The circumstances

A new exciting job, change of business, a house move and a complete relocation within the UK. This should have been one of the most exciting times in my life.

In my head though, it fast spiralled into a living nightmare as I experienced Generalised Anxiety Disorder for the first time in my life.

The key contributory factors were:

• A prolonged house sale meant I had to work away from home for many months. The stress of moving house, long tiring commutes and being away from my support network was more difficult than I could ever have imagined.

• The new job was tough (all new jobs are) but a situation in the team environment was particularly challenging - not everybody made me feel welcome.

• The pressure and responsibility I felt for my children who were having to change schools and start new friendship groups.

Normally I could cope with one or two of these factors, but it’s the typical scenario of the glass overflowing. There were just too many things to deal with.

How did I feel?

I didn’t even notice when normal everyday stress turned into a far more scary and destructive force. It crept up on me little by little, and all at the same time. Once I was there though, I felt completely trapped. There was;

• A feeling of impending doom. In my mind it was like I was hurtling towards oblivion. I was so sure that everything would implode, the only questions in my mind were when, and how long could I ‘get away with it’?

• Desperate loneliness, sadness and isolation. I was completely trapped in my own head. I felt nobody would understand and that if I had to tell anyone, that was the moment I’d failed and my life would crumble.

• Guilt that what should have been a really happy and exciting time for me and my family, was one I just could not enjoy. I felt I was letting them down.

How I mistakenly attempted to cope

I leaned on the mechanisms that I thought had worked for me during times of pressure in my earlier life:

• Working longer hours. This meant I sacrificed my hobbies, sleep and exercise and replaced those hours with ‘doing more work’. I thought I could work my way out of the crisis.

• Cigarettes and alcohol; not in particular excess but I reverted to older unhealthy habits for the temporary stress relief they offered me.

How did I know I was seriously unwell?

I’ve already said it was difficult to pinpoint when normal everyday stress became something more crippling and dangerous but there were three critical points when I just knew I was seriously unwell,

• A meeting with senior stakeholders where there were just two slides I had to present. When it was my turn to speak, I completely froze. I somehow managed to talk through the slides and maybe nobody noticed but for me it felt like 5 minutes of torture. I normally love presenting.

• I felt completely unable to complete even the simplest of tasks. For example, I put off calling HMRC re. a simple tax return for months on end. Every task just added to my mountain of worries.

• Sitting watching my then 8 year old daughter perform in the Xmas play and not being present at all. I spent the whole performance worrying so much about work things that I barely noticed what should have been precious family moments. Life and happy feelings just passed me by.

What would it have looked like to others?

I doubt anyone really noticed. As a protective mechanism (to prevent being ‘found out’) I layered on an additional show of self-confidence, tinged with arrogance and fake smiles.

However, a closer look and there were some subtle clues things were not right

• The e-mails sent at unusual hours of the day and long extended work hours.

• Procrastination on even the smallest tasks or decisions.

• Forgetfulness and clumsiness (often leaving my wallet somewhere, misplacing my keys and once pranging my car in my own driveway).

• A complete loss of interest in any of my primary passions (e.g. running, reading, music, football).

What really worked?

Talking to someone.

It was that simple. I took a chance conversation with a lady in the HR team who just understood something was wrong.

I felt huge relief from this point forwards. I was not a failure, I was genuinely unwell and there were ways I could get better. It was like receiving a diagnosis and promise of a cure. I knew I had turned the corner from that point. So I repeat…..TALKING TO SOMEONE.

I’m not going to use this article to detail all the practical measures I then took to get better. There are so many good options that are tailored to different people and circumstances. I will though just mention a few key points that worked well for me:

1.    I read this very clear and easy to digest book:

2.    I saw a doctor to assess my options and decided upon six sessions of counselling.

3.    Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) became a game changer for me, and is something that has stayed with me as a powerful tool to this day.

4.    I rediscovered my passion for running. Exercise is another game changer, just like talking to someone is.

How the experience makes me a better leader.

When I was 25 years old, I had terrible toothache, the type of pain that keeps you awake all night. I had to take three days off work as I just could not function. Up until that point I would have had no empathy for anyone who takes time off work for toothache. But now…if someone tells me they have toothache I take it seriously. I've developed an understanding and matured as a result.

It's a similar situation with anxiety. Having experienced the disorder, I now have such a better understanding of its impact on others.

I'm also more aware of the signs that things might be getting difficult for people in my team. I very often ask ‘how are you’ and the thing is I really listen to the answer. A person feeling well is the most important thing for me, in business and in life.

My experience has given me perspective and was a timely reminder of the need to seek balance and look out for others.

I no longer see the fact I experienced Generalised Anxiety Disorder as a sign of failure or weakness. I feel stronger having lived through it and feel proud I was able to seek help and get better.

Thank you for reading this. I hope it has helped you or enabled you to look out for warning signs. I'd really welcome your thoughts and comments so this can be shared and may be of help to others.

1. The inconsistent date of issue

How many times have you succumbed to the stakeholder pressure of “can we just add in this additional supplier” or “we’re not ready to issue to all the vendors but you can make a start by getting it out to xxx and xxx”.

This is really amateur and leads to issues further down the line when it comes to fairly applying the parameters of the subsequent deadlines.

The Fix: A clear kick off meeting with timelines and deadline pre determined. If you’ve not got the NDA ready with all the suppliers, delay by 48 hrs or consider excluding if its the suppliers causing the delay

2. Inconsistent response deadlines

Come on. These are the basics right?

But how often have you been in a situation where a supplier has had to submit their proposal late or missed one of the confirmation deadlines within the RFP response?

The Fix: If you extend the deadline, it should be the same for all suppliers. It’s about fairness and transparency. Simple, right?

3. Restricted Contact

This one is huge. A well-run RFP should have restricted access throughout to business contacts.

Normally this should be the Procurement lead for the RFP and potentially just one business lead with all questions being directed through the official process.

This is so important to controlling the flow of information and to ensuring a fair and level playing field.

The Fix: Don’t just have this written in the document. Be clear on the restriction of contact at the point the RFP is issued (within the e-mail). Operate a 1 strike and you’re out rule too. Harsh I know but very fair.

4. The inconsistent date of issue

How many times have you succumbed to the stakeholder pressure of “can we just add in this additional supplier” or “we’re not ready to issue to all the vendors but you can make a start by getting it out to xxx and xxx”.

This is really amateur and leads to issues further down the line when it comes to fairly applying the parameters of the subsequent deadlines.

The Fix: A clear kick off meeting with timelines and deadline pre determined. If you’ve not got the NDA ready with all the suppliers, delay by 48 hrs or consider excluding if its the suppliers causing the delay

5. Inconsistent response deadlines

Come on. These are the basics right?

But how often have you been in a situation where a supplier has had to submit their proposal late or missed one of the confirmation deadlines within the RFP response?

The Fix: If you extend the deadline, it should be the same for all suppliers. It’s about fairness and transparency. Simple, right?

6. Information Access

This isn’t so easy to get right but every procurement teams should make sure all vendors have access to the same information, not just within the RFP but also ahead of the RFP being issued.

Of course if there is an incumbent, they will naturally have an advantage but the core parameters of your requirements should be accessible to all prospective partners.

The Fix: Got a call with one supplier to offer them some context ahead of issuing the document? You should offer the same to all.

7. Restricted contact post the award or short listing.

I’ve seen this go wrong so many times.

You’ve run the process fairly, all the bids were in and you’ve decided on your preferred supplier.

Then from leftfield a counter-offer comes in from one of the unsuccessful parties and the whole process unravels.

This really does lead to mistrust in the process (if you act on it) and messes with the transparency and auditability of the decision making.

The Fix: All suppliers should be given a fair and equal chance to participate but all suppliers should also be given clear instructions that no further offers will be considered post the decision deadline. Don’t waiver from this.

Where have you seen it go wrong in the past?

8 SaaS Contract Negotiation Focus Areas (With Detailed Guidance)

1. Renewal Clauses (Auto-Renewals)

• Vendors love silent auto-renewals, often with built-in price hikes. You know how much I despise these

• Negotiate for:

  • A minimum 60-90 day written renewal notice.

  • The right to opt out or renegotiate at renewal.

  • Removal of any automatic renewal clause altogether if possible. Yes, I have been known to issue a termination the same day as a contract arrives if a vendor insists on keeping the auto-renewal in there.

• Why it matters: Prevents lock-in at inflated rates and gives you leverage at renewal time.

2. Pricing Structure & Uplift Limits

• Vendors typically bake in annual price increases (5-10% standard). Why though? Once implemented, technically the cost of Saas to the vendor should go down each year? The cost to serve decreases after all.

• Negotiate for:

  • Fixed pricing over the contract term (especially for 2–3-year deals).

  • A cap on any annual uplifts (pegged to CPI which is at least a fair metric).

  • Discounts for multi-year commitments or upfront payments.

• Why it matters: Keeps your long-term costs predictable and avoids budget surprises.

3. Usage Metrics & True-Up Clauses

• SaaS pricing often hinges on user seats, transactions, storage, or API calls. I think this is the biggest cash cow for most vendors.

• Negotiate for:

  • Clear, unambiguous definitions of billable units.

  • Grace thresholds or tolerance limits before additional fees kick in. This is only fair.

  • Favourable true-up terms (e.g., annual reconciliation vs. monthly). I did this with brilliant effect in my last business. Yes there’s extra admin work in reconciliation but so much money to be saved.

• Why it matters: Stops vendors from penalising you for ambiguous or inflated usage.

4. Data Ownership & Access

• Many vendors retain too much control over your data.

• Negotiate for:

  • Explicit statement that your organization owns its data.

  • The right to export data any time, in a usable format.

