The Sourcing Hero

Ep 176: Fighting off the Impact of Slow Onset Inertia feat. Kris Lance

After the ‘working from home’ movement that began a few years ago, the professional world then passed through ‘quiet quitting’ on its way to something that feels a little heavier. Whether we call it apathy, nihilism, or inertia, the current mood is affecting individuals and teams in a way that we should all be aware of.
In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner welcomes back Kris Lance, Vice President and Senior Director at Una, for a monthly conversation about current news stories. Kris has experience in multiple industries and has his finger on the pulse of the trends and topics that procurement, sourcing, and supply chain professionals need to be aware of.
In this month’s discussion, Kris and Kelly talk about the sense of emotional fatigue that seems to be spreading across companies: 
Why it is affecting our ability to be at our best and even find enjoyment in our work
How leadership methods and incentive programs need to adapt in response
Advice for pulling ourselves and our colleagues out of the malaise
Links:
Kris Lance on LinkedIn
Subscribe to “The Sidekick”
Episode 171: Japan: A Silent Player in the Semiconductor Supply Chain with Kris Lance
Episode 167: Bird (Flu) Watching: Tracking the Spread of H5N1 with Kris Lance
Episode 162: Remembering the Port of Baltimore with Kris Lance
Episode 158: All Eyes Should Remain on the Red Sea with Kris Lance

Ep 175: Making the Journey from Procurement Pro to Entrepreneur feat. Keith Wright

When we think about what excellence looks like, especially on a podcast about heroism, it would be reasonable to assume that it involves feats of superhuman strength, altruistic triumph, and being 100% on point 110% of the time.
Not so, says this episode’s guest. Excellence is doing just that much better than the competition - and your own past performance - consistently over the long term.
In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner welcomes Keith Wright. Keith is an independent procurement consultant and the author of The Power of Professional Procurement, a book for businesses and decision makers determined to make a material difference for their supply chain.
In this interview, Kelth talks about his idea of excellence and why it is actually much more attainable than many of us think:
The importance of investing in ourselves as professionals and creators and what that looks like in practice
Why having an active network is an essential part of individual success
Ways customer expectations of all kinds continue to evolve, and how procurement can continue to meet them
Links:
Keith Wright on LinkedIn

Ep 174: Financial Positioning for Lasting Growth feat. Lonnie Bloom

Fast growth company leadership teams have a lot on their plates. They are balancing building a solution or offering, building brand recognition, and closing deals. But no concern is higher priority than funding. In order to secure that funding, they also need to invest in accounting - and it is never too soon to get started.
In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner welcomes Lonnie Bloom. Lonnie is a Partner at Withum, where he specializes in auditing and supporting the growth of some of the most well-known tech and emerging growth companies in the country. He also co-leads the firm's e-commerce practice which serves hundreds of brands and household names in the e-comm industry. 
In this interview, Lonnie talks about the importance of solid accounting procedure and documentation to fast growth companies:
The unique financial challenges faced by growth stage tech firms
Advantages, such as specific decisions, leadership qualities, etc., that can position firms for long term growth
How contract management practices can contribute to a company’s success
Links:
Lonnie Bloom on LinkedIn

Ep 173: Savings Start at Home feat. Omid Ghamami

When procurement needs to deliver savings, the reflexive response is usually to go to market, approaching suppliers for discounts or putting a contract out to bid. While this approach works, the results often pale in comparison to what procurement can deliver by having internal conversations about specifications, requirements, and projected demand.
 
