The Sourcing Hero

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?

EP 35: Listening to the Voice of the Supplier feat. Sam Singer and Jay Anderson

Procurement may talk about wanting to be a ‘customer of choice,’ or talk about creating an improved supplier experience, but do our actions back up those words? We’ll never know if we don’t ask representatives of our most trusted supply partners what they think about our processes - AND listen carefully to their answers.
In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner is joined by two members of the Rapid Packaging team. Rapid Packaging is a supply-side member of the Una community and one of the premier providers of end-of-line packaging systems, supplies, technical services, and automated solutions. Sam Singer is their SVP Sales and Marketing and Jay Anderson is the Vice President of Sales.
In this conversation, Sam and Jay provide a supply-side perspective on questions such as:
How often - and how well - their procurement points of contact make use of their extensive category and product knowledge
What types of sustainability opportunities exist in the end-of-line packaging category
What types of talent and skills development sales teams are making that may or may not align with the soft skills investments being made by procurement

EP 34: Resisting Assimilation - Practicing Authentic Leadership feat. Jan Griffiths

There are many things about corporate life that everyone just accepts. Meetings, pre-meetings, and constant, subtle incentives to follow the status quo even when transformation is being celebrated. But should we continue to tolerate leadership practices that don’t deliver the desired results… especially if they don’t help anyone enjoy their work? Our guest in this episode says, “No!”
In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner is joined by Jan Griffiths. Jan is a former automotive industry Chief Procurement Officer and Vice President of Supply Chain that is now combining her passion and philosophy to transform work experiences across companies and industries. As a keynote speaker, she is known for getting the audience - and other speakers - to dance… on stage… as the first step on their journey away from traditional corporate leadership.
In this conversation, Jan gives us a primer on authentic leadership:
What is authentic leadership and how does it differ from traditional corporate leadership?
How does a different type of leadership unlock the true potential of a team?
Why vulnerability and banishing the fear of failure are so critical to lasting success

Ep 33: Direct Materials Sourcing from Emerging Markets feat. Janette Lais

Direct materials are those that will eventually end up in the hands of a company’s customers, making the choice of supplier in these categories that much more critical. When those suppliers are based in emerging markets, the process of finding and qualifying them requires specialized expertise and third party support to ensure that quality standards are maintained and products meet technical requirements.
In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner is joined by Janette Lais. Janette is the Director of Sourcing at Rapid Packaging. She has over 25 years of purchasing, inventory management, operations, and logistics experience. Of particular interest is her knowledge about sourcing internationally, including purchasing products from emerging markets in China, Turkey, and India.
In this conversation, Janette shares her perspective on:
How sourcing processes and supplier communication practices are affected when suppliers are based in emerging markets
How she approaches sourcing projects knowing that the product or material she buys will ultimately end up in the hands of Rapid Packaging’s customers
Advice for companies and procurement/sourcing professionals that are considering sourcing from emerging markets for the first time

Ep 32: Mitigating Price Increase Requests feat. Philip Ideson

The top news stories each day are like a potpourri of procurement challenges: labor shortages, supply chain disruptions, and material cost increases abound. Each one of them means one thing - the next time a supplier emails or calls, they may be reaching out to say that they are going to have to increase their prices as a result. But what is procurement to do?
In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner is joined by Philip Ideson. Phil is the Founder and Managing Director of Art of Procurement, a procurement consulting, membership, and content company that provides CPOs and their teams the resources they need to enable company growth. He has also worked at both Procurian & Accenture and has experience across the entire Indirect and Direct procurement value chain.
In this conversation, Phil shares his perspective on:
How procurement should respond to a supplier that reached out with a request for a price increase
What options procurement has for mitigating the increase once it has been determined to be a valid request from the supplier
If procurement needs to worry about getting TOO GOOD at protecting the bottom line in challenging times

Ep 31: Understanding Digital World-Class Procurement feat. Chris Sawchuk

All procurement professionals and organizations want to improve, but the continuum from ‘typical’ to world-class is a long one. The more we can understand about what differentiates digital world-class procurement and how they operate, the more we can accelerate each team’s progression along that journey.
In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner is joined by Chris Sawchuk. Chris is a Principal and the Global Procurement Advisory Practice Leader at The Hackett Group. They recently released their 2021 Digital World-Class Procurement research, detailing how top performers are improving their efficiency, effectiveness, and customer experience.
In this conversation, Chris shares his perspective on:
How the ideals of digital world-class procurement is changing how we perceive all procurement organizations
Why investments in digital procurement transformation can make procurement more operationally efficient and provide a better ‘customer experience’ to internal and external stakeholders
The range of factors and inputs included in the idea of digital world-class procurement

Ep 30: Finding the Courage to Take a Relational Approach feat. Kate Vitasek

It is one thing to talk about building relationships with suppliers, but it is another thing entirely to carry it out. This becomes even more challenging when we consider how many suppliers procurement teams are responsible for and how unpredictable the global business world is. If meaningful relationships between companies and their suppliers are to be long-lasting and productive, we need to use the right kind of contract in each case - including agreements that drive desired outcomes rather than over-specifying details.
In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner is joined by Kate Vitasek. Kate has been the driving force behind the University of Tennessee's pioneering research and development of the award-winning Vested® and Vested Outsourcing movement. Her insights have been widely published in over 300 articles in respected academic and trade journals, as well as in seven books. She has appeared on Fox Business News, CNN International, NPR and Bloomberg Radio and has been featured in Harvard Business Review, Forbes, Chief Executive Magazine, Contract Management, CIO Magazine, World Trade Magazine, and Information Week.
In this conversation, Kate shares her perspective on:
What relational contracting is, and how it allows companies to achieve successful outcomes in partnership with their suppliers - even through challenging times
How procurement can evaluate suppliers, spend, and contracts to determine if a truly relational approach is warranted 
The courage required to change one’s mindset, and the strength it takes to lead a team or a company in a new direction