  • Data destruction and sanitization confirmation after termination.

• Why it matters: Protects your IP and ensures business continuity in vendor exits. Don’t forget as well as confidentiality, there is huge intrinsic value in data. It’s yours, you should own.

5. Termination for Convenience

• SaaS contracts often lock you in for fixed terms with no exit flexibility. The great vendor lock in is something I’ll be writing about soon.

• Negotiate for:

  • A termination-for-convenience clause with a 30–90 day notice.

  • Pro-rata refunds for prepaid but unused services.

• Why it matters: Gives you agility to pivot if business priorities change. Why should Saas be treated differently to anything else?

6. Contract Scalability (Adding/Removing Users or Modules)

• Growth or downsizing should be frictionless. Why is it every Saas contract I see though seems to punish you for going either way? Growth is a natural part of business.

• Negotiate for:

  • Flexible license adjustments without penalties.

  • No minimum user thresholds or excessive step-ups.

  • Prorated pricing for partial terms.

• Why it matters: Keeps your SaaS spend aligned with actual business needs, particularly important today in such a volatile environment.

7. Exit & Transition Assistance

• Leaving a vendor can get messy without upfront terms. It’s not dissimilar to the vendor lock in topic I’ve mentioned.

• Negotiate for:

  • Vendor obligation to assist in data migration (at reasonable rates).

  • Continued access to data for a set period post-termination (e.g., 90 days).

  • Clear documentation handover obligations.

• Why it matters: Ensures a clean, controlled exit and mitigates vendor lock-in.

8. Benchmarking & Most Favoured Nation (MFN) Clauses

• Vendors may offer better pricing to other customers. This often happens as a result of size or after they’ve onboarded a few early adopters.

• Negotiate for:

  • The right to benchmark pricing against market standards annually.

  • MFN clauses ensuring you receive terms no less favourable than any other comparable client. This was huge at a break point I negotiated within a contract for our network provider in a previous business and actually gave us the option to move if the MFN clause proved our pricing was no longer competitive.

• Why it matters: Keeps your rates competitive and fair over time.

Has this helped?

What have I missed?

Lennon & McCartney, Batman & Robin, Han Solo & Chewbacca, Scooby Doo & Shaggy, Sonny & Cher, Trump and Vance …you get the point! That’s how much I rate an effective Procurement and Legal partnership to the success of a business.

Get it right and the business is on solid ground, get it wrong and the foundations will fail.

Everyone knows how to buy stuff, right?

Wrong…everyone thinks they know how to buy because it’s what they do in their personal lives. But when it comes to spending company cash, there’s a personal detachment, the pressure to deliver targets warps perspective of risk and sometimes inevitably ego takes over. I’m the Head of/ Director/ Chief right? I’ve got years of experience. Why do I need someone else to tell me how to spend our money?

And this is why the Procurement and Legal relationship in any business is sacrosanct.

Both teams have the same objective. We are guardians of the company money, not just this year’s budget, and we don’t play to the hierarchy. We are like the friendly ghosts of Christmas past, present and future! We’ve seen all the bad mistakes of the past, we can show you the impact of those mistakes in the present, and can predict what will happen in the future if you don’t take our advice.

So what’s the difference between Procurement and Legal Teams?

Procurement are fundamentally there to ensure the business achieves the best value from its spend.

We’re the front-line trained infantry. We see what’s going on, what’s coming down the pipeline, we can categorize suppliers and give an overview of business risk. We’re also expert negotiators and through understanding the business opportunity, we can form the negotiation strategy. We also home in on the key commercials. That’s our superpower.

Let’s be clear, we may view multiple contracts but we are not legally trained. Give us a clause on Liabilities, Force Majeure, Data protection and we might have a view but this is not a qualified one the business should ever seek to stand by.

That’s where the expertise of a strong Legal team comes in. The Legal team are the cavalry that will win the day. No contract that differs from any pre agreed standard terms and conditions, should ever pass to signature without a full legal review.

This is where it sometimes goes wrong.

Stakeholders in a business often don’t understand the difference in roles. They may seek to bypass one or both Legal and Procurement. Not because anyone is deliberately trying to go against company policy necessarily but human nature, particularly when it comes to making business decisions, is to try to find the path of least resistance so they can hit their objectives.

They may assume for example that Procurement and Legal teams do not talk. I can’t tell you how often Procurement teams are approached with the following scenario…

“We need to sign the contract tomorrow, can you just take a look?”

Not only is that one of the most frustrating things to hear as a Procurement individual, as all negotiation leverage will have gone, but it’s also a true sign that they do not understand the roles and responsibilities of the Procurement and Legal teams.

Of course, the Procurement team is then duty bound to ensure that legal review happens and the contract cannot be passed to signature without it. If a legal resource has not been booked, then inevitably there can be a delay to contract signature and so the cycle continues.

The stakeholder will have a perception that the Legal or Procurement teams are slowing things down, putting blockers in and may not engage with them again. It’s the antithesis of good governance and a good business partnership. Yet the whole cycle I’ve just described is not actually the fault of the Legal or Procurement teams.

This is where the Procurement and Legal team relationship can step up!

Both teams get visibility of contracts, but not necessarily at the same time. A strong partnership though means a holy alliance can be formed whereby both teams keep each other abreast of what’s going on.

Moreover, both teams should and can promote understanding to the business of when and how to engage. For example, if the Procurement policy threshold for spend engagement is $50k, Legal teams can naturally ask the question when a contract that breaches this threshold hits their desk… “what has been the involvement of Procurement in this contract?”

It works both ways of course, and I’ve worked in many contract negotiations with suppliers whereby a combination of legal and procurement expertise drives the best value deal, and the most watertight contract simultaneously.

Procurement needs the backing of a strong legal team, let that point be clear. We could not do what we do without access to strong legal support. We know when to engage Legal and how to leverage their superpower.

There can be friction and it doesn’t always go to plan.

I know legal teams can get frustrated when a procurement expert sends them a contract to review where it’s clear the commercials have not actually been reviewed by anyone. They will spot basic no’s like “immediate payment terms” and wonder…what have Procurement been doing?!

Likewise, procurement teams can be dismayed when the legal team comes back with a view on the commercial deal, a deal that Procurement have worked hard to deliver, when that’s not what they’ve asked for from the review.

It’s important in those situations that the Procurement and Legal teams communicate well. Procurement has an obligation to review the commercials before handing over the contract and to give the legal team full context. Likewise, Legal teams need to trust the role of the Procurement team and ask questions to understand the deal before making assumptions.

But eventually, a strong partnership approach between the Legal and Procurement functions will lead to an absolute powerhouse for the business.

Is my position on this overplayed or overstated?

Perhaps I’m biased. I’ve worked with some brilliant Legal teams and been fortunate in that way. Perhaps it’s because I have a deep-founded respect for their training, their ability to interpret sometimes deliberately complex wording, and the patience required to review sometimes onerous clauses.

But I cannot over empahasise how many poor contracts I’ve seen that have been hugely detrimental to the performance of a business, costing hundreds of thousands of dollars due to poor termination provisions, inability to claim for breach, poorly defined commercial milestones etc.

A strong Procurement and Legal alliance is in my view the backbone of a strong business. You cannot stand tall by your decisions or even move forward confidently, without that backbone.

Lennon and McCartney fell out and went their separate ways and music was never the same again. But when they worked well together, it was legendary.

If you haven’t got a strong partnership yet across the two teams then all I can say is “Come Together”, “We Can Work it Out”!

​11 Metrics that matter.

These are the metrics that will take you way beyond the traditional cost savings ones.
They’re stakeholder focused and will deliver such a huge uplift in your performace.

I’ve teamed up with Vertice to provide you these and you can download a brilliant report here that goes into much more detail as well as gives superb visuals for how to represent these in a dashboard.

1. Approval Times per Function:

   • Definition: Measures the time taken for procurement approvals within different departments or functions.​

   • Application: By analysing approval durations across departments, procurement teams can identify bottlenecks. For instance, if the marketing department consistently takes longer to approve purchases, targeted interventions can streamline their processes.​

   • Example: If the average approval time in the IT department is 2 days, but it's 5 days in finance, the procurement team can investigate and address the delay in the finance department.​

2. Difference Between Time to Complete Renewals vs. New Purchases:

   • Definition: Compares the time taken to finalise contract renewals against initiating new procurement contracts.​

   • Application: A significant disparity may indicate inefficiencies. For example, if renewals take longer than new contracts, it might suggest complacency or overlooked complexities in the renewal process.​

   • Example: If new software licenses are procured in 3 weeks, but renewals take 5 weeks, your team should assess the renewal process for potential improvements.​

3. Industry-Specific and Tiered Vendor Benchmarking:

   • Definition: Evaluates suppliers against industry standards and categorises them into tiers based on performance metrics.​

   • Application: This helps in understanding supplier competitiveness and reliability. For instance, benchmarking can reveal if a supplier's pricing aligns with industry averages.​

   • Example: A supplier charging 15% above the industry average for similar quality products might be reconsidered or renegotiated with.​

4. Majority Spend Suppliers:

   • Definition: Identifies suppliers that account for the largest portions of the procurement budget.​

   • Application: Recognising these suppliers allows for focused relationship management and risk assessment.​

   • Example: If 60% of procurement spend is with two suppliers, any disruption with them could significantly impact operations, necessitating contingency planning.​

5. Maverick Spend:

   • Definition: Purchases made outside established procurement processes.​

   • Application: Monitoring maverick spend helps enforce compliance and control costs.​

   • Example: If departments frequently bypass procurement protocols for quick purchases, it can lead to higher costs and contractual risks.​

6. Procurement Requests Completed and Time Spent per Request:

   • Definition: Tracks the number of completed procurement requests and the time invested in each.​

   • Application: Provides insights into team productivity and process efficiency.​

   • Example: If the average time per request increases, it may indicate process inefficiencies or resource constraints.​

7. Procurement ROI:

   • Definition: Measures the return on investment of procurement activities.​

   • Application: Demonstrates the value delivered by the procurement function.​

   • Example: If procurement initiatives save £500,000 annually with an operational cost of £100,000, the ROI is 400%.​

8. Requests Outstanding:

   • Definition: Monitors pending procurement requests.​

   • Application: Helps manage workloads and prioritise tasks.​

   • Example: A high number of outstanding requests might indicate understaffing or process bottlenecks.​

9. RFP Turnaround Times:

   • Definition: Assesses the speed at which Requests for Proposals are completed.​

   • Application: Enhances responsiveness and competitiveness.​

   • Example: Reducing RFP turnaround from 30 to 20 days can accelerate project timelines and improve supplier engagement.​

10. Spend Under Management:

    • Definition: Determines the proportion of total spend managed by the procurement team.

