever I go, and the single piece of feedback I get is that for all the great ideas they read and hear about, it is hard to put them into practice First, I know many of you listen to the pod while commuting or working out - and it is hard to stop in the middle of a podcast and takes notes on what actions you want to take. And second, there is always a challenge for people between wanting to invest in their own personal development, and the time pressures of a hectic job. We have crowned October as #TakeActionOctober - because no phrase is complete these days without a hashtag! October will be all about taking the actions you need to elevate the influence and impact of you AND your team. Every day this month, you will hear a micro-sized pod - no more than 5 minutes per day - that I selected to inspire you to act. We’ve curated Content from the back catalog of over 200 Art of Procurement episodes, and more than 1,000 articles featured in our weekly newsletter This Week in Procurement. I’ll also throw in some of my own experiences for good measure. The commitment I ask of you is to take one action to put into practice - or to coach or mentor a team member or peer - your key takeaway from each episode.

224: #TakeAction: Increase Your "CQ" I do not have an interview for you today. In fact, for the month of October, we are going to do something completely different. I ask practitioners about their challenges where ever I go, and the single piece of feedback I get is that for all the great ideas they read and hear about, it is hard to put them into practice First, I know many of you listen to the pod while commuting or working out - and it is hard to stop in the middle of a podcast and takes notes on what actions you want to take. And second, there is always a challenge for people between wanting to invest in their own personal development, and the time pressures of a hectic job. We have crowned October as #TakeActionOctober - because no phrase is complete these days without a hashtag! October will be all about taking the actions you need to elevate the influence and impact of you AND your team. Every day this month, you will hear a micro-sized pod - no more than 5 minutes per day - that I selected to inspire you to act. We’ve curated Content from the back catalog of over 200 Art of Procurement episodes, and more than 1,000 articles featured in our weekly newsletter This Week in Procurement. I’ll also throw in some of my own experiences for good measure. The commitment I ask of you is to take one action to put into practice - or to coach or mentor a team member or peer - your key takeaway from each episode.

223: #TakeAction: Mind Your Language I do not have an interview for you today. In fact, for the month of October, we are going to do something completely different. I ask practitioners about their challenges where ever I go, and the single piece of feedback I get is that for all the great ideas they read and hear about, it is hard to put them into practice First, I know many of you listen to the pod while commuting or working out - and it is hard to stop in the middle of a podcast and takes notes on what actions you want to take. And second, there is always a challenge for people between wanting to invest in their own personal development, and the time pressures of a hectic job. We have crowned October as #TakeActionOctober - because no phrase is complete these days without a hashtag! October will be all about taking the actions you need to elevate the influence and impact of you AND your team. Every day this month, you will hear a micro-sized pod - no more than 5 minutes per day - that I selected to inspire you to act. We’ve curated Content from the back catalog of over 200 Art of Procurement episodes, and more than 1,000 articles featured in our weekly newsletter This Week in Procurement. I’ll also throw in some of my own experiences for good measure. The commitment I ask of you is to take one action to put into practice - or to coach or mentor a team member or peer - your key takeaway from each episode.

222: #TakeAction: Develop Optionality I do not have an interview for you today. In fact, for the month of October, we are going to do something completely different. I ask practitioners about their challenges where ever I go, and the single piece of feedback I get is that for all the great ideas they read and hear about, it is hard to put them into practice First, I know many of you listen to the pod while commuting or working out - and it is hard to stop in the middle of a podcast and takes notes on what actions you want to take. And second, there is always a challenge for people between wanting to invest in their own personal development, and the time pressures of a hectic job. We have crowned October as #TakeActionOctober - because no phrase is complete these days without a hashtag! October will be all about taking the actions you need to elevate the influence and impact of you AND your team. Every day this month, you will hear a micro-sized pod - no more than 5 minutes per day - that I selected to inspire you to act. We’ve curated Content from the back catalog of over 200 Art of Procurement episodes, and more than 1,000 articles featured in our weekly newsletter This Week in Procurement. I’ll also throw in some of my own experiences for good measure. The commitment I ask of you is to take one action to put into practice - or to coach or mentor a team member or peer - your key takeaway from each episode.

221: #TakeAction: Reputational Decision Making I do not have an interview for you today. In fact, for the month of October, we are going to do something completely different. I ask practitioners about their challenges where ever I go, and the single piece of feedback I get is that for all the great ideas they read and hear about, it is hard to put them into practice First, I know many of you listen to the pod while commuting or working out - and it is hard to stop in the middle of a podcast and takes notes on what actions you want to take. And second, there is always a challenge for people between wanting to invest in their own personal development, and the time pressures of a hectic job. We have crowned October as #TakeActionOctober - because no phrase is complete these days without a hashtag! October will be all about taking the actions you need to elevate the influence and impact of you AND your team. Every day this month, you will hear a micro-sized pod - no more than 5 minutes per day - that I selected to inspire you to act. We’ve curated Content from the back catalog of over 200 Art of Procurement episodes, and more than 1,000 articles featured in our weekly newsletter This Week in Procurement. I’ll also throw in some of my own experiences for good measure. The commitment I ask of you is to take one action to put into practice - or to coach or mentor a team member or peer - your key takeaway from each episode.

220: #TakeAction: Show You Care (Pay Your Supplier) I do not have an interview for you today. In fact, for the month of October, we are going to do something completely different. I ask practitioners about their challenges where ever I go, and the single piece of feedback I get is that for all the great ideas they read and hear about, it is hard to put them into practice First, I know many of you listen to the pod while commuting or working out - and it is hard to stop in the middle of a podcast and takes notes on what actions you want to take. And second, there is always a challenge for people between wanting to invest in their own personal development, and the time pressures of a hectic job. We have crowned October as #TakeActionOctober - because no phrase is complete these days without a hashtag! October will be all about taking the actions you need to elevate the influence and impact of you AND your team. Every day this month, you will hear a micro-sized pod - no more than 5 minutes per day - that I selected to inspire you to act. We’ve curated Content from the back catalog of over 200 Art of Procurement episodes, and more than 1,000 articles featured in our weekly newsletter This Week in Procurement. I’ll also throw in some of my own experiences for good measure. The commitment I ask of you is to take one action to put into practice - or to coach or mentor a team member or peer - your key takeaway from each episode.

219: #TakeAction: One Technology at a Time I do not have an interview for you today. In fact, for the month of October, we are going to do something completely different. I ask practitioners about their challenges where ever I go, and the single piece of feedback I get is that for all the great ideas they read and hear about, it is hard to put them into practice First, I know many of you listen to the pod while commuting or working out - and it is hard to stop in the middle of a podcast and takes notes on what actions you want to take. And second, there is always a challenge for people between wanting to invest in their own personal development, and the time pressures of a hectic job. We have crowned October as #TakeActionOctober - because no phrase is complete these days without a hashtag! October will be all about taking the actions you need to elevate the influence and impact of you AND your team. Every day this month, you will hear a micro-sized pod - no more than 5 minutes per day - that I selected to inspire you to act. We’ve curated Content from the back catalog of over 200 Art of Procurement episodes, and more than 1,000 articles featured in our weekly newsletter This Week in Procurement. I’ll also throw in some of my own experiences for good measure. The commitment I ask of you is to take one action to put into practice - or to coach or mentor a team member or peer - your key takeaway from each episode.