Procurement Pivots®
Honest conversations and fresh perspectives to help procurement professionals, wherever you are in your career. Navigate change, grow with confidence and shape a career on your terms.
Co-hosted by Donna Bowden (Procurement Career Coach, Founder of Narrate Your Career) and Laura Sellers (Executive & Leadership Coach, Founder of Coaching for Procurement) who bring a combined 20+ years of supporting procurement growth
Episodes
56 episodes
EP 55: How Are You Really Coming Across at Work? Successful Traits of Procurement Leaders: Self-Awareness
Successful Traits of Procurement Leaders: Self-AwarenessHow you see yourself isn’t always how others experience you.And that gap can have a significant impact on your procurement career, career progression and leadership ...
.png)
EP 54: Why Your Relationship with Your Boss Matters More Than You Think
Your relationship with your boss is one of the most important factors in your procurement career, career progression and leadership development.And yet, it’s often not given the attention it deserves.In this episode of Procurement...
.png)
EP 53: Introverted in Procurement? How to Still Be Seen and Heard
If you’re introverted in your procurement career, you might feel the pressure to be more visible, speak up more or show more confidence in meetings or whilst networking.And that doesn’t always feel natural.In this episode of Procu...
.png)
EP 52: Why so many Procurement Professionals are Burning Out
Burnout in procurement is becoming more common.And it’s not always for the reasons we think.In this episode of Procurement Pivots, we explore why burnout is showing up more across procurement careers and what is really dri...
.png)
EP 51: Internal Positioning – The Key to Progression in Senior Procurement Careers
Internal progression in procurement doesn’t happen by default.You can be delivering, experienced and performing well in your role, and still find that the next opportunity doesn’t come.In this episode of Procurement Pivots, we foc...
.png)
EP 50: The Gap We’re Seeing Between Performance and Progression in Procurement Careers
We’ve reached our 50th episode of Procurement Pivots, and rather than looking back, we wanted to focus on what we’re consistently seeing across the procurement profession right now.There is a gap.A gap between performance and prog...
.png)
EP 49: Giving Feedback as a Procurement Leader to Drive Impact
In procurement careers, your ability to give feedback to teams and stakeholders directly impacts performance, influence and progression.Yet it’s one of the most avoided leadership skills.Whether it’s not wanting to upset someone, ...
.png)
EP 48: The Feedback Gap: The Dangerous Truth About Where You Stand
Do you actually know where you stand in your procurement career?Or are you making assumptions?At senior level, feedback often becomes limited, filtered or disappears altogether. And yet, this is exactly the point in yo...
.png)
EP 47: The Truth About “Underperforming” Procurement Teams
“Underperforming team.”It’s a label that gets used quickly in procurement.But what if it’s not the full picture?In today’s market, procurement teams are under more pressure than ever. Expectations are rising. Re...
.png)
EP 46: The Most Important Question in Your Procurement Career
“Tell me about yourself.”It sounds simple. But in reality, it’s one of the most important and most underutilised questions in your procurement career.It shows up everywhere: Interviews. Stakeholder meetings. Networking...
.png)
EP 45: The Uncomfortable Truth About Procurement Career Growth
Procurement career growth often feels uncomfortable.As procurement careers evolve, many professionals are being asked to step into greater visibility, leadership and influence.You may want more impact, more progression or a more a...
.png)
EP 44: The Procurement Development Gap and How to Close It
Procurement careers are evolving at pace.The remit is expanding. Expectations are rising. Pressure is increasing.Yet in many organisations, learning and development support has reduced, shifted or become less personalised....
.png)
EP 43: Speak to Be Seen: How Procurement Professionals Gain Influence
Communication sits at the heart of every procurement career.You can be technically strong, commercially capable and consistently deliver results. But if your communication does not land, your influence, credibility and progression can st...
.png)
EP 42: When Did Networking Become So Uncomfortable in Procurement Careers?
For many procurement professionals, the word networking triggers discomfort.Awkward. Inauthentic. Contrived. Embarrassing.And yet, relationship-driven opportunities remain one of the most powerful drivers of procurement career pro...
.png)
EP 41: The Procurement Visibility Gap: What Your LinkedIn Might Be Costing You
In today’s procurement career market, visibility is no longer optional. Yet many procurement professionals remain hesitant, quiet or completely invisible on LinkedIn.This episode tackles the uncomfortable but important question. What is ...
.png)
EP 40: Internal Leverage: The Procurement Career Advantage Many Miss
In this episode of Procurement Pivots, we explore a topic that often feels uncomfortable but quietly shapes careers more than performance alone: internal networking.Many procurement professionals associate networking with politics, self-...
.png)
EP 39: From Operational to Strategic Procurement - The Reality Behind the Shift
In this episode of Procurement Pivots, we unpack one of the most talked-about transitions in the profession: the move from operational to strategic procurement.We hear it everywhere. Procurement must become more strategic. Roles are evol...
.png)
EP 38: Owning Your Strengths: The Competitive Advantage in Procurement Careers
In this episode of Procurement Pivots, we explore why owning your strengths is not simply a development exercise and how procurement professionals can use their strengths to accelerate their careers. This is a strategic advantage in your procur...
.png)
EP 37: Resetting as a Procurement Team After Restructure
Navigating Restructure in Procurement Series – Part 4In this final episode of our four-part series on navigating restructure in procurement, we turn our attention to the team perspective.We have explored what happens when you exit...
.png)
EP 36: The Procurement Leader’s Role in Times of Uncertainty
Navigating Restructure in Procurement Series – Part 3In this third episode of our four-part series on navigating restructures in procurement, we shift the lens to the procurement leader. Leading a team through organisational change can b...
.png)
EP 35: Rebuilding Confidence After Internal Change
Navigating Restructure in Procurement Series – Part 2In Part 2 of our series on navigating restructure in procurement, Donna and Laura shift the focus to those who remain in the organisation after change has taken place. While red...
.png)
EP 34: Building Momentum After Redundancy
Navigating Restructure in Procurement – Series Part 1In this new four part series, we explore the realities of navigating restructure in today’s procurement landscape. And in this first episode, we explore one of the most challeng...
.png)
EP 33: Building Stronger Procurement Teams Through the 7-Step P.R.O.C.U.R.E® Framework
In this episode, Laura takes us behind the scenes of the team coaching work she has been delivering across procurement functions in the UK and internationally. While most leaders approach her with a specific challenge or goal in mind, the deepe...
.png)
EP 32: 6 Steps to Position Yourself for a Successful External Move in 2026
In this episode, Donna and Laura revisit one of the most requested topics on the podcast: positioning, with a dedicated focus on external career moves.With the market shifting again and early signs of improvement for 2026, many procureme...
.png)
EP 31: The Career Story Behind Coaching for Procurement
Donna Bowden Interviews Laura SellersThis week, we continue our two-part mini-series where we turn the microphones on each other.After more than 30 episodes together, many listeners have asked a similar question.“How do the...
.png)