In last week’s episode of the Dial P for Procurement podcast, I dig beyond the headlines of the recent railway workers’ strike. Although it has been celebrated as “averted,” this issue far from over. The unions have only begun to vote to ratify the agreement – a process that will stretch into November. Click here to listen.  If you are plannin...

Note to self… if you book a number of live events for the first few days of a new month, you are going to be VERY SURPRISED when you turn the page on the calendar and look at your schedule! I’m all live all the time Monday through Wednesday next week, presenting with lots of guests and covering a wide range of topics. Check out each event below and...

Last week was Banned Books Week in the U.S., an annual opportunity to raise awareness about the importance of deciding what we read for ourselves. I see this as a natural extension of the intellectual freedom procurement and supply chain professionals need to be effective – do you? Listen here. If you are planning your virtual procurement event sch...

Last week’s new episode of Dial P for Procurement was our monthly video interview – and my guest had a fascinating point of view to share. Tom Burke is the COO of ButcherBox, a membership service that delivers high quality protein to consumer’s homes. And yes, you guessed it, they were bombarded with new applications at the start of the pandemic. H...

After a break for the Labor Day holiday, procurement and supply chain events are back with a vengeance! This is the time of year when we start counting the weeks left to have an impact – and the fall conference season is picking up as well. On September 21st, I’ll be at the riskmethods SCRM Summit in Boston, MA, so if you’re attending, be sure to c...

How much pressure would your company have to be under to give up on the idea of being a customer of choice? Would you expect your suppliers to respond? In last week’s episode of Dial P, Philip Ideson and I talked through a recent true story of a retailer – Target – who pushed so hard on their suppliers that they pushed back IN PRINT. Click here to ...

Google “empathetic leadership” and you will find an abundance of articles content from across the business world. But look back through your last few weeks of work – does it feel like all of that advice is being put into practice? There is a very real possibility that many of us are experiencing ‘empathy fatigue.’ What is that and what should we do...

I’m a huge fan of writer George Orwell, so the more the government tells me it is being “helpful” the more I start digging into the details. Case in point: this week’s episode of Dial P for Procurement podcast: Does the CHIPS Act provide the Helpful Incentives the U.S. semiconductor industry needs? LISTEN HERE If you are planning your virtual procu...

We’re all dealing with it – at work and at home – but WHY is fuel so expensive? In last week’s episode of Dial P for Procurement, I walked back through the oil supply chain, looking at the costs, risks, volatility, and capital investments required to go from crude extraction to the pump. LISTEN HERE. If you are planning your virtual procurement eve...

It is easy to agree that businesses should have to alter how they operate to preserve the environment. But who do we want interpreting Congressional legislation and turning it into rules? How clear does Congress need to be so that the EPA, for instance, has clear marching orders? Listen to the latest episode of Dial P for Procurement: Refillable v....

In the latest episode of Dial P, I research the logistics challenges associated with the tragic migrant smuggling incident in San Antonio. The problem at the U.S. southern border is very real, and there is no simple solution. One concrete contributing factor we can all learn more about is DOT number “cloning.” What does that mean? Learn more by lis...

The 4th of July holiday in the U.S. last week meant vacation time for many of us – and why not? Procurement and supply chains made our fair share of contributions to the founding of this country. If you’d like to hear the full story behind our American Supply Chain Revolution, you can listen to this week’s episode of Dial P here. If you are plannin...

In last week’s episode of Dial P for Procurement, I shared my monthly full-length interview: a feature with Ken Yearwood from McKinsey and Company. We spoke about leading supplier diversity practices and the forms of economic impact they can drive. Click here to listen to the whole conversation. If you are planning your virtual procurement event sc...

If you have been following the nationwide baby formula shortage, you were probably relieved to hear that the Abbott Laboratories factory in Sturgis was back up and running… but not for long. Flooding in Michigan forced the plant to close just 11 days after reopening. The company expects that this will add a few more weeks delay into their productio...

In last week’s episode of Dial P for Procurement, I focused on a potential (albeit leaked) proposal that will reportedly come before the World Trade Organization in early July. If it is presented and passed by the members, it will change how intellectual property is protected and whether rights are enforced worldwide. Click here to listen in! ...