Stories from the Coaching Room: How Procurement Leaders Use Coaching To Navigate Career Transitions

THIS WEEK'S FOCUS: From Operational To Strategic Thinking

Navigating Change Purposefully

The only constant is change. It applies to all of us – regardless of our career paths.

But when you work in an evolving profession like Procurement, not only are you having to navigate your own personal transitions, such as climbing the leadership ladder, company restructures, or taking a career break, you’re having to do that against a backdrop of changing remits and expectations of a function that is striving to meet stakeholder needs.

Whether you're stepping into your first Director role, expanding your remit to include other parts of the business, assuming leadership of a global team, returning after a career break, or joining a new organisation, the path forward isn't always clear.

In my years of coaching Procurement leaders, I've witnessed firsthand how targeted coaching transforms uncertainty into confidence, potential into performance, and operational mindsets into strategic action. In this week’s newsletter, I'm sharing the first of four powerful stories from the coaching room that illustrate why professional guidance matters during these pivotal moments of Procurement careers.

This Week's Spotlight: The Technical Expert Becomes the Strategic Leader

The Situation: 

My client, "G", had spent 9 years in Procurement – as a Category Manager and as Head of Procurement, excelling at supplier relationship management, negotiations and cost reduction. When promoted to a Director role, they suddenly found themselves responsible for senior stakeholder management, board presentations, and organisational transformation - skills that didn't yet sit comfortably in their toolkit.

The Challenge: 

"I feel like I am drowning," G shared during our first session. "I know Procurement inside and out, but I don't know how to influence the C-suite and confidently step into strategic thinking." Whenever they felt out of their comfort zone, they ended up rolling up their sleeves and stepping into the operational detail alongside their team, knowing that resource constraints were an issue for the foreseeable future. They felt that’s where their team needed them most, but G also shared with me "if I'm honest, I can hide there".

The Coaching Journey: 

Over a period of 6 months, we focused on three critical areas:

• Developing executive presence and communication skills
• Shifting from operational to strategic thinking (and action)
• Building influence across the organisation

The Outcome: 

Six months later:

• G was being proactively invited to senior-level conversations after building relationships with the C-Suite (not as a token invite but because their voice mattered)
• They had gained the respect of a tricky senior level stakeholder after proactively seeking to build a better relationship. This resulted in finally becoming involved in high-ticket spend projects where resistance had previously been high, resulting in a six-figure saving for the business.
• G had found the confidence to stay at the strategic level of their new role (despite the initial discomfort), rather than slipping back into the comfort and familiarity of the operational detail. As we worked through this together in the coaching sessions, they found that this approach enabled their team to step up. Due to G’s step up into more of a strategic presence, they were also able to influence a case for additional resource within their team.

Coaching Insight: Technical expertise got G the promotion, but leadership skills got them the results. Coaching bridged that gap by providing a safe space to practise new behaviours, receive honest feedback, and push themselves forward in their career in a way that felt authentic to them.

How Coaching For Procurement Ltd Can Help

As an Executive Coach to Procurement Leaders, I coach them to step into their own brand of leadership which pushes them forward in their career in a way that suits their stye and their career goals. 

Coaching For Procurement is dedicated to providing coaching solutions to the Procurement profession – from 1:1 coaching through to coaching qualifications using P.R.O.C.U.R.E®: a unique flexible coaching framework to unlock potential and a coaching mindset within Procurement talent.

Contact us for more information on [email protected] or visit www.coachingforprocurement.co.uk.

You can also catch up on the Procurement Pivots podcast. Released every Monday, this week's episode focuses on navigating transition in Procurement. Catch up on YouTube, Apple or Spotify.