    • Application: Evaluates procurement's influence and effectiveness.

    • Example: Increasing spend under management from 70% to 85% indicates better control over spend.

11. Supplier Compliance Rates:

    • Definition: Ensures suppliers adhere to contractual obligations and regulatory requirements.

    • Application: Maintains operational integrity and mitigates risks.

    • Example: A supplier with a compliance rate below 95% may require corrective action or replacement.

Which of these are you already measuring? If the answer is none, consider implementing just three in your dashboard this year.

Okay, it’s time. You’ve met the pre qualification criteria. Maybe you’ve even taken part in a Request for Information (RFI). I can tell you now that it’s show time.

If the business has decided to go all in on an RFP, it’s because the Procurement mandate is strong and the business is completely committed to the purchasing decision.

I’ve run hundreds of RFPs in my career and am amazed at how many things most suppliers get wrong.

The opportunities they miss that would make all the difference to their chances. Yet they never spot them.

The very best suppliers truly get it and that’s why more often or not they win. But there’s so many that just miss the cues and end up wasting so much time and resource in an RFP response they’ve unknowingly self-sabotaged.

Here’s the top 20 things that go on in an RFP, that if you (Sales) knew, would triple your success rate:

1. The evaluation criteria (that isn’t documented anywhere)

Seems a bit unfair doesn’t it? I’m not saying a well run RFP is not objective. But there’s a lot of things Procurement teams and the rest of the business are judging that are not on the scorecard….

2. Timeliness is next to Godliness

when it comes to the RFP. Most suppliers rule themselves out if they miss the basic deadlines set out on the first page.

Yet so many will miss the first deadline, the acknowledgement of receipt of the RFP or the 2nd deadline for them to have asked any questions ahead of submitting their response.

Why is this so important? It’s like dating. You don’t want your prospective partner to be late on the first few dates. You need to build trust, you need to feel the supplier takes the opportunity seriously.

3. Politeness and communication

Procurement doesn’t always get it right. Nor are we so hard-nosed or uncaring that we don’t accept there could be a genuine reason the submission deadline or proposed presentation demos are impossible for you to meet (e.g. sickness or holidays, or perhaps a pre planned conference).

All Procurement expects in this situation is for you to communicate quickly and politely to let us know. Again, think of the dating analogy, it’s about building trust and respect.

But more than this, it shows you respect the process and helps us to re-organise the timelines and communicate with the other vendors.

4. Asking questions on the final day is an ‘amber flag’

We know and respect that it may take time to review the document and don’t expect you to jump straight in.

But when you throw across questions on the very last day that questions are allowed within the framework of the RFP, it demonstrates you really are not dedicated to us as a client.

You usually don’t have just one opportunity to ask questions so they don’t all need to be saved up until the end. There’s often a window of 10 days or more and the suppliers that use this window well, tend to deliver the best response to the RFP itself.

5. Not reading the document properly is a definite ‘red flag’

So many RFP responses are incorrectly submitted or incomplete. Sometimes really clear and obvious steps are missed, such as the Terms and Conditions tick lists, or the commercial components.

We’re not marking your homework in finite detail, we accept sometimes there can be human error, but when there are whole sections missing or basic instructions that have been ignored, no matter how good your product or service, it raises serious concerns.

6. Just drop the sales literature, I’ll say it again for those at the back of the room DROP IT!

Unless there has been a specific request for it in the RFP, sales literature just winds us all up. An RFP takes considerable time and effort for suppliers but think of the evaluation panel who have to sift through a number of responses.

We don’t care if your marketing team has insisted you include the fancy 20 slide powerpoint deck telling us all about your company. When you submit the RFP please just ‘forget to attach it’.

7. Specific and Targeted wins every time

We know you have a good product and it’s a viable option. We wouldn’t have invited you otherwise. But make your RFP response all about how your product is right for us.

It doesn’t matter whether you are market leading or top right on the Gartner quadrant. If you can’t demonstrate within the RFP response why specifically you are the right fit for us, you are unlikely to win.

Research us, know the market, go back to step 4 and ask all the right questions. Then target your response towards showing how your product addresses all our challenges.

8. Mess with the process or act underhand and you’re out

I know that sounds harsh but I have to reiterate this. It’s vital in Public Procurement that there is integrity throughout the process for all sorts of public interest reasons.

But pretty much the same applies in a good private business. If we tell you contact is restricted to a named person on the document throughout the process, we really mean it. Procurement teams are hot on this but so are most business functions too.

Respect the process.

9. Playing the hierarchy game is also a huge no!

So many times I’ve been responsible for running an RFP and the account manager (often from the incumbent supplier) is playing ball, but there are other conversations being broached at a senior level (even CEO Level) by your sales Director or CEO that tells us everything we need to know about your integrity.

Just don’t do it. Those times are over. Respect and trust the process. Play fair to win. Don’t piss people off.

10. There’s no such thing as a free lunch

Like really, there isn’t! Think that one through. You could be a 21 year old junior Procurement officer and you’d know that. So when your business gets a sniff that we might be going to market, or if you are an incumbent supplier and you think you can ‘buy’ favour by hospitality, it doesn’t work. It will be shut down.

It also raises more questions than you’d think. “Why is this supplier so worried?” “What have they got to hide?” “Why are they trying to throw money at us now?

A well run Procurement process will specifically preclude any hospitality anyway, so do not offer it. Respect fairness and respect the other parties in the way you’d want them to respect you.

11. The Demo is a golden opportunity

The RFP response is very often ‘the CV that gets you the interview’. But first impressions at the product demonstration phase really can make or break.

Make sure your technology is working well, your demo is slick and will fit with the time (allowing for questions) and most importantly you have the expert in the room who can answer all the product questions.

12. It’s okay if you can’t answer it all in the demo though

But remember points 2 and 3. Timeliness and communication is key, as well as the common courtesy to follow up on any promises.

If you say you don’t know the answer to a question and will get back to us, that’s fine. Just follow up on that commitment within 24 hours where possible. Again, this helps to build trust.

13. The Demo is also an opportunity for you to find out more

Don’t hesitate to use the session to understand your potential customer further. It’s not all just about showing what your product can do. The best demonstrations I’ve chaired have turned into truly collaborative sessions that have also helped build understanding and rapport.

14. The Demo is your one chance to meet all of the Evaluation panel (so use it well!)

9 times out of 10, this is when everyone that is evaluating your product is meeting you and possibly the only time for you to build connection and rapport with the very people scoring your solution.

Treat everyone with respect, don’t just aim your responses at one person that you believe to be the decision maker.

Go at a pace that everyone can keep up with and check regularly in case anyone has any questions.

A well run Procurement process is democratic and objective which means hierarchy doesn’t come into it. Focus on delivering for everyone in that room and show you understand their differing perspectives and wants from your product.

15. A post demo ‘thank you’ is an opportunity most sales teams miss

Not only does this again show politeness and respect, but it’s also an opportunity for you to check you answered everything we needed.

This post demo ‘thank you’ is also an opportunity for you to keep that dialogue going in the phase where you’ll often feel blanked or ‘ghosted’ as the evaluation process can take a while.

16. It ain’t over till it’s over

Most sales teams submit the RFP, run a presentation or demo session and then sit back and move on to the next thing.

I’ve run many an RFP where the final results have been inconclusive. Often it can be neck and neck between two viable options.

I’m not saying you should break the process or hound the Procurement team, but don’t be afraid to check in afterwards.

Perhaps think of a few customer challenges that were discussed in the demonstration. Then drop a line with further thoughts about how your product or service can help address those challenges.

17. Show price flexibility but don’t destroy credibility

There is very little more frustrating to the Procurement team than a supplier who slashes their price post RFP in a dramatic bid to steal the win.

Of course, offering flexibility in the pricing model is a good thing but if you’ve managed to slash the price by 25% post the RFP to such an extent that your initial proposal lacked credibility then again trust is eroded.

18. The contracting stage is key

And it’s so often underestimated by suppliers. Don’t let this become an endless battle of the forms. Ensure your legal team is apprised of the deal that has been struck and that you are still sticking by the key terms documented within the RFP.

There have been many situations where a sales team has successfully won the RFP, only to subsequently lose the deal during the contracting process.

19. And this means even if you’ve lost, there’s still a chance

If you were unsuccessful in the RFP, a good timeframe to check back in would be 30 days after you receive the call and then again 90 days after that call. At this stage the prospective client will have a good gauge on the ‘successful’ supplier and there may well be an opportunity for you to save the day.

Don’t hound the Procurement team but it’s a good idea to keep in touch.

