The Sourcing Hero

Ep 226: Understanding and Celebrating Inclusive Teams feat. Andrés Tapia

How we think about inclusivity in today’s workforce has a lot to do with how we view diversity. The strongest, most resilient teams take the best characteristics, experiences, and approaches that each individual member has to offer, shine a light on those qualities, and then weave them together into an unbreakable fabric.
In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner welcomes Andrés Tapia. 
Andrés is one of the authors of the book The 5 Disciplines of Inclusive Teams: Unlocking Collective Power to Achieve Breakthrough. Andrés was a Senior Client Partner at Korn Ferry for 12 years and now leads the Andrés Tapia strategy group.
Andrés speaks about the power of inclusivity and the benefits of teams that continue to grow individually and collectively:
Big picture ways to think about being inclusive in the modern workplace
What it takes to go from a collection of talented people to a truly inclusive team
How every team can become more inclusive than they already are
Links:
Andrés Tapia on LinkedIn

Ep 225: Building a Dynamic Board of Directors feat. James Drury III

A Board of Directors plays a critical role in the success of the company they advise. Ensuring that the right members are on that Board, and that each Board has the right mix of personalities, experiences, and functional knowledge is a significant and ongoing challenge - but one that is worth the effort to get right. 
In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner welcomes James Drury III, the Founder, Chairman, and CEO of JamesDruryPartners. Jim has over 30 years of experience advising Fortune 100 CEOs and senior executives, and has placed hundreds of leaders on the boards of influential companies. 
Jim shares his detailed experience with - and insights on:
What role a Board of Directors should fill in a company and what their relationship with the C-suite should look like
How much a Board should know about the company’s supply chain
The information a Chief Procurement Officer or Chief Supply Chain Officer might need to prepare in advance of meeting with the Board
Links:
James Drury Partners on LinkedIn

Ep 224: A Middle Eastern Perspective on Global Supply Chains feat. Samah Mahdi Abdulla

Supply chains must be a product of the geography they support, leading to specific requirements around transport modes, temperature control, and even warehousing capacity. This also means that supply chain experts must be as well versed in the infrastructure and logistics of their local area as they are that of their suppliers.
In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner welcomes Samah Mahdi Abdulla. Samah is a supply chain professional with over 15 years of experience and a master's degree in Logistics, Procurement, and Supply Chain Management. She is based in Bahrain and has worked in industries as diverse as retail and food production. 
Shares her unique perspective on procurement and supply chain:
The benefits of specialized - and continuing - education in procurement and supply chain
How working from an island nation has shaped her work
The speed of business in Bahrain that supply chains must be prepared to support
Links:
Samah Mahdi Abdulla on LinkedIn

Ep 223: Success at the Intersection of Leadership, Culture, and Technology feat. Dr. Shanda Gore

Most professionals have had the opportunity to work for both wonderful and less-than-wonderful leaders at one time or another. But while we are likely to notice the difference, being able to explain what makes one individual more successful than another may be challenging.
In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner welcomes Dr. Shanda Gore. Dr. Gore is the Founder and CEO of Mays Associates, and the author of a new book titled The PinLeader Path: Identify, Engage, and Develop Effective Human and AI Leadership for Your Organizational Culture. Dr. Gore has been studying and coaching leaders to find out what characteristics make the greatest difference to their company and team.
Dr. Gore talks about the idea of being a “PinLeader” in today’s corporations:
Three major attributes that are present in all successful leaders
How leadership intersects (or clashes) with company culture
The role that AI is playing in companies, on teams, and on behalf of leaders
Ways we should think about business etiquette today
Links:
Dr. Shanda Gore on LinkedIn

Ep 222: Communication as Persuasion in Procurement & Beyond feat. Liz Milan

Communication is a complex craft. It involves speaking clearly and with a consistent message, actively listening to see how the message is received, and - the ultimate test - if we are communicating to persuade, watching to see if that message has the desired motivating effect.
In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner welcomes Liz Milan. Liz is a former procurement executive and adjunct at the University of Portland Pamplin Business School where she teaches a course on Negotiation and Persuasion. She is currently doing board work for Open Adoption and Family Services.
Liz speaks about why persuasive communication is so critical for procurement:
Never forgetting the bigger picture dynamics that may be at play when making recommendations about supplier contracts
Creating opportunities to learn as much as possible from the sales side of the business
The sacrifice that may be required of anyone who aspires to hero status
Links:
Liz Milan on LinkedIn

Ep 220: Hitchhiker’s Guide to Procurement & Sales feat. Mike Lander

Procurement thinks sales is always trying to sell them something that isn’t what they want, is over priced, or won’t live up to the hype. Sales thinks procurement is deliberately trying to throw a wrench in a long proposal process, only cares about price, and has no feelings at all.
What if they are both wrong?
In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner welcomes Mike Lander. Mike is the CEO of Piscari, a coaching firm that helps sell-side teams improve their negotiating skills, better understand procurement buyers, and - ultimately - arrive at better commercial deals.
Mike speaks from his experience in both sales and procurement about:
How the two sides perceive each other and why those perceptions are dangerous for everyone
The importance of understanding where you fit in the other side’s worldview, and how they see your company in return
The conditions that have to be in place for sales and procurement to create value for both companies at the same time
Links:
Mike Lander on LinkedIn

Ep 221: Building Supply Chain Resilience in an Uncertain World feat. Sunder Balakrishnan

"It ain't about how hard you get hit, it's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward." - Rocky Balboa
Supply chain professionals know how to take a hit. In most cases, they are strong enough to get back up time and time again. How quickly they are back on their feet each time is an indication of resilience, an essential quality that can be improved through reflection, examination, and analysis.
In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner welcomes Sunder Balakrishnan. Sunder is the Director of Supply Chain Analytics for LatentView Analytics, where he specializes in consumer products, retail, technology, and industrial automotive. His background includes roles focused on process and data, all with the end goal of solving some of the biggest challenges facing companies today.
Sunder takes on both the idea of resilience and the effort to make our supply chains more so:
Where the majority of disruptions take place in supply chains today
The level of visibility most companies have into their multi-tier supply chain at the beginning of their resilience journey
How to focus on getting back up faster, putting processes and systems in place to offer supply chain teams a much-needed boost
Links:
Sunder Balakrishnan on LinkedIn

Ep 219: Why and What… but the HOW? feat. Tara Milburn

It is common for business strategy discussions to start with a definition of ‘Why?’ This makes it easier for leadership teams to formalize and articulate the reasons behind a set of decisions, and to share that vision with the rest of the company. As hard as it is to define a shared ‘Why?’ pairing that with an effective ‘How?’ may be even harder. 
In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner welcomes Tara Milburn. Tara is the President and CEO at Ethical Swag, a Certified B Corp and the leading on-line distributor of sustainably sourced promotional products in North America.
Tara speaks about how she and her team combine their ‘Why?’ and ‘How?’ across everything they do:
The ‘North Star’ that guides the company from the top, but also by empowering each employee to keep the team on track
How digital advancement is creating opportunities for companies to align with change in families and communities
What “meaningful work” looks like in practice, and the benefits of creating these kinds fo opportunities
Links:
Tara Milburn on LinkedIn