The Sourcing Hero

If a company doesn’t know exactly what they are buying and about who they are buying it from, there is a good chance that their supply chain is riskier than they realize. The same lack of transparency creating that risk, also creates the conditions that allow forced labor and modern slavery to exist. In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner welcomes Justin Dillon. Justin is the Founder and CEO of FRDM AI, a solution that helps companies map their supply chain, isolate risks, and access risk mitigation tools. Justin first encountered the realities of modern slavery during his first career as a musician, progressing into documentaries on the subject, and finally getting more directly involved in solving the problem itself. Justin talks about the effort associated with identifying risks that could hurt a business or that could hurt the world at large: Why it is such a challenge for companies to get (and keep) visibility into their supply chains What he sees as replacing the supplier audits and questionnaires that procurement has always used to manage risk Why intelligence is more valuable and actionable than data Making a solid business case for mapping a supply chain, and why that is more effective that altruism Links: Justin Dillon on LinkedIn

There was a time when the only objective procurement had to satisfy was saving the company money, and the only way to do that was to negotiate tough with suppliers. Today, however, the business’s expectations are much greater - a shift that is raising the bar for procurement professionals in all industries and across categories of spend. In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner welcomes back Philip Ideson, Founder and Managing Director at Art of Procurement. They take the opportunity to discuss one of the broader themes we are hearing about in procurement today, and that is procurement skill sets and their connection to business outcomes. Phil speaks from his own experience as a procurement professional and as someone covering the space through this major shift: The most important skill procurement can employ while trying to save money and also support the overall business How changes in the procurement operating model and tech stack are affecting the skills needed on the team Differences in category strategy and stakeholder groups and how those (should) impact procurement’s approach Links: Philip Ideson on LinkedIn

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

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

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

"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

The discussion about how much technical category knowledge procurement should have is ongoing - and the right answer depends a lot on the company in question. When close collaboration is needed between procurement, R&D, and suppliers, technical expertise is a must, but so are humility and curiosity.In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner welcomes Chuck Shehadi. Chuck is the COO at Solugen, a chemical manufacturing company based in Houston, Texas. When it comes to the skills required to be considered a talented procurement professional in his world, that means technical - highly technical - and with the right level of category specialization.In this interview, Chuck talks about the unique backgrounds he and his team have and how they put them to work: Why former engineers and PhDs would choose to pursue a career in procurement How they balance having that knowledge with the experience brought by R&D and suppliers His advice for someone in procurement looking to become more technically proficient or someone in engineering that might want to step into procurement Links: Chuck Shehadi on LinkedIn

Procurement is the kind of job where success is largely fueled by the strength of your relationships. Having trust and respect between procurement and the business, as well as between procurement and suppliers, can often make or break an effort. But it all starts with the team dynamic that exists within procurement. In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner welcomes Dr. Cindie Burkett. Cindie is the Vice President of Procurement for Specialty Dental Brands where she is busy building out her procurement team and forging relationships with suppliers for the good of the organization. Cindie shares her point of view on relationships, and why they are so critical to business success: Healthy ways individuals can process their mistakes in a way that everyone benefits Why having close relationships with suppliers doesn’t reduce procurement’s leverage at renegotiation time or when there are performance issues How procurement can resolve perception-based issues that the business has with a supplier’s performance Links: Dr. Cindie Burkett on LinkedIn