20. Get someone else to attend the ‘feedback session’

If you’ve not been successful, all good Procurement teams will offer a 30 minute feedback session to show you how to improve. We’ll discuss the process, the demo, how well you presented, and areas to improve.

The likelihood is though that you may feel personally responsible and potentially prickly from the feedback. Get someone else neutral in your business to hear the feedback and pass it back to you.

This is again a golden opportunity for you to hone your RFP responses to up your success rate for future bids, but so few sales people take this part seriously.

Get all these 20 right, and I bet the RFP will go well!

I had a fascinating conversation with my Chief Financial Officer recently. It made me rethink everything I know about Senior stakeholder compliance.

We were talking about a situation whereby I was receiving push back from a couple of members of the exec team to following the traditional evaluation process (use of qualitative scorecards).

Ultimately, we agreed the need for a robust process and to rely on my Procurement expertise to lead this.

But I remember a number of years ago, when I was so desperate for Procurement to be liked, to be invited into exec level conversations, that I’d be prepared to concede on almost everything.

‍That worked to make me likeable and invited into many senior meetings I may otherwise have been excluded from.

But it crushed my effectiveness.

Now, I realised I’ve undergone a huge mindset shift in my role. It’s why I’m now invited into exec conversations not just to appease, but to protect and challenge ways of working.

There’s been three fundamental changes for me: my mindset (M), my approach (A) and my focus (F). It’s my MAF (running parlence) that I think about now whenever I’m dealing with those trickier situations.

I don’t remember a particular year this clicked for me, its definitely been post Covid as my confidence in my abilities has skyrocketed due to having a brilliantly supportive CFO and working in a great business environment.

But the difference I’d say is what distinguishes a tactical leader (Head of level) from stategic leader in Procurement (Director/ CPO level).

At an incredible pace, my impact has trebled and by that I mean people listen to me and I have lasting influence on the way people see Procurement.

MAF explained step by step:

My Mindset shift (M)

The traditional Procurement mindset when it comes to stakeholder engagement goes like this:

• Top (exec level): Minimal touch points, Serve their needs.

• Middle (functional leads) : 70% of our time focus. Prove our value.

• Bottom (SMEs/ doers) : Leverage their expertise. Support them.

But there’s a change of approach I’ve developed and much of this comes down to mindset when it comes to the exec level.

Anyone and everyone is human and ultimately fallible.

Our job is to protect the biggest risks in the business and our focus is to ensure the decision making for the very biggest investments carries exactly the same/ more levels of protection than with the rest of the buisness.

Power within a business is transient, after all. Hierarchy, when viewed over the longest period of time, is largely an irrelevant factor when it comes to protecting business cash.

The New Approach (A)

My old way of working was born of frustration - “if the Senior Execs won’t follow the right approach, what is the point?”

Now, instead of thinking in that way, I take a more logical approach. My role, after all, is to show them the path. Not just one path, options to deliver what they need. Your “recommended” approach can be the top path.

But if they don’t want to follow that path, it’s not ultimately down to you.

Share your knowledge - the experience you have about why your path is the best one, and the risks/ advantages of taking the alternative paths.

Tell a story of where you’ve seen it go wrong in the past, more powerful still if that’s from within a different perhaps larger organisation.

And focus on lessons you’ve learned and why you want to protect them as individuals, not just the business as a while.

Make it their decision, exec teams love to have the final say, and that’s where our responsibility starts AND ENDS.

The Right Focus (F)

Frustration kills our Procurement effectiveness.

And it has an unmentioned impact on our mental wellbeing too.

Now, whenever I’m engaging in a new Procurement activity with senior/ exec level involvement I always focus on what I can control, the things that really matter.

Will adpating or tweaking certian elements of the Procurement process make a difference to the final decision or outcome? If it’s a maybe, I’ll be sure to challenge and do so in writing.

But too many in Procurement get stuck for far too long following a rigid process or allowing theory to overtake pragmatism.

It's time to stop worrying about all the things we can’t control. We should care about the business and treat all our stakeholders in the same way - as fallible humans.

Because in Procurement, having the right Mindset, Approach and Focus (MAF) isn’t just an advantage — it's a requirement.

_{How to Expense Procurement Soft Skills Mastery}

_{(or anything you think will add value to your career for that matter).}

1. Notify your manager early.

Give your manager a heads up to signal your interest and prepare the groundwprk.

Here’s how casual this conversation should be positioned.

“Hey boss! I just saw a Procurement Soft Skills Mastery course, and I think it’d be really useful for our work.

Can I send you the details?”

Here’s what any decent manager or leader should to be saying to that.

“Oh…sure!”

(Hint…if they stutter or splutter or something similar, it’s a sure sign you’re in the wrong environment to develop. See this as a data gathering exercise for your own career).

…or send your manager a quick message.

“Hey boss, I just saw this Procurement Soft Skills Mastery course given my that fellow who calls himself the Procurement Protagonist. He’s worth following on LinkedIn didn’t you know? Can I send you the details?”

COPY THE TEXT ABOVE - I dare you!

2. E-mail your manager.

Hey boss,

There’s a Procurement Soft Skills Mastery course.

Registrations end on Friday 11th October, so we’ve still got time for approval process and I’d like to join.

It’s a Procurement Soft Skills Masterclass that helps Procurement professionals like me to master their Soft Skills (EQ) and supercharge their Procurement career. It’s just £1000 and the reviews are crazy good.

There are alumni from some major companies like Aerospace, Amazon, Nestle, Lego Group, Pepsi…

The course is packed with practical tactics and tools (like Procurement frameworks and templates) that I can use for our work.

It’s a workshop based course but I can also access all the lessons online at any point so I can take it in my own time and will take me just 10 weeks to complete (1-3 hrs/week).

I’ll get access to group coaching with a select cohort of Procurement pros too and 1-1 time with Tom.

In short, it’ll help us increase our Procurement impact, drive compliance and delight our stakeholders if I can take this course.

Tom Mills is well-known in the industry and all the details of students who have benefitted from this course are here: Join the February cohort of PSSM.

Is it OK to expense this?

P.S. should we offer it to xxx in the team? (I know someone who could really benefit).

Thanks for considering this.

{{first name}}

I don’t know why we’re so shy to ask businesses to support our development?

I work in a finance team where the business is shelling out thousands of pounds to support qualifications.

When it comes to Procurement though, we’re typically money savers, prudent cost cutters so we worry about asking a business to invest.

Even when we know the investment will benefit us personally and help drive impact and deliver savings in the business we work for.

So, don’t sit around on this one.

It’s performance review (objectives setting) time of year and there is no better time than now to ask the business to support you with this relatively small investment to support your career growth.

You deserve it (so do they).

P.s. Let me know how you get on with the request.

1. What is Procurement Value Reporting?

Value generation reporting is a requirement for any Procurement function

It’s also essential to support decisions on directing effort towards the activities that generate most value to the business.

It becomes our resource planner.

Procurement value is defined by Procurement-led improvements that allow getting more out of supplier expenditure, either by reducing consumption or total cost of ownership (TCO), or by increasing the utility of expenditure to better support stakeholder objectives and create strategic advantage.

I’ve written this guide to summarize the way that Procurement teams should measure value, covering savings calculations, reporting and the sign-off process,

I’ve also defined how value in its wider sense should be captured (value beyond hard savings).

We need to make sure all higher-value activities are recorded if we want to get credit for these and thereby build credibility and engagement.

The phases of effective Procurement Savings tracking are detailed below:

2. Savings calculation and reporting

There are many ways of calculating and reporting savings.

The approach I prefer to use balances rigor (making the numbers credible) and efficiency (not making an industry out of reporting).

A Saving = new total cost – old total cost

It should be measured against the most appropriate of the following baselines (depending on what has been included in the budget):

1. The price paid in the previous financial year

2. The last contract price paid adjusted by a recognised external index

3. The lowest technically feasible bid from a qualified supplier at the first tender submission is used as the baseline

4. A procurement informed budget agreed with the functional commercial finance lead

Rebates:

The saving may be claimed based on a reasonable and prudent forecast of future expenditure.

Actual savings must be reviewed/adjusted once the rebate becomes known and is paid.

Other incentives, credits, etc...

Suppliers may offer incentive payments or credits to secure renewal business or multi-year deals.

These should be ideally structured as credits (rather than cash flowing into the business account), or else used to negotiate a lower contractual price.

The savings may be claimed in line with the savings baseline calculations described above.

3. So, what isn’t a saving?

-  when there is no evidence that specific procurement intervention affected the TCO/savings outcome

-  exchange rate movement (unless proactively addressed contractually)

-  tracking a commodity cost

-  volume changes (reductions) unless created by efficiency actions (eg: working with operations to reduce the number of waste collection pickups)

4. What should we report on?

Savings reporting begins at activity level and aggregates upwards to Category and Functional reporting.

The key buckets reported on are:

-  Category and value of spend addressed

-  In the year savings (ITY)

-  Annual savings

-  The savings type as recognised by the business (opex, capex, cost avoidance, revenue)

-   Flow Through Savings (FTS) – 12 months of savings that span multiple years where we report the portion of savings applicable to the current reporting year

In the Year (ITY) Savings

Calculated from the effective date of savings benefit.

These can cross from one financial year to another, but you cannot report more than 12 months of benefit, unless there are incremental savings, where the additional savings can be recorded for 12 months from when the benefits start to deliver.

Non-recurring (one-off) savings only report in-year savings, not an annualised savings value,. E.g: a one-off rebate/credit.

Annual Savings

Based on the annualised (12 month) saving of the project at run-rate.

Only includes elements of the project which have a recurring saving (i.e. repeat year on year).

Savings are not reported beyond 12 months.

Total Lifetime Value

This number does not form part of standard reporting, but is tracked to help describe the total value opportunity of a project.

