The emotional journey towards strategic Procurement

As I celebrated 3 years of Coaching For Procurement Ltd being in business earlier this month, I was reflecting on the grit and determination that building a business often requires.

But that grit isn’t reserved only for those who take the leap out of corporate life. When I’m working with Procurement clients, I often observe similarities in the emotional journey that it takes them to build a thriving Procurement function and it’s the inner game that we work on together.

For them, building a Procurement function is like building a business within a business - and the mindset it requires is different depending on the maturity stage of the function.

In this week’s article, I take a deeper dive into the different mindset shifts that my clients have focused on in relation to the stage that they find themselves in.

Stage 1: Blank canvas or beautiful chaos

There are 2 different perspectives that I’ve witnessed here – either you’re standing up a Procurement function from scratch or you’re coming into a business where the function needs a lot of work.

At this point there is likely a mixture of contrasting emotions, from a sense of positivity and optimism (ready for fresh start and raring to make a huge impact) to a feeling of overwhelm (“where do I start? There’s so much to do! This isn’t what was sold to me!”)

The stakes can feel high and so the mindset shift here is about celebrating those small wins, focusing on each small step rather than the mountain and rocky terrain that lies ahead.

A curious mindset is key and you need to be open to the fact that this first stage doesn’t actually tell you very much about the future of Procurement within your organisation. It’s either a blank canvas or an unpicking exercise. You’re here, you’ve started, and the current state doesn’t define the end result. Time to roll the sleeves up and get stuck in. 

Stage 2: The hangover

So you’ve settled in and you’re now into the nitty gritty. You’ve got the team (or as much resource as the organisation is willing to allocate to you at this point). Some silos may be present if you’re a big team. Your level of optimism that you had in the previous stage has somewhat depleted as you start to realise that setting up a Procurement function isn’t quite the same as validating its place within the organisation.

At this point you might be facing a lot of resistance from stakeholders to include you in their plans. Or if there is a glimmer of stakeholder interest to engage, it was just that: a glimmer. You’ve managed to get some people to follow the process but some lukewarm commitment to compliance doesn’t mean that you have solid stakeholder relationships (or engaged ones). It just means that some stakeholders happen to know you exist and are aware that there is a function called Procurement which adds some additional steps into the buying process. At this point, Procurement is still building credibility and you’re chipping away at maintaining a steady state. But right now that seat at the table is as elusive as ever.

From a mindset perspective, the key focus is resilience - and buckets of it. You need to remind yourself that the small wins still count because it’s at this point that the mountain you’re climbing reveals that you’re not actually that far from base camp and you need to strap in with extra oxygen tanks. The seat at the table and the strategic lever is not yet in sight, but you need to remind yourself that your need to feel seen and appreciated should not turn into people pleasing just to get your stakeholders and the Exec to notice you. Boundaries at this point are key.

Stage 3:  Validation – but is this it?

The excitement that you once felt at building a strategic Procurement function might have waned altogether by now and you’re starting to question whether this is it. 

Your processes are in place, you’re delivering the savings, you have a solid category management plan or strategy, if only your key stakeholders could see the strategic value. Despite your achievements up to now, the request for additional headcount has been rebuffed, you’re knee deep in the churn of recruitment and trying to hold on to your Procurement talent with the promise that “things will get better”. But you might be questioning how true this is yourself. Perhaps truly strategic Procurement doesn’t exist – despite the bold claims you see from your peers on LinkedIn. Or maybe it does and it’s not possible within your organisation. The self-doubt might start to creep in about your own capabilities. Maybe you need a change. Or perhaps you need to accept that this is as far as you can take it.

This stage is an interesting one when it comes to mindset as it requires a real step change. How you respond in these moments is key because it takes a huge leap of faith and courage to go beyond the current perceptions of Procurement. You need to separate the general perception of Procurement, whatever that is in your organisation, from your identity as a Procurement professional or as a team. You can’t let their perception of you become an indicator of your self-worth. Your stakeholders will be playing catch up to your strategic Procurement vision for a while yet (they’re fighting their own battles too).

So the focus here needs to be on courage, continued resilience, and a journey into self-awareness and emotional intelligence. The more dedication you put into understanding yourself and your wider team dynamics, the more you will understand your stakeholders and the moves you need to take next. You need to make a call: are you willing to work through this stage for a bit longer or are you ready to move on? Only you can decide that one.

Step 4: Utopia

So let’s say you’ve made that call to stay or you’ve joined a team that has reached that revered seat at the table. You stuck with the nuts and bolts of operational Procurement for another couple of years and while some of the same battles still exist, you’ve worked on yourself enough to know not to take it personally and that any challenges that Procurement has been through are not a detriment to your self-worth. You’ve made it – strategic Procurement is alive …it does indeed exist.

So what’s next?

At this point you’ve most likely got a real sense of what it is you enjoy about being a Procurement professional. I’ve known Procurement leaders at this stage to hand over the reins to a successor and leave to go start that journey all over again. For them, the joy is in the build. Their strengths lie in standing up a function and if they haven’t already left in the previous stage, they’re getting ready to do it now. Or perhaps self-employement is calling. And whatever gets decided at this point is ok – you need to lean into your strengths and what you enjoy.

For others, they’ve reached the top of the Procurement hierarchy and they want something more, but that clear path just doesn’t exist where they are.

But there are other possibilities if you decide that, as much as you love Procurement, you’ve collected enough badges of honour (and grey hairs for that matter) in the struggle to be seen. You made it through and you’re not willing to do it again! But the ambition is still there.

I’ve recently seen a CPO make it to CEO. And I’ve worked with some incredible Procurement leaders who are ready to take it further. They’re thinking beyond just Procurement now. They’ve taken on additional areas of responsibility alongside Procurement. They’re starting to see where Procurement can join the dots of the organisation even further.

And while confidence in their Procurement abilities is high, in comes the imposter for even bigger stuff. You’ve got the influence at Exec level but you can’t just ask for a new seat at the table. You need a strategic plan. An idea of what it looks like beyond Procurement without looking like you’re just asking for even more. You need to create another vision of that new seat at the table.

But you’re not leaving your Procurement experience behind. You’re taking the optimism, the resilience, the courage and the emotional intelligence you’ve gathered in those battle scars to take on the next step. Now, you’re thinking with possibility.

So tell me...where are you on this journey? What’s been the toughest mindset shift for you so far?

How Coaching For Procurement 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 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 a coaching approach to building Procurement's impact through coaching, please reach out to find out more: [email protected]