When your Procurement team isn’t “most teams”

We can all be guilty of making assumptions about Procurement – both within and external to the profession. Perhaps that long-standing assumption about Procurement’s value, a particular perception of a key stakeholder (Marketing often comes up in conversation!), or assumptions that “most” Procurement teams/professionals do or don’t do something.

There will always be commonalities and best practice, but the opportunity for change, growth and impact will always lie in the uniqueness of your Procurement team and its organisational context. 

And that sits at the heart of one of Procurement's biggest tensions. The profession pushes towards standardisation, best practice, and consistency (and there's nothing wrong with that). But your team operates within a unique organisational context, with its own culture, politics, and pressures. What works brilliantly in one business might fall flat in yours.

Your Procurement team faces challenges that are specific to your organisation. The support they need should reflect that.

You’re navigating the specific dynamics, pressures, and opportunities that exist within your organisation right now. Which is why the work I do looks different every time.

My role as a coach is fundamentally about meeting you and your team where you are, so that you can implement action straight away. Part of understanding your needs means asking: what type of approach will serve you best right now? Is it skills training, or something more personalised and tailored to your specific dynamics?

Here are three ways we might work together:

1. Leadership Team Development

This is for Procurement leadership teams working towards high performance, planning their strategy, or overcoming a particular team challenge.

We work collectively with the strengths of the team whilst also appreciating the differences between team members. This approach is brilliant for taking your Procurement team to new heights; creating mutual agreement on direction and building the trust and relationship dynamics that underpin everything else.

Recent client feedback on this type of session: "It was a fantastic session and we gained commitment from all of our stakeholders to work with our new operating mode”

Perfect for: Procurement leadership teams ready to step up together.

2. Targeted Team Coaching

This is for selected team members who share a common obstacle they want to overcome together.

Recently, I worked with a brilliant Procurement team who are high performers with great trust between them, but who found themselves slipping into a pursuit of perfectionism - which sometimes acted as a barrier to efficiency. The aim wasn't to lower standards, but to explore when "good enough" is actually good enough, so the team could free themselves up, escape their fear of failure and work towards high performance.

I received some feedback yesterday from one team member that they really enjoyed the session and were able to immediately implement one of their key learnings that very same week.

Perfect for: Selected team members working together to shift a specific pattern or challenge.

3. Team Upskilling Workshops

This is for larger Procurement teams looking to develop skills in influencing, coaching, soft skills, or establishing team vision and values - particularly following large-scale organisational change.

Client feedback: "From start to finish, Laura facilitated our team workshop with a deep understanding of Procurement and a coach's mentality. Instead of feeling like we were being trained or consulted, our team felt heard and actively involved in shaping the process."

Perfect for: Larger teams needing practical skills they can use immediately.

How Coaching For Procurement Ltd Can Help

The common thread running through all three of my approaches to Procurement teams is understanding where you are now, and what you actually need to move forward.

If you're thinking about how to support your Procurement team in 2026, I'd love to hear what's on your mind.

Get in touch for an informal, confidential chat here.