My Key Insights Into Procurement Leadership & Team Culture So Far In 2026

On intentional leadership, Procurement team cultures that thrive, and what the second half of 2026 could look like for you.

In June, between client delivery and speaking at Procurex England, the NWUPC Annual Conference and partnering with Hill Dickinson to share my key coaching insights, I've been very much "on the road." It's been brilliant to see so many of my Procurement network in person over the last few weeks.

And being out there, in rooms full of Procurement leaders; listening, speaking, and coaching, I have a lot to reflect on.

Here's what I've been seeing in the first half of 2026.

The Thing I Hear Most

Something I hear consistently when Procurement professionals share their career thoughts with me:

"I feel like I'm not where I should be."

It shows up in different ways, depending on sector, level of seniority and maturity stage of their Procurement function. Someone who knows they need to show up differently; they just don't know where to start.

Here's what I keep telling them (and I mean it).

You're never as far away as you think you are. And you're never starting from scratch.

The Starting Point Is Always You

Intentional Procurement leadership doesn't start with a complete reinvention. You need to start with something far more accessible (and far more powerful).

Leading yourself first.

Before the influence, before the stakeholder buy-in, before the seat at the table, there has to be a deliberate decision about how you want to show up. What you're willing to practise, even when it feels uncomfortable.

You don’t need an overhaul. You need clarity, a bit of structure, and someone to reflect back what you're already doing well; so you can do more of it, on purpose.

What I've Been Seeing In The Field

One of the things that's energised me most in the first half of 2026 is the Procurement teams I've been spending time with.

First of all, they're really passionate about what they do.

They are not solely focused on delivering savings or hitting KPIs. They're building cultures where people want to contribute, challenge, and grow. They’re taking ownership of leading across the organisation.

When I look at what those teams have in common, three threads keep appearing.

1. Psychological safety; or at very least, a real and visible intention to create it.

It's the team where someone junior can question a decision without fear. Where a Procurement Manager can say "I don't know" to a stakeholder and not feel it's a career-limiting move. Where the leader has made it consistently clear: your voice matters here.

Procurement has an extraordinary opportunity right now to lead across organisations. Not just advise or support, but rather lead. But that influence doesn't come from process. It comes from trust, and trust is built in cultures where people feel safe enough to be honest.

2. Unity

This is a critical influence lever that starts at home.

How a Procurement team behaves together is exactly how the wider organisation will experience them across categories. Unity isn't just good for morale, it's a message to the wider organisation. It says: we're aligned, we're consistent, and you can rely on us.

Influence begins at home within your own team.

3. A willingness to have difficult conversations.

With psychological safety and trust in place, teams can move through obstacles honestly and come out the other side intact. Thriving teams don’t avoid tension, they acknowledge it, address together and work through it.

The examples I've witnessed recently have been truly inspiring and they completely embody this mindset. Teams that have shifted from reactive and undervalued to embedded, respected, and sought out. The difference is how they show up together rather than their category expertise.

Which Brings Me To The Second Half Of 2026

July feels like a strange time to think about momentum. The year's half done, the diary is still full, and "working intentionally" can feel like something to revisit in January.

But that thinking is exactly what keeps procurement leaders stuck in the cycle.

The second half of the year is not a wind-down. It's arguably your best window to build, to shift and to do the work that actually changes where you land in 2027.