It should be based on the total saving expected over the life of the contract.

5. How do we allocate value?

Savings should be reported as either:

-  Profit Supporting - where savings are “baked into the budget” during the budget setting process – e.g: agreed savings target which adjusts the budget accordingly.

-  Profit Enhancing – savings realised but not captured up front with finance and will hit P&L

This will be tracked via an Activity Tracker by completion of an “In Budget” column.

Reporting of savings must reflect the actual savings that have been realized once a contract has been mobilized.

6. How should we report savings?

Each Procurement Lead should record the activities and corresponding savings, value type and status from pipeline idea through to completed project in the Activity Tracker.

Supporting information (savings calculations, assumptions, etc) should be retained against the project for future reference.

7. What are the different Value Types?

All activities should be categorized against one of the following Value types below. Value types 1-5 are readily quantifiable and reported monthly on the Procurement Dashboard. Value types 6-7 are tracked in terms of # of activities performed as well as documented in terms of broader value delivered (people, process, efficiency).

1.       Opex (Operational Expense)

2.       Capex (Capital Expense)

3.       Cost Avoidance

4.       Cashflow improvement

5.       Revenue

6.       Risk

7.       Governance

8.       Process Improvement

9.       New Strategic Sourcing

8. What about value beyond savings?

Varying greatly by Category, it’s not possible to attribute a hard savings number to a significant proportion of Procurement activities.

While sign-off and recognition by Finance is not appropriate, it’s important this effort is validated and captured to support the measurement of our full contribution.

Activities should be categorized into the following key categories in the relevant column of the Activity Tracker called “Value Tracking”, and brief details included and quantified where this is practical:

9. The sign-off process

A clear and defined process, aligned to the Finance budgeting process which engages the budget holder, Finance and Procurement is essential to recognizing and tracking savings delivery to build credibility in savings reporting.

Hard savings

Sign-off should be obtained by the project Procurement lead with the relevant Finance Business Partner and Budget holder, and stored in a project folder.

The Finance person who signed the savings off should be input in the “Finance Sign-Off” column of the Activity Tracker.

The Category Procurement lead can provide a summary on a monthly basis to the relevant Commercial Finance lead and senior functional stakeholder for visibility, and the Head of Procurement should provide a rolled up summary to the members of the Finance Leadership Team on a monthly basis.

Value beyond Hard Savings

For Value that is quantifiable but will not hit the budget (such as cost avoidance), the same process as hard savings should be used.

For initiatives that do not deliver a quantifiable saving, the Category Procurement lead should track these via the Activity Tracker “Value Tracker” column monthly, and obtain monthly sign-off from the Group Head of Procurement.

In a future article I will be going into far more detail about how to communicate and report the savings delivery effectively.

That’s it, that’s all your Savings reporting questions answered but please let me know if you have any questions.

Make your Procurement CV outstanding now

Don’t make your opening statement ‘blurb’, make it bubble!

I see so many CVs start out with something like this.

“Passionate Procurement manager, team worker, collaborator, leader. Happy working on own initiative or working as part of a team….”

Aren’t we all?

There’s nothing particularly bad about these words. But they’re 10 a penny across all CVs. It’s generic and meaningless.

Beware of littering in buzzwords or jargon too.

You want your CV to stand out. Simply.

It’s like your headline on your LinkedIn profile.

I’ll let you into a secret, I recently recruited for a Procurement Business lead role in the business I work for and 60+ CVs landed with me (post initial screening by HR).

This is a hard truth but I only had 2hours to sift through these.

That’s just 120 seconds per CV.

Grab my attention from the start but most importantly, give specifics that are unique to you.

I use bullet points. See the below:

Delivery, not duties

I see so many getting this wrong.

A list of job titles held along with what then looks like the job description of their core responsibilities.

This tells me nothing about you.

What did you deliver when you were in role?

What was your impact and how did you smash your role?

If you need to give a description of your responsibilities (perhaps because it’s not clearly implied by your job title) keep it brief.

See my example below:

Specific numbers (not percentages)

Nobody tells you this.

But percentages are far less credible if you can’t be specific about the numbers.

I bet your CV says something like “Delivered 20% savings” or “10% margin improvements”.

It does, doesn’t it {{first name"}}?!

That’s fine, but include the actual numbers.

%age savings are too vague.

If you want to include the %age to give an order of magnitude, do something like this…

But note how my CV is full of actual numbers delivered. This provides specific and tangible outcomes which are measurable.*

*pro tip: be sure to know your numbers and be confident speaking about them in your interview. DO NOT MAKE ANYTHING UP!

Your biggest professional qualification under your name

MCIPS qualified?

Great! This should be by your name or at the very top of your CV.

Don’t let it get hidden in a qualifications section at the very bottom of your CV.

I’m not saying that education or professional qualifications should be the be all and end all and the best leaders will see you for what you can deliver.

Your actual professional experience counts double any professional qualification.

But…

If you’ve got…FLAUNT IT!

Keep it brief (the ideal CV length)

I’m not quite of the school of thought that the max length of a CV should be two pages.

Once you have anything beyond 10-15 years worth of experience it’s actually pretty difficult to compress this into just two pages.

But remember what I said about having just 120 seconds to read through a CV?

I don’t want to have to sift through anything more than 3 pages of A4 and honestly? If you can’t be concise on a document like this, how can I trust you to communicate concisely in a business setting?

Keep it brief, focus on your key and most relevant achievements and look to summarise your early career experience per my example below:

Interesting ‘Interests;

There’s some debate and no doubt some cultural nuances depending on which region of the world you are in.

But if you do decide to include your personal interests on your CV don’t make them something generic like “enjoy reading” or “going for walks”.

Again, don’t we all?! Or most of us anyway…

Make your interests conversation starters and specific to you.

e.g. mine below…

And don’t make it any more than two lines (max).

Did this help?

Do you want to see my CV and use it as a template for yours?

Happy New Year! And good luck in your job search (as if luck had anything to do with it).

The Mindset of an Interim

Zero Politics

Let’s think about what holds you back for a moment {{first name}}.

When you’re in that professional setting, very often its having to play politics with the people dynamics within the business you work for.

I’m reminded of the lyrics of Morrissey in “Heaven Knows I’m miserable now”.

IYKYK! 😀 

How often are you unsure of taking a certain action or making a statement within an e-mail for fear of how it might be perceived?

Worse, that situation where you’re having to second guess what you say to who, based on who they’re connected to.

It creates a labyrinth of thoughts that leads to procrastination and stops you from being who you really are.

It stops you from simplifying your messaging too. You end up over speaking, over reaching or being obsequious to appease.

Ever been in that situation where you’re writing an e-mail and spend 30mins or more choosing your words carefully, for fear of who you might upset?

What a waste of time that is!

I love working in a zero politics environment, I’m not sure such a thing actually exists in the corporate world.

But how much of this is down to our own inner fears and a perception that masks reality?

The advantage of adopting an Interim mindset is you no longer have to care about such things.

You can just say it as it is, to whoever you want and this becomes your superpower.

Hierarchy Agnostic

I’ve been guilty of this too.

Worrying about what the COO thinks about me or perhaps concerned the CEO might have a different agenda?

In truth, while we should be respectful of position, isn’t our role in Procurement act as guardians of the future of the business?

Power is after all transient.

How often have you worked hard to try to impress a member of the existing c-suite only for them to leave within a year (under a cloud!)

I wonder if you’ve fallen into the subservience trap too?

You know that feeling where you’re just so grateful for Procurement to have been engaged that you end up just appeasing the senior stakeholder, in the hope they’ll involve you again in future projects.

The brilliant advantage of the Interim mindset is that none of this matters.
Hierarchy is a practical irrelevance.

Your career is not determined by them and you’re not looking to get a seat at the table.

My gosh I hate that phrase.

The bias towards action

and here’s the killer secret when it comes to:

(i) your self-confidence {{first name}}

(ii) how you’re perceived within an organisation.

Interims have a set date they have to deliver by.

They have no choice but to deliver X project by XX date.

This definitive timescale means you have a bias towards action.

Every day counts, in fact every day counts.

When you’re in a permanent role though, it feels timeless. There are so many competing priorities, it becomes pretty difficult to focus on the right tasks that will move things forward.

This is also when my self-confidence wains too.

You know those days where you feel anxious about all the things you need to do, but you don’t actually deliver a great deal?

Confidence, on the whole, comes from taking action. It’s a mentality shift but when you’re in that interim mindset, you have no choice but to get on with things.

You start to get the small but important dopamine hits when it comes to accomplishment, and this is what stimulates further motivation to achieve more.

The legacy mindset

I always have this to be fair, but I’m not sure anything makes this feeling so prevalent than when you know you’re not going to be around long-term to defend your reputation within the business that’s paying you.

I’m always thinking…

1. How do I want to be remembered by the organisation?

2. What will be the legacy perception of Procurement when I’ve left?

3. How will colleagues or direct reports feel about me after I’ve left?

There’s nothing that beats the mindset of the person who has handed in their notice but is conscientiously focused on going out with a bang.

When you have limited time within an organisation you’re far more likely to focus on the key tasks and outcomes that will deliver a permanent impact.

Moreover, because you have the psychological safety of being able to keep things real, simple and focused towards action, colleagues respect you more and are more likely to respect what you say.

It’s so important to remember this doesn’t just apply to interims.

It’s a mindset any of us can adopt.

And remember, the only real difference between an interim/ fixed term member of staff and a permanent role is the interim knows the exact date they are leaving.

Neither are actually permanent.

That word is a misnomer manufactured within corporate lingo to make you feel like it’s forever.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this.

