5 Assumptions Killing Your Procurement Team's Influence (And How to Change Them)

In my experience of coaching Procurement teams, I've always been fascinated by legacy thinking that forms part of company and team culture. I notice that many Procurement teams operate from shared assumptions - those collectively held beliefs about how the business sees them, what they're allowed to influence, and what's possible. 

Some of these assumptions are true. Some are possibly true. And some…may never have been true at all.

Nancy Kline, creator of The Thinking Environment, calls these "limiting assumptions" - the invisible beliefs that constrain our thinking. In my work with Procurement teams, I often notice five particular assumptions that show up in team dialogue, holding talented Procurement professionals back from the impact they're capable of.

I call these career ghosts.

They can operate at an individual and collective level. Career ghosts start as real experiences - a difficult stakeholder interaction, a project that went wrong, a time when you weren't listened to. But over time, these past experiences turn into assumptions about current and future situations. Research shows that our perceptions of past behaviour directly influence our decisions about future behaviour, shaping our attitudes and beliefs independent of the actual outcomes. More recent work on mindsets demonstrates how these beliefs become embedded in workplace culture, affecting not just individuals but entire teams and organisations. The ghost of what happened once becomes the belief about what will always happen. And that belief shapes every decision, every conversation and every opportunity you don't take.

Let's take a look in particular at the beliefs and assumptions that show up in Procurement teams - and test whether they're actually true.

Ghost #1: "The business sees us as cost-cutters, not strategic partners"

The assumption: Our stakeholders only value us for savings, so we need to keep proving our strategic value.

Testing the truth: Is this true for every stakeholder? It might be worth wondering whether some stakeholders experienced this with a previous Procurement team, and we're now carrying that legacy. When we walk into meetings already defending our strategic value, what might stakeholders be picking up from us?

The liberating alternative: What if some stakeholders are already ready to engage differently, and we're not giving them the chance? What if instead of talking about being strategic, we simply show up with the strategic questions? "What's driving this decision? What does success look like? What risks keep you awake?" The conversation often shifts when we stop trying to prove our worth and start demonstrating it.

What this looked like in practice: One Procurement team I worked with shifted their approach from demonstrating value to demonstrating curiosity. They went into a key meeting armed with three open questions for a senior stakeholder, rather than a presentation about Procurement's strategic contribution. This led to an offline conversation where they laid real foundations for the relationship. Not only did this capture the stakeholder's interest - Procurement found themselves influencing the decision without ever needing to prove their strategic value.

Ghost #2: "Why should I have to show them how to do their job?"

The assumption: "I'm driving transformation and change, but I'm constantly having to teach people things that should be basic. Why is it my responsibility to show others how to do their job properly?"

Testing the truth: It's worth reflecting on where this frustration comes from. Is it actually true that teaching others isn't part of your role? Or might it be that leading transformation has always required bringing people along? When you resist enabling others because "it's not my job," what impact does that have on the change you're trying to create?

The liberating alternative: What if transformation doesn't happen by doing the work yourself, but by building capability in others? What if the frustration you feel about "having to teach everyone" is actually the work of leading change? Try this: identify one area where you're frustrated at having to show someone how to do something. What if that's not a distraction from the transformation - but it is the step towards transformation?

What this looked like in practice: One Procurement leader was driving change across the business but felt frustrated at constantly having to educate stakeholders - it felt like doing everyone else's job. We explored when they slipped into "rescuer" mode (doing the work for others) versus "enabler" mode (building capability in others). By reframing enabling as essential to transformation rather than a burden, they shifted from resentment to strategic intent. The change they'd been driving suddenly had momentum because others understood not just what to do, but why.

Ghost #3: "Marketing/Sales are impossible to work with"

The assumption: "We've had difficult experiences with that function, so every interaction will be a battle".

Testing the truth: It's worth pausing on this one. Is this true about everyone in that function? Or might it be true about specific individuals in specific situations that have now become team truths? When new people join from that department, do they get a fresh start, or do they inherit our team's assumptions?

