How to sharpen your edge in Procurement leadership - one conversation at a time

As people-focused leaders, coach training appeals to us because we want to help others develop themselves, we want to be better at developing our teams, collaborating with our stakeholders, and the people around us. That was certainly my starting point. I reached a point where I realised how much a leader needs to adapt to get the best out of the people in their charge, and I wanted to know how to do that (and to do it well).

What I didn't expect was how much it would help me develop in areas that are vital in complex environments. Training as a coach turned out to be one of the most transformative things I've done for my own leadership in business, as well as supporting others with theirs.

There's a saying in the coaching world: who you are is how you coach. I'd go as far as to say the same applies in Procurement: 

How you are is how you procure. 

The way you show up in a negotiation, a supplier review or a difficult stakeholder conversation isn't separate from who you are; it is who you are, on display.

To enable others in building their confidence, developing their presence as a Procurement professional, and sharpening their critical thinking in an age of AI, we first have to lean into our own self-awareness as coaches and as leaders. Learning to coach well means learning to lead without ego: to hold a room without needing to be the smartest person in it, and to put the other person's needs above your own in that moment. And dare I say it… to look at that tricky stakeholder through a different lens.

It's also a journey, not a switch you flip. And the best part of that journey is that it doesn't make you more like every other coach or Procurement leader out there… it draws out what's already distinctive about you. The way you lead, once you've done this work, looks like you, not a template.

If you're a Procurement leader considering joining my ILM coaching qualification, tailored specifically for Procurement leaders, here are the hidden benefits nobody quite tells you about. These are things I've felt first-hand.

1. Sharper self-awareness, especially under pressure

Procurement sits at the sharp end of volatility, often with supply shocks, shifting markets, stakeholders who want certainty you can't always give them. CIPS' Global State of Procurement & Supply 2026 report describes the profession as being in a state of permanent hypervigilance, constantly responding to protect supply continuity. Coach training goes beyond teaching you to manage that pressure outwardly. It teaches you to notice your own reactions to it; where you tense up, where your own instincts get in the way. That self-awareness is what enables you to stay steady. Self-awareness is a work in progress for us all, and coaching training helps to accelerate it.

2. A coaching and growth mindset

We often hear about growth mindsets. But embracing this and rewiring how we respond to setbacks, feedback, or being challenged is a journey in itself. It's notable that CIPS' 2026 Salary Guide found critical thinking and curiosity has entered employers' top five most sought-after skills globally. This isn't a soft add-on anymore, it's what's being hired for. But how do you prove that in an interview? Coaching training starts with you: the curiosity you learn to bring to a coaching conversation has to exist in yourself first, before you can offer it to anyone else. You start leading from curiosity; and you'll be supported every step of the way through your coaching training programme to lead in this way.

3. The ability to navigate tricky power and relationship dynamics

This is the one of the most powerful benefits of learning to coach as a Procurement leader. It shows up most with suppliers, with the business, with stakeholders who see you as a blocker rather than a partner. CIPS' 2026 Salary Guide found that over half of employers (52%) now cite organisational fit, essentially how well someone builds relationships within a team, as one of their biggest recruitment challenges, with supplier relationship management sitting in their top five skills wish list too. Coaching skills give you a completely different way to hold influence: not through position or pressure, but through how you listen, question, and build trust in the room. We cover relationship dynamics in depth across the coach training programme, and it can be transformative for your relationships, both internally and externally.

4. Comfort sitting with the question, before reaching for the answer

I used to think my job was to have the answer as a leader. Coaching taught me the opposite: that the most useful thing I can do, for my team or a stakeholder, is often to ask a better question rather than supply a quick one. That's a harder skill than it sounds, and in an age where AI can generate answers instantly, it might be the one thing that keeps your judgement irreplaceable. Being able to hold the silence, being curious and posing a well-timed question are all aspects of this training programme that will give you solid foundations for your Procurement leadership. 

5. A leadership presence people trust and the boundaries to protect it

Put the first four together and you're building a leadership presence that people trust. This isn't a given: CIPS' Global State of Procurement & Supply 2026 report found only 37% of Procurement leaders are seen as a fully trusted business partner, and overall influence, while growing in over half of organisations, is down on previous years. Building it deliberately is vital, and let's not forget that communication itself now tops employers' skills wish list globally, at 47%, ahead of any single technical skill, according to CIPS' 2026 Salary Guide.

An unexpected benefit of coaching training for me was that it also taught me how to hold boundaries. Being trusted doesn't mean being endlessly available, or carrying everyone else's problems as your own. I learned how to stay open and supportive without over-extending myself; how to hold a boundary with the same care I'd hold a conversation. That balance is what makes trusted leadership sustainable, rather than leading you down a path to burnout.

None of this replaces your commercial expertise. It sits alongside it, and it's the piece that changes how you lead, long after the qualification is done.

If this resonates, I'd love you to join the next cohort of my ILM coaching qualification, built specifically for Procurement leaders.

👉 www.coachingforprocurement.co.uk/training

Registration closes on 16th September. 

Spaces are limited to 12 (2 already taken), to keep the cohort small and the conversations real. Reply to this newsletter or drop me a message if you'd like to know more before you apply.