Why AI is Critical for the Future of Procurement

According to a recent survey, 78% of procurement leaders expect AI to disrupt the profession within 3-5 years.

Translation? If AI isn’t on your procurement roadmap, your competitors are probably already miles ahead.

In today’s deep dive I’ll show you how AI is reshaping procurement—and how to make sure your team is ready to ride the wave, not drown in it.

And it starts with the basics…

Current State of AI in Procurement

AI in Procurement has now overcome the hype phase —it’s beginning to impact how we all work.

From spend analysis to supplier risk assessment, AI tools are already driving serious ROI.

AI saves money, reduces headaches, and turns messy data into actionable insights.

The bottom line: Procurement teams that embrace AI will unlock new levels of efficiency and strategic decision-making. Teams that don’t? Well, good luck.

AI’s Superpowers for Procurement

Here’s how AI can help turn procurement from a back-office function into a strategic powerhouse:

1. Procurement Intelligence

   • AI can process mountains of spend data faster than a caffeine-fuelled analyst. It finds patterns, spots risks, and flags savings opportunities you might otherwise miss.

   • NLP-powered systems can read contracts and invoices like a lawyer on steroids, extracting critical details in seconds. This doesn’t mean, btw, that you can replace the lawyer for advice, but you can certainly speed up your contract reviews to understand the key risks (see point 2 below)

2. Contract Management

   • AI-driven contract reviews spot errors, risks, and compliance gaps automatically—no more all-nighters before contract deadlines.

   • Need to match invoices to POs and flag missing renewals? AI can help you here, reducing admin work so your team can focus on bigger wins.

3. Supplier Development

   • AI tools scour global markets to find the best suppliers based on quality, cost, and reliability.

   • Automated onboarding and due diligence free your team from endless paperwork, speeding up supplier relationships.

AI in Action: Real-World Use Cases

• Spend Analysis: AI maps out company spending, exposing hidden costs and negotiating leverage.

• Invoice Processing: It cross-checks invoices with contracts to prevent overpayments and ensure compliance.

• Market Intelligence: AI-powered tools track supply chain disruptions in real time, keeping procurement ahead of the curve.

Challenges: No Rose-Tinted Glasses Here

AI in procurement isn’t plug-and-play. You’ll face hurdles like:

• Data Quality: Garbage in, garbage out. If your data’s a mess, AI will only amplify the chaos.

• Change Management: Expect resistance from teams worried about job security or overwhelmed by tech jargon. But at the same time, resist the scaremongering, it’s not helpful.

• Skills Gap: You’ll need data scientists and procurement pros who speak the same language. This is where we need to do so much better attracting fresh talent into the profession.

Building a Winning AI Strategy

1. Find the Right Use Cases: Identify repetitive tasks AI can handle, like invoice processing or spend analysis. Start small; prove value fast.

2. Create a Roadmap: Roll out AI in phases, starting with quick wins. Build momentum before tackling more complex areas.

3. Invest in People: Train your team on AI tools and hire specialists where needed. You’ll need tech-savvy talent who get procurement’s nuances.

4. Manage Change: Communicate benefits clearly and often. AI isn’t about replacing humans—it’s about supercharging them. But as I’ve always said, those Procurement pros who embrace AI will absolutely replace those who don’t.

Getting Leadership Buy-In

When pitching AI to the C-suite, focus on:

• Cost Savings: AI means fewer errors, faster processing, and bigger savings.

• Smarter Sourcing: Data-driven insights lead to better supplier deals.

• Supplier Collaboration: Proactive risk management and market intelligence improve supplier relationships.

• Competitive Edge: Staying ahead of rivals in a fast-changing procurement landscape.

Preparing Your Team for an AI-Driven Future

AI can’t succeed without human expertise. Invest in your team by:

• Training them on AI basics and advanced analytics.

• Upskilling them in tools like Python, SQL, and visualization platforms.

• Building a culture where data-driven decision-making is second nature.

Measuring Success

How do you know if AI is working? Track:

• Cost Savings: Monitor reductions in procurement expenses.

• Cycle Times: Measure how long contracts, invoices, and sourcing events take post-AI.

• Supplier Performance: Assess on-time deliveries, quality scores, and pricing accuracy.

• Process Efficiency: See how much manual work AI has eliminated.

• Forecast Accuracy: Compare AI-generated forecasts against actual results.

• User Adoption: Make sure teams actually use the tools—and keep refining your approach based on their feedback.

The Verdict

AI isn’t just the future—it’s the now. Procurement teams that embrace it will thrive. Those that don’t?

Well, be prepared to get left behind by the inefficiency of the 2010’s.

Despite everything I put out there about the importance of Emotional Intelligence, I do believe AI will be game changing for the function.

I just don’t believe it’s here to steal everyone’s jobs (only those who fail to adapt to it).

Who here actually gets value from the performance review?

In fact, I’ll ask an even more important question, who actually learns anything from them?

I’ve seen many Procurement teams waste performance reviews.

They focus on a review of their KPIs - Cost Savings, Supplier Performance metrics, an update on their category management plans and maybe a count of number of activities that have delivered ‘value beyond savings’.

Here's what you need to focus on to get the best out of the performance reviews:

• Maturity modelling of the function

• Process Improvements delivered

• Actual supplier feedback

• Comprehensive stakeholder feedback.

It really is time to stop thinking is a transactional way and stop measuring success by numbers.

We should also stop painting the picture of busy through delivery and start measuring impact within the business we operate in.

Actual Progress made against the delivery plan is what’s key.

My top 3 tips.

Here are the ways I’ll be differentiating my end of year review and what you should do too:

1. Stakeholder feedback

I’ve gone out to 15 difference stakeholders this year to ask them what I should start doing, what I should continue doing and what I should stop doing?

What’s more, I’ve not just gone to stakeholder I know work well with Procurement.

I’ve deliberately picked some of the awkward ones, the ones where it might have been a bumpy ride.

I’ve given them the option to respond directly to my line manager without copying me, who will then ensure the feedback is anonymous.

If you want to truly gage how you can improve and how to overcome the more difficult stakeholder challenges, this feedback will be golden.

2. Supplier feedback

No, I’m not talking about speaking with your top 3 suppliers and getting recommendations here.

I’ve requested feedback from four different suppliers.

1. A supplier than won an RFP this year and we have contracted with.

2. A supplier that lost an RFP this year.

3. An ongoing supplier we have a strategic partnership with.

4. A supplier we exited this year.

Sounds a bit brave and a bit crazy doesn’t it?

But if we really want to measure how good we are at supplier relationships, this is the information that will prove to be absolute gold when it comes to developing our ways of working.

3. The maturity model

Whether you are a CPO, Head of, Procurement Manager or Analyst, you should always be thinking in terms of year on year progress against the maturity model.

At the start of 2024 where did you want Procurement to be by this point in the year.

What permanent changes have you made that have massively pushed things forward?

Are there processes you’ve improved?

Is there a system you’ve implemented or a level of contract control you didn’t have last year?

Ahead of my Performance review I’ll be creating two slides against the maturity model I issued to my line manager last year.

• Slide 1 will measure the progress against everything that has been delivered this year.

• Slide 2 will be my roadmap plans for next year.

It’s also a powerful way to make a statement on the value that is ahead for Procurement delivery and to open the conversation around what training and investment might be required.

What will you be doing for your end of year review?

How to negotiate without leverage

Here are my top 7 tips on how to do it:

1. Don’t reveal that you are weak

Some aren’t comfortable with this but remember power is mostly perceived. It’s not an actual physical thing you can measure.

So even if you have a weak BATNA (Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement) position, you don’t have to advertise it.

The key is to ensure everyone internally is aligned and to manage communications with suppliers effectively.

2. If your position is very weak, consider relinquishing your power

I’ve done this one on several occasions and it’s surprisingly effective.

You’ll be surprised how much can be gained from just asking somebody to help you.

Instead of trying to leverage power that doesn’t exist (which tends to lead to reciprocation and mirroring), make it clear form the start you do not want to enter an aggressive negotiation.

The best suppliers will understand that if they diminish the relationship when they hold all the cards, the room for the partnership to grow has been stifled.

Work on building trust through openness. It’s surprisingly liberating and cuts out a lot of wasted time and energy.

3. Leverage their weakness

Sometimes we can be so focused on our own weakness, so self-conscious, we forget how the other party might be feeling.

It’s possible for reasons you don’t yet know or understand, that the other party may have a weak BATNA.

Perhaps yours is the sale they desperately need to hit target? Perhaps you offer them a route into a market sector that will uniquely position them for future growth?

When both parties have a weak BATNA, it means the Zone of Potential Agreement is large.

Don’t assume your weakness = their power. The one who fares better is the one who makes the other side’s weakness more salient in the negotiation.

4. Think bigger than the specific negotiation

It may well be that this specific negotiation, perhaps it’s an inflationary price rise where you’ve got nowhere to turn, is one you cannot ‘win’. But see the relationship and the negotiation as a long-term one and it will change your perception.

Perhaps you’re able to take this loss on the basis that it will buy you the time to plan for the next one, to build a contingency and increase your actual power over the long-term relationship.

5. Build Coalitions

I remember a particularly successful coalition when I was Spirits buyer for the co-op. I entered into quite a ground breaking (at the time) coalition with Spa for some of our core volume own label products - Vodka and Whisky.

A couple of compromises were needed of course, but we doubled our volume and ultimately our negotiation power through the coalition.

We also used an e-auction facility at the time (remember them?) to drive a 30% reduction in price. The savings were massive.

6. There’s actually great power in your Weakness

Remember that one of the fundamental principles of power is that the source of it comes from someone having some kind of a hold on you.

It’s the old adage of “push me too hard and you’ll just destroy me, thus you’ll be powerless”.

