The Sourcing Hero

Ep 43: Taking an Open-minded Approach to Crossing the Gap feat. Alison Smith

We all face times of difficult and important decision-making, in our personal lives and in our professional capacity. In many cases, the approach and the thought process we use when evaluating the available options is as important as the choice we eventually make.
In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner welcomes Alison Smith. You may know her as the Purchasing Coach or the founder of Landscaping Your Life, but if you are connected to her on LinkedIn you know that she has boundless energy and passion for everything she does. Alison has worked in and with procurement for almost four decades, using her unique approach to help teams achieve without checking their humanity at the door.
In this conversation, Alison shares her advice for approaching the many crossroads we find ourself at - in work and in life:
Whether it is harder to form a vision of the goal or desired end state or pick the best way to reach it
The role of teams and community in getting past difficult decisions, and why sometimes we may be better off on our own
How our movement through life, and the momentum we build up along the way, is an important force that we have to allow to influence our choices

Ep 42: Understanding the Difference Between Sourcing and Procurement feat. Kevin Giblin

Procurement’s ability to deliver value to the business ultimately comes down to a few things. What does the business think procurement is capable of? Can procurement win them over to taking a fresh look at their spend and suppliers? How well are the two sides able to collaborate toward mutually beneficial goals and objectives?
In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner is joined by Kevin Giblin. Kevin is the head of Strategic Sourcing for Fitch Group, a credit rating agency. He has held multiple sourcing and procurement roles - more on that distinction in a minute - for companies such as Dun & Bradstreet, S&P Global, ChainIQ, and McGraw Hill. Kevin has also won a number of industry awards in recognition of his ability to collaborate, innovate, and achieve excellence in purchasing.
In this conversation, Kevin shares his firsthand experiences working with stakeholders to illustrate:
The real difference between sourcing and procurement (and why people are so surprised to find out what it is)
What it means for procurement to be a customer-facing organization
How procurement can have credibility with the business even when the business possesses most of the category expertise

Ep 41: Sourcing as the Answer to Food Insecurity feat. Anna McGovern

Food insecurity is a very real issue in every major metropolitan area - even New York City. The Food Bank for New York City team repackages 140 Million pounds of food - 120 million meals for the 20% of city residents that are food insecure. Think about that: 1 in 5 people in New York City does not have enough to eat.
In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner is joined by Anna McGovern. Anna is the Chief Supply Chain Officer at the Food Bank for New York City and a supply chain and procurement evangelist. Her career highlights include time in the private sector as well as nonprofits, but every role has given her an opportunity to apply her talents and further her own mastery of complex networks, stakeholder engagement, inventory management and more.
In this conversation, Anna shares some eye-opening statistics about food insecurity in the five boroughs of New York City and the sourcing, supply chain, and logistics challenges her team works to overcome on a daily basis:
What sourcing means in the context of a not-for-profit organization like a food bank compared to what it means in a corporate setting
The human implications of failure and how that motivates the people that put their personal mission above salary and benefits
How black swan events cause a short term spike in demand for resources as well as a lasting increase in recipients

Ep 40: Learning to Manage Contingent Workforce and Services Procurement feat. Jack Quarles

Services are an increasing percentage of spend in many companies, and they take different forms contractually. Contingent workforce includes hourly workers completing tasks or fulfilling roles, while service procurement is made up of companies and individuals working towards Statement of Work (SOW) driven objectives. Either way, procurement has to collaborate with HR to effectively and efficiently manage the outcomes. 
In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner is joined by Jack Quarles. Jack is the Vice President of Services Procurement at Brightfield and the author of three bestselling books including ‘Expensive Sentences: Debunking the Common Myths that Derail Decisions and Sabotage Success.’ He has experience with talent optimization and cost reduction and has firsthand procurement experience working as the Director of Corporate Procurement at Sallie Mae and consulting to numerous Fortune 100 and mid-tier companies.
In this conversation, Jack shares his insider’s point of view on the considerations associated with successful services management:
What the typical HR/procurement relationship is like and what performance metric(s) ultimately drive Human Resources like savings drives procurement
The challenges associated with properly documenting the objectives and/or requirements of a services procurement SOW
Whether the soft skills or cultural fit of the individual(s) in contingent workforce and SOW-based services are as much of a consideration as they would be in a direct hire situation