The liberating alternative: What if those difficult experiences were real, but they don't have to define every future interaction? What if that function's team members are also navigating their own pressures and would welcome a genuine partnership? Challenge your team to approach one interaction with curiosity: "What does success look like for you? What would make this easier?" Sometimes the ghost lives in the story we hold on to, rather than within the relationship itself.

What this looked like in practice: A Procurement leader realised in a coaching session that they were carrying an assumption about Marketing stakeholders from a previous company - a difficult relationship that had left an imprint, despite now being in a different company. Simply recognising where that belief originated created a shift. They reset their approach with their current Marketing team, and within weeks had gained real authority over Marketing spend that had previously been managed outside Procurement.

Ghost #4: "We can't really learn from each other because our categories are so different"

The assumption: "My category is so specialised that other Category Managers couldn't possibly understand the challenges I'm facing, and their experiences aren't relevant to mine".

Testing the truth: This one's worth examining. Is this actually true? Or might it be that the technical details are different, but the leadership challenges are remarkably similar? When did your team last have a proper conversation about stakeholder relationships, influencing decisions, or building credibility - rather than just talking about technical specifics?

The liberating alternative: What if the person managing IT spend faces the same challenge influencing their stakeholder as you do in Marketing? What if the Category Manager in facilities has cracked something about executive engagement that would transform your approach? The technical expertise differs, but the leadership skills we all need are universal. Create space for your team to share how they navigate influence, not just what they're buying. The insights might surprise you.

What this looked like in practice: This comes up in almost every team coaching session I run. When we break down the category-specific challenges and strip back the technical details, teams realise the common ground is in the people and leadership skills. The IT Category Manager struggling to get their CFO's attention has more to learn from the Facilities Manager who's cracked stakeholder engagement than from another IT specialist. Once teams start sharing how they navigate influence rather than the technical differences between categories, the isolation disappears.

Ghost #5: "We can't change anything until the system/structure/ leadership changes"

The assumption: Our ability to work differently is blocked by systems, structures, or decisions above our pay grade, so we need to wait for those to change first.

Testing the truth: This one feels true on many days. But it's worth asking: is this really true? Or might it be that we're waiting for permission that might never come? Look around your organisation - are there teams creating change without perfect conditions? What are they doing differently?

The liberating alternative: What if we have more agency than we think? What if we could change one thing in how our team operates without needing anyone's permission? How we run category reviews. How we engage a particular stakeholder. How we brief our leadership. Pick one thing you can influence and change it this month. Teams that build influence create evidence that transformation is worth backing – rather than waiting for it to happen.

What this looked like in practice: One team had spent a year waiting for the "right conditions" to implement their vision. We shifted to a mindset of working with what they already had and focusing on the next achievable step. They broke down their ambitious plan into small milestones and started taking consistent action. Within months, parts of their original vision were coming to life - not because the system changed, but because they stopped waiting for it to.

Testing Your Team's Assumptions

Nancy Kline teaches us that the the quality of everything we do depends on the quality of the thinking we do first. These five career ghosts that I've shared in this article are often shared beliefs that circulate within Procurement teams - passed down through team members, reinforced by past experiences, and rarely questioned.

The assumptions that protected your team in the past - the caution, the thoroughness, the defensive positioning - might only be possibly true now. Or not true at all.

The question isn't whether your team has limiting assumptions - every team does. The question is: which assumption are you willing to test together?

The moment a Procurement team replaces a limiting assumption with a liberating one, everything changes. The team can feel more empowered and influential as a result – with immediate impact.

Which ghost will your Procurement team challenge first?

How Coaching For Procurement Ltd Can Help

Coaching For Procurement Ltd offers a full suite of coaching solutions designed to empower and support Procurement leaders and their teams; from Procurement team coaching and workshops through to ILM qualifications using the unique P.R.O.C.U.R.E® coaching methodology and frameworks, as well as 1:1 coaching. We work together on your inner game at these pivotal moments of your Procurement journey.

If you would like to explore how my coaching programmes can help you to have a greater impact as a Procurement team, please reach out to find out more: www.coachingforprocurement.co.uk/contact-me