Again it comes back to the fact that in the Procurement world no decent supplier would want the partnership to feel completely diminished as it offers no room for growth and all future trust would be destroyed.

7. Identify your Distinct Value

It’s often the case that you do actually offer something the other party really wants, the key is to distinguish what that is.

Often a lot can be revealed through discussion, being open but also asking the right questions.

It may well be, for example, that you have a good reputation or a strong brand they are looking to partner with.

I remember when negotiating with Clarks for in store operation services, our volume requirements were relatively small and there were very few good supplier options.

However, the Clarks brand name and the reputation that entailed was of very high value to our preferred supplier.

So, next time you feel you’ve got no leverage, consider any or all of the above. It may well change the game and change the outcome entirely.

And remember, Power is almost entirely perceived. You can’t actual measure or substantiate it.

The biggest mistake you make with your slides

Here are my slides:

They absolutely should not make much sense in isolation.

Why?

Because you’re not here to read your audience a manuscript.

Your slides are the framework to your presentation, nothing more, nothing less.

In general, I apply the 30:20:10 rule.

• no smaller than 30 font size

• no more than 20 words per slide

• no more than 10 slides

Okay, I didn’t quite hit that with this one, but you get the point.

I see so many present detailed slides, with diagrams and charts requiring super human vision to interpret even from the front row.

Why would you want people’s attention to be on your slides? You want them to be focused on you.

Slides provide the framework for your presentation, you can use them to stimulate the audience with pictures and keywords.

But that is it!

Your audience are there to listen to and engage with you.

Beware of the boredom factor too.

This isn’t because your audience doesn’t want to be interested, it’s because you’ve bombarded them with too much information.

The brain naturally shuts down and loses track.

This is basic AF neuroscience.

One of the best presentations at the conference last week in Frankfurt had one slide with just five words “Developing partnerships in Procurement”.

This was one of the most interesting and engaging presentations I’ve ever been to, with plenty of audience participation.

The Power of Simplicity - why it pays to say less

Got a 30minute slot?

Make sure your presentation lasts 20 (at an absolute max).

Why? People don’t learn through telling, they learn through discussion and debate.

It’s the basics of adult learning theory.

You should want the audience to participate and to join in to debate your topic. If not, there’s every chance your message hasn’t landed.

But you won’t know that unless you’ve asked questions.

And remember;

The human brain will only ever take away a maximum of three key messages from any scenario.

So, for my speech I wanted to get one main message across:

That now is the time for Procurement Soft Skills training, that in the world of artificial intelligence, we are in danger of becoming artificially unintelligent.

I didn’t go into any of the frameworks I teach in my 5* rated Procurement Soft Skills Mastery course.

Instead, I left them with the powerful and impactful message that now is the time to be investing in soft skills training for you and your team.

And that it is soft skills that will be the differentiator.

Less is more.

(and if your keynote finishes earlier than anticipated because your audience has run out of questions, the conference organisers will thank you I promise!)

LESS IS MORE!

Posture and Poise

The Procurement Excellence Summit 2024, Frankfurt

This is so underrated.

And perhaps in the modern era of ‘working from home’ and a more casual approach, I’ll get some backlash for this.

But I purposefully wore my best suit, cufflinks, polished shoes, crisp shirt.

As soon I got up on stage, I felt the part.

It was a mindset shift.

I felt I looked good (not in a narcissistic sense!)

The effort I had made mirrored my presentation style and vice versa. It gave me an inner confidence that had a ripple effect.

I stood tall (not hunched)

I stood proud (not quaking)

I breathed easily (as a result of my posture)

And this in turn projected a calm confidence that inspired confidence in my audience;

The confidence that I was an expert worthy of their attention.

If I was a confidence coach, this is one thing I’d teach.

You can radically transform the energy you transmit, simply by dressing sharp and making that effort.

It really does make a difference.

Do you want 1hr coaching ahead of a key presentation at work or a speech?

1-1 Procurement Consulting Call - Tom Mills

60mins consulting call for Procurement Pros or if you're in sales looking for advice on navigating Procurement effectively

zcal.co/procurebites/consultancycall

_{The Perfect Supplier Presentation}

1. Presentation style

Of course it’s helpful to have some slides to answer the brief. But the detail of the RFP responses has already been provided.

The mistake I see many suppliers make is to regurgitate or simply throw up onto the screen their original RFP response.

You’ve already passed that stage.

The value is now in the conversation.

Use the opportunity to present to provide 5 or 6 clear and simple slides that help explain how your solution will deliver to the brief.

This prospective partner had understood the evaluation criteria and created a clear diagram / visual to explain against each criteria…e.g. their implementation approach, their understanding of our needs, their incident response etc…

The slide then became a reference point for the discussion, not a dry set of words to present.

It led to a focused and engaging conversation with plenty of opportunity for the evaluation panel to ask questions.

2. Fulfilling the brief

Sounds simple doesn’t it?

But this supplier had understood the brief, by asking plenty of questions from the Procurement team ahead of the presentation.

I don’t think many suppliers take this part seriously enough but a good sales/ procurement partnership is built through understanding.

And when you think about it…the Procurement team is the bridge between the supplier and the evaluation panel.

By asking questions ahead of the presentation, it also demonstrated a partner who was taking the brief seriously, wanted to get full value from the session and wanted to leave a good impression.

What Procurement team is not going to admire this approach?

3. Answering with honesty

The no bullshit approach really.

How many times do we see this in Procurement though? Suppliers who we know are papering over the cracks in their offers or suppliers who exaggerate product features (only to be found out later at Discovery phase).

In last week’s perfect presentation, the service provider was asked a question about their experience of providing the service in our specific sector.

With complete control and unapologetic honesty they proceeded to explain they don’t have direct experience. But they were able to give clear examples they understood our unique sector requirements and had researched tis.

This was refreshing. It gave the evaluation panel confidence that every word they spoke from that point forward we could trust.

4. Leveraging Individual Expertise

How many times as a Procurement pro have you seen a service provider turn up en-masse and yet you’re not sure of the value (or even the role) each of the individuals is there to give?

Or worse, you’re not sure who will be your actual relationship manager, and they’re not even sure themselves?

In this brilliant pitch, there were four individuals presenting but each had a clear and distinct role and area of expertise.

Nobody spoke over anyone else, each had their part to play and it was clear everyone understood who would be best placed to answer questions from the evaluation panel.

It was seamless and felt so well prepared.

This was a small but definingly big thing in terms of the flow of the session. It felt so well organised and prepared and built trust through credibility.

5. The Importance of Self Control

I don’t ask many questions during an RFP pitch.

This is the time for the Evaluators (the Subject Matter Experts) to probe.

I’ll normally only chime in with clarifications when it comes to questions on fees and charges, or elements we may need to ensure are covered by the contract.

But one question I’ll usually ask as part of the wrap up is this:

“We’re meeting 3/ 4 potential partners so, as an elevator pitch, can you summarise in 60 seconds why you consider yourselves the best provider for our requirements. What sets you apart?”

What I loved about the response to this one is that the relationship manager took his time.

A long and controlled pause (not a nervous one but one that demonstrated maturity and poise).

He then gave a very specific and concise 60 second pitch that perfectly summarised what made them uniquely positioned to deliver against our requirements.

The control was actually inspiring to watch

and yet again credibility and trust was augmented by the way he approached this.

We miss the opportunity to ‘score’ a presentation.

And of course I’m not advocating evaluation teams make presentation style a key part of their decision making criteria.

But I’ve seen so many poor presentations from suppliers over the years, I wonder how many have undersold their offering and lost out on business as a result?

_{The 12 Week Year: Get More Done in 12 Weeks that Others Do in 12 months.}

This isn’t some woo-woo productivity hack {{first name}}.

The central idea is to condense the traditional annual goal-setting approach into 12-week cycles. The shorter timeframe creates urgency, focus, and a better chance for you to accomplish meaningful progress without the complacency of a full year.

This plays into our basic psychology or urgency.

We only work on those things that are immediately in front of us and we’re only motivated by up to 3months ahead of where we are now.

There’s a reason most marathon training plans are just 3months long (and those who attempt to make these longer will burnout or get injured).

There’s a reason most courses, including my Procurement Soft Skills Mastery are 10-12 weeks long.

It’s because of our basic psychology around urgency and how we are motivated by shorter-term milestones.

Here are the key concepts and strategies you should look to apply to 2025 and why it will supercharge your Procurement career.

1. Shorten the Planning Period to 12 Weeks

• Instead of setting yearly goals, plan and focus on what you can achieve in 12 weeks. This condensed timeline reduces procrastination and keeps you more engaged, as the "year" will end sooner. And guess what? You can achieve 5 x what others achieve in a year by applying this method. It really does work I promise.

2. Set a Vision

• We’re not negating the long-term vision in all of this by the way. You start by defining a long-term vision (3-5 years) to create clarity on where you want to go in life or business. I did this two years ago when I set my vision to build my own business. This vision becomes your "why" and motivates your actions. From there, break down your vision into actionable 12-week goals.

3. Plan Tactics, Not Just Goals

• Once goals are defined, break them into specific, measurable weekly actions or "tactics" that will lead to achieving these goals. These actions are the foundation of the weekly and daily plans, making progress easy to track and adjust.

• This doesn’t have to be anything fancy by the way. I actually have a piece of paper blue tacked to my wall which has these written down each week. It’s one of my Sunday tasks and takes me 10mins max.

4. Weekly Accountability and Review

• Each week (on a Sunday), set aside time to review progress toward your 12-week goals, identify what went well, and adjust your approach if needed. This allows for continuous improvement and helps prevent minor setbacks from derailing progress.