In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner welcomes Omid Ghamami. Omid is the CEO of the Procurement and Supply Chain Management Institute – PSCM Institute for short.  He is the innovator of the CPSCM™ certification program and works with Fortune 500 companies to elevate their procurement and negotiation capabilities.  
In this interview, Omid shares his point of view on leveraging procurement influence with both stakeholders and suppliers:
The relationship procurement needs to forge with internal colleagues to maximize savings
Ways procurement can support better outcomes from suppliers - before even reaching the negotiating table
The danger of a misplaced focus on SRM, and how it can negatively impact procurement 
Links:
Omid Ghamami on LinkedIn

Ep 172: Applying Aristotelian Intelligence When Considering Artificial intelligence feat. Matt Palackdharry

For all of the hopes and expectations around AI’s ability to support human decision making, it is important to acknowledge that people and companies make decisions for different kinds of reasons. According to Aristotle (384 BCE – 322 BCE), there are three persuasions: logos, pathos, and ethos. Thousands of years after his death, we are still making decisions on logic, emotion, and character, or some combination of the three. 
In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner welcomes Matt Palackdharry. Matt is the Chief Strategy Officer at Apty, a digital adoption platform companies can use when working to coordinate their people, processes, and technology.
In this interview, Matt talks about how the power of AI is (and is not) changing the way we make decisions:
Understanding the differences between how humans and computers learn
Supporting human creativity and multi-factored decision making with today’s analytical capabilities
Ensuring that business processes keep up with the investments being made in people and technology
Links:
Matt Palackdharry on LinkedIn

Ep 171: Japan: Silent Player in the Semiconductor Supply Chain feat. Kris Lance

Most of us think about Taiwan, China, and - to some extent - the U.S. when it comes to semiconductor manufacturing… but Japan is just as critical. They are a primary (and dominant) supplier of semiconductor related chemicals, packaging materials, and tools. In fact, Japan views the industry as part of their national security strategy, and is currently investing nearly one percent of GDP in those companies. 
In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner welcomes back Kris Lance, Senior Director at Una, for a recurring monthly conversation about current news stories. Kris has experience in multiple industries and has his finger on the pulse of the trends and topics that procurement, sourcing, and supply chain professionals need to be aware of.
In this month’s discussion, Kris and Kelly talk about the semiconductor supply chain and ALL of the countries and political concerns that will have to align to increase resilience: 
Why market overconcentration continues to surprise and affect businesses worldwide
The role that governments play in private sector innovation through subsidies and investment
How procurement and supply chain leaders should be factoring geopolitics into their management of spend and suppliers
Links:
Kris Lance on LinkedIn
Subscribe to “The Sidekick”
Episode 167: Bird (Flu) Watching: Tracking the Spread of H5N1 with Kris Lance
Episode 162: Remembering the Port of Baltimore with Kris Lance
Episode 158: All Eyes Should Remain on the Red Sea with Kris Lance
Episode 154: The Sourcing Hero Gets a Sidekick with Kris Lance

Ep 170: Understanding Data and Risk in Decision Making feat. Blake Tablak

The volume of data available at our fingertips can sometimes create the illusion that any information is accessible, that decision making is improved, and that failure is avoidable. Once we get past that illusion and accept the reality of even data-driven decision making, we can finally be on the road to success.
In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner welcomes Blake Tablak. Blake is the CEO of Trax Technologies, a company that provides transportation spend management visibility for freight audit and payment solutions. With data at the heart of everything procurement is looking to achieve today, his perspectives on data and risk are valuable and highly applicable.
In this interview, Blake shares his perspective on data and the very human conditions that have to be in place for companies to deploy data successfully:
How much data is “a lot” today
The current state of data confidence
Where “doing nothing” falls on the business risk continuum
Links:
Blake Tablak on LinkedIn

Ep 169: Aspiring to Generous Leadership feat. Joe Davis

There will always be challenges to overcome - personally, professionally, and combined - but by finding the courage to work in community and to receive all each employee has to give, leaders can allow themselves and their teams to attain a new level of achievement. All it takes is a bit of generosity, purposefully carried out.
In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner welcomes Joe Davis. Joe is a Managing Director and Senior Partner at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and author of The Generous Leader: 7 Ways to Give of Yourself for Everyone's Gain, which was published in April 2024.
In this interview, Joe speaks candidly about the personal and professional experiences that showed him the true power of generosity and inspired his book:
How an emphasis on generosity in leadership could change a company’s decisions about who to elevate
What a lack of generosity might feel like on an otherwise solid team
Understanding the ‘ROI’ of generosity in all its forms
Links:
Joe Davis on LinkedIn