The Sourcing Hero

Ep 47: Be Like Estonia - Embracing the Advantage of Size feat. James Meads

All companies - and business leaders for that matter - have a tendency to look up for guidance and ideas. And while successful results often carry us on an upward trajectory, looking to emulate the patterns that make large enterprises like the FOrtune 500 successful may actually deny mid-market companies their greatest short-term advantage: raw, lean agility.
In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner welcomes James Meads. James is a career procurement professional turned consultant, who recognizes some of the disparities between procurement technology for enterprise-level companies, and the digital transformation opportunities and partners that exist for mid-market companies.
In this conversation, James talks about the impact that relative size has on what organizations can achieve and how it should influence who they partner with:
Why does most procurement technology seem to be marketed at (and designed for) large enterprises?
How should procurement team size, regardless of corporate revenue or spend, impact decisions about procurement technology?
Ways that mid-market companies on both the provider and practitioner sides of the fence can leverage the advantages of where they are NOW in their maturity journeys.

Ep 46: The Role of Creativity in Category Management feat. Gary Levitan

Everyone wants to be at the intersection of ‘right place and right time’ - procurement included. Our guest in this episode was able to hit that intersection in two ways. His company went public in a time when everyone was forced to find creative new working arrangements, and he was tasked with rebuilding their procurement organization just as ideas about category management and procurement’s relationship with the business were becoming more nuanced.
In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner welcomes Gary Levitan. Gary is the Global Head of Procurement, Sourcing, & Supply Chain at WeWork, a flexible workspace company that went public in October. He has over 15 years experience in procurement, and during that time he has worked to ensure that various stakeholder groups within the business are able to meet or exceed their objectives through contracts and supplier relationships.
In this conversation, Gary shares his theory about the best way to build out procurement organizations through people and process:
What is it like to be a Chief Procurement Officer through a high-visibility IPO?
What does creative category management look like?
What are the potential downsides of procurement having more category expertise than their point of contact in the business?

Ep 45: Learning How to Negotiate with Confidence feat. Soheila Lunney

Although negotiating isn’t everyone’s favorite part of working in procurement, it is - and likely always will be - a critical part of the job. Despite that fact, there are enough different ways to negotiate that each individual person can find an approach, strategies, and tactics that allow them to achieve their objectives while staying true to themselves.
In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner welcomes Soheila Lunney. Soheila has over 25 years of procurement experience involving both domestic and international activities. She has extensive experience in consulting, coaching and training, reengineering the supply management process, sourcing materials and services, reducing total cost of ownership, and negotiating complex contracts. In 2012, she and Charles Dominick published The Procurement Game Plan - and now they are working on an expanded second edition at the request of the publisher.
In this conversation, Soheila shares her passion for coaching others and helping them succeed as negotiators and fulfilled human beings:
The hardest thing for most people to learn when they are trying to become better negotiators
Whether there are actual differences between men and women in negotiation - and whether they align with the stereotypes
How to steady yourself before going into a negotiation - whether it is high stakes or not

Ep 44: Heroes Are Everywhere - And They All Have a Story to Tell

Heroes come in all shapes and sizes, and we need them everywhere - even at work. You may have been a hero to someone today and not even know it. Everyone of them has a story to tell and they are all worth hearing. That is the mission of The Sourcing Hero podcast, capturing and sharing epic stories of people beating the odds and rising up to make a difference through procurement. 
In this special year-end episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, host Kelly Barner looks back on the second season so far and shares some of her favorite advice, stories, and definitions of heroism. Whether you’ve listened each week, or are just discovering the podcast now, you’ll be amazed at these real life examples of corporate humanity - and impressed by the people who share them.
Some of the things you’ll hear in this episode include:
The combined takeaways from two very different conversations about building influence, including how and when you should foster it and what might get in your way
A mantra for being an effective professional and a good leader at the same time
Two standout answers to the question about heroism, one truly humbling and one a funny, positive surprise!
Bonus: Be sure to listen for some behind the scenes secrets from The Sourcing Hero interviewing and production process!

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