• I’ve hit a number of setbacks and at times (like in September this year) I realised I was doing too much and had decisions to make. But it didn’t completely derail me.

5. Daily Focus and Prioritization

• Daily planning is key to the 12 Week Year. Every day, you should identify the three high-priority tasks that directly support your 12-week goals.*

• So in a workplace setting I ruthlessly remove distractions. I’ll only respond to e-mails for example once I’ve completed these priority tasks.

*Pro tip: these are YOUR priority tasks that support YOUR objectives, not someone else.

6. Scorekeeping

• Tracking progress is central to the system. Each week, assign yourself a score based on whether you completed the planned tactics. This scorecard system lets you see if you’re on track and gives you data to refine your strategies over time.

• I don’t always score a 10 by the way. This week I scored a 6. But by tracking this over a period of time you can make adjustments and identify some of the factors to be addressed that will lead to better focus.

7. Accountability Partners

• I suggest creating an accountability structure, either with a partner, a team, or a coach. Regular check-ins create a sense of commitment and accountability, helping you stay on course and ensuring you don’t lose momentum.

• The way I’ve done this is two-fold. Firstly I have a weekly coaching call with my Course Builders curriculum cohort which helps keep me focused on my business goals. But in my work I use my 1-1 with my boss as a real check in for me really (not for him). What did we say I’d focus on last week? How much progress has been made? What support can he give me for the week ahead? These are the only three questions we go through. Try implementing this structure with your manager.

8. Embrace the "Greatness in the Moment" Mindset

• The book encourages the "Greatness in the Moment" mindset. I know, this might take a little getting used to {{first name}} but when I’m in flow state and working well I feel it ‘in the moment’.

• Each action in the moment is an opportunity to act toward greatness, even when you feel setbacks. This is also key to mindfulness and managing anxiety or stress. It’s how I stay focused and enjoy the process too (taking regular breaks of course).

Benefits of the 12 Week Year

By focusing on shorter cycles, I promise you’ll have a game changing year in 2025.

It’s a structured framework to achieve more in less time.

We’ve become so conditioned by the corporate mindset of annual objectives and reviews and honestly most of your colleagues will be miles behind you as soon as you adopt this approach.

_{What’s actually working right now on LinkedIn?}

Honestly?

Nothing really unless it’s truly educational.

And I think that’s a good thing for a ‘professional platform’. I don’t mean that in the stuffy corporate Colin sense but from the perspective that other social media platforms (Instagram and ‘X’ for example) are far better set up to show people your highlight reels or begin a divisive conversation.

Sure, the odd Procurement cheerleading style post will get some hollers and likes. But people rarely share or repost these so you’ll trudge your way very slowly towards an increased following.

Further, the posts about your personality and what you like doing (I still try the odd one about my running) will resonate with a small section of LinkedIn.

But they won’t compel someone to join your newsletter, nor give you the credibility that sharing truly helpful or educational content will.

2024 has been the year of cheat sheets (I’ve got a feeling that will change) and sharing helpful ‘how to’ posts.

These for me have taken over in terms of reach, traction and newsletter sign ups.

And why wouldn’t they?

Giving someone access to your inbox is in itself a trusting contract between two people who don’t know each other and will unlikely ever meet.

There has to be an unwritten contract that you’ll teach them something, they’ll gain from you or that you’ll help them bridge gaps in their confidence.

Of course, videos are taking off too.

Not just because of the way LinkedIn now displays them in your feed (randomly I should add) but I’ve a feeling in the world of ChatGPT generated content and comments, more readers are drawn to the indisputable authenticity of a video made by you.

The Importance of Staying ahead in the game

Most people I see getting stuck on LinkedIn, well, they get stuck.

This is nothing to do with consistency.

It’s the way they follow rather than lead.

I know I’m geekily obsessed with analytics (I’ve always been this way with numbers) but there’s logic in approaching life in this way.

Unless you understand the numbers and trends, you’ll always be playing catch up.

Let me explain and give you two examples:

Carousels

In 2022 Carousels exploded on LinkedIn. I mean the whole place was swamped by them as the platform Gods promoted them as a visual and educational tool.

The problem wasn’t the carousel, it was the fact that everyone defaulted to them and there were carousels being created that should have been posts.

I loved creating them (I still do sometimes publish them) but I know since early 2023 the algorithm dramatically changed so that carousels are no longer actively promoted in the feed.

It’s about effort versus reward. Surely in a world where time is such a precious commodity, you want to be putting your time into the content that will gain you most traction?

(and if you’re not bothered about traction or reach I’m not entirely sure of the purpose of creating your content)

Hashtags

are dead as a dodo.

But people still use them! I know, crazy right?

Honestly I still see it. There was a limited period with the installation of Creator Mode when ‘allegedly’ using three hashtags that matched the hashtags in your bio would help increase the reach of your posts.

I have to say there were allegedly stats that supported this but I never saw any tangible difference with my own content.

This was almost three years ago now but people in my feed still use hashtags and I find it kind of crazy.

There is growing evidence that using any hashtag in your post actually hurts the reach of your post (it certainly kills the look of your copy).

Companies and business pages are the worst for this.

I’ll never understand it.

How Personalisation will be the differentiator in 2025

Justin Welsh has written a brilliant piece about this recently in relation to e-mail acquisition strategies.

It’s possible you joined my newsletter {{first name}} because I gave you access to my cheat sheets, some high level PDFs or perhaps a deep insights article.

But let’s face it, there’s only so much room you have in your inbox for people like me.

Generic PDF lead magnets, and spray-and-pray approaches are becoming less effective.

Because we’re inundated with the stuff.

This is why I’m going to focus far more in 2025 on quality over quantity.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s important to have a cadence and for you to trust I’ll show up every week but I’m going to double down on all the things you really want to learn more about.

I want to give you access to free webinars about certain Procurement topics I’m passionate about, and carry on creating content hubs like the ones I’ve been building on notion.

In a world where ChatGPT is dumbing down content too, I plan to make this highly personalised by asking you what you want to read about and deliberately tailoring my content to what you tell me (creating a segment for what you like reading).

We’ve not been thinking about this enough in 2024 but as the Creator economy becomes saturated, the way to stand out will be to move away from the generic and for me to deliver the things you really want from me {{first name}}.

In short, I don’t plan to stand still, nor get left behind.

I plan to stay ahead and so should you if you want to leverage the power of social media and community building in 2025.

_{How to avoid the Subservience Trap}

Don’t underestimate the impact of this on you, your mental health, your team’s capacity and your ability to prioritise the true value Procurement teams should be delivering.

We’ve all been there.

A senior leader (probably exco) wants some information from you for an important meeting coming up this week.

You hadn’t planned to be working on this ad hoc request and while you know you can help, you know it’s going to take several hours to pull it together.

Of course, I’m not saying you should always say no, that’s just unrealistic, nor is it how the hierarchical structure of most corporate structures work.

But here’s some tips for handling the request, particularly if you’re a line manager or leader of a team.

1. Consider the bigger picture

18 months ago I was asked by my CEO to pull together my thoughts on local sourcing and plans for the business approach to it, so he could present this to the board.

Of course, this wasn’t an immediate priority for me at the time.

But in truth it’s part of the strategy plan I needed to develop for the function. And more than this, putting these slides together helped me to consolidate my thoughts.

I hadn’t planned to do the work that week, but then maybe I’d never have got round to it?

It’s worth considering, is now better than never?

The added benefit of doing this unscheduled work was it also helped ensure Procurement strategy remained aligned to the business objectives.

2. Build all activity items into a planning tool and prioritise

I know it’s obvious. Perhaps it’s the staple of any high performing Procurement team.

But unless you have a planning tool or activity tracker that allows for some flexibility/ reprioritisation, you’ll never be well placed to flex based on these ad hoc requests.

More important that that, when you can to share the activity tracker and updates on ‘numbers of activities’, current renewals, spend being addressed, RFPs in progress, you’ll always feel bound to say ‘yes’ to requests from above.

Confidence comes largely from know we’re doing the right thing and that we’re trying our best.

If you need to push back or ask for an extension it’s so much easier to do so backed by data.

3. Identify your team’s capacity and gather estimates

We underestimate the importance of team communication when these requests come in.

I’ll typically gather the whole team together for a quick 10 minute stand up, even those team members who may not seem directly implicated by the request.

You’re investing time to save time.

By explaining the ‘why’ too you’re helping develop a team mentality, rather than simply delegating.

I’m always happily surprised by how often good team members are prepared to chip in, pull together an help in these situations, thus sharing the burden.

I advocate the ‘tribe’ approach too. Let people work where their strengths are.

4. Review prioritisation and bring work in/ out of scope for the given time period

The worst thing we can do as a manager or leader is to just pile on the requests in a way that increases workload pressure.

Something should always give, unless you know for sure someone is usually under capacity (in which case there is likely a bigger challenge to address).

The best thing you can do for yourself and for your team, is to ask for help but in the same conversation consider what can be dropped or simply delayed to enable completion of the ad hoc request.

Of course, if after all of this you consider your workload is such that you or you team can’t help…

5. Communicate the decision and share the roadmap

There’s a way to do this of course, particularly when it comes to the often firey needs of the execs.

But it doesn’t harm to given them visibility of your current priorities. Let them decide.

It’s most likely they won’t be able to immediately see most of the things you or your team are working on but when they do, they may have a deeper appreciation of your value to the organisation.

Of course there’s a difference between giving a straight ‘no’ to saying ‘no, I’m sorry we won’t be able to complete this in time for your meeting but here’s how/ when we can get this to you by’.

It’s not easy but the key to supporting our teams is to not constantly say ‘yes’ to the requests from above, to be clear on prioritisation and to use these situations to help demonstrate our value (not just our busyness).