Ep 39: Rethinking the Supply Chain Talent Model feat. Jeffrey Ostrander

Working in procurement and supply chain - regardless of industry - continues to be more and more challenging. In most cases, it is our relationships that make the difference, whether we are looking at our supply partners or other functions in the company. If we can combine the power of quiet, impactful leadership with the right combination of coaching and opportunities for professionals early in their career, not only will everyone be more successful in the short term, but the future will be very bright as well.
In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner is joined by Jeffrey Ostrander. Jeff is currently the head of Supply Chain Transactions in the Western Hemisphere for Schlumberger. Prior to that, he led North American Strategy for diesel and lubricant supply chain operations at Con-way, now part of XPO Logistics, and was the Director of Fuel Procurement for Consolidated Freightways. 
In this conversation, Jeff provides us with a window into how he approaches C-level interactions and talent development within his organization:
The source of the disconnect between supply chain and the current occupants of the C-suite, and how we can go about fixing it
Why offering young professionals and opportunity to experience the view from ‘the front seat’ can take their careers from ordinary to extraordinary
His four ‘mantras’ for learning to succeed through the upturns and downturns of an always unpredictable fuel supply chain

Ep 38: Conditioning and Positioning for Difficult Negotiations feat. Peter Bolle

Procurement teams that are willing to push the envelope on behalf of their company have to be effective negotiators. But getting the desired result out of a tough conversation requires preparation and self-knowledge, meaning that the most important work happens a long time before the negotiation starts.
In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner is joined by Peter Bolle. Peter is a career procurement professional with experience in the commercial airline industry and a no-nonsense approach to getting things done. Talking to Peter about his work in procurement provides plenty of reminders about why we all need to keep our heads up even while our eyes are focused on the details. Add to that his penchant for colorful stories, and he is an ideal podcast guest.
In this conversation, Peter shares his advice on how to be successful - individually or as part of a team - when engaged in a difficult negotiation:
Whether access to technology and automation has weakened procurement’s ‘traditional’ negotiating skills.
The interplay between personality traits and negotiating style, and how they can be combined in a team setting.
The additional preparation required when procurement knows they are going into a tough negotiation - including assigning roles on their own team

EP 37: Consciously Building Robust Sourcing Capabilities feat. David Hearn

Talent management and skills development are never far from the top of a CPO’s list of priorities. As procurement’s focus and scope change, however, so will the skills required to make the team - and each individual on that team - successful in the short and long term. 
In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner is joined by David Hearn. David has led multiple world-wide sourcing, procurement, and supplier management organizations, both in direct materials and indirect categories. He is dedicated to helping indirect procurement groups transform to reach the strategic internal business partner status they have always wanted, as well as working with the individuals that make up those teams reach their full potential.
In this conversation, Dave provides his unique take on leadership and team development:
Whether category expertise or soft skills are more important to him, and how his preference affects his approach to recruiting and talent development
How leaders can use open ended questions to guide their team through complex projects and relationships
The types of validation - or evidence - he looks for to confirm that procurement is meeting the the needs of the business

EP 36: On a Mission to Build B2B Influencer Status feat. Tom Augenthaler

The notion of being an influencer - or having ‘influencer status’ - is very appealing in a world where many people feel that they are fighting to be heard or to make a difference. But that status, conferred by others beyond our control, can be elusive. Sometimes, the harder we pursue it, the further away it feels.
In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner is joined by Tom Augenthaler. Tom is on a mission - a mission to apply the influencer marketing model that we’ve all become familiar with on the B2C side to B2B companies. He helps B2B SaaS companies build brand affinity and nurture demand by engaging influencers who can impact the decision-making of their buyers. This requires him to understand the marketing needs of companies, identify influencers suited to their target customer, and bring everyone together in one consolidated program.
In this conversation, Tom shares his expert opinion on a number of questions related to B2B influence:
What makes the most influential influencers effective?
What are the most common roadblocks or distractions that prevent someone actively pursuing influencer status from achieving their goal?
How can we extend the idea of external social media-based influence into dynamics and best practices that apply inside of companies?