Everyone knows that balance is the key to success in life. What they may not know is that balance is the key to success in procurement too.

That’s because good procurement leaders are called upon to play two roles: the “cop” and the “coach”.

To be a “cop,” they must actively police their organizations’ spending behavior:

• “You can only buy IT equipment from XYZ vendor.”
• “No, you cannot buy cell phone equipment, ever.”
• “No PO, no Pay”
• “You have to get competitive bids for this large an order, no exceptions.”

But being a “cop” is not enough to truly transform corporate culture. Procurement leaders must balance “policing” with “preaching” and act as coaches too.

To be a “coach,” procurement leaders must constantly communicate savings goals and organizational success stories. They must tell the organization what the “score of the game is.” They must help their organization practice the fundamentals of smarter spending, using the immediate purchasing needs as the examples to train by.

Ultimately, success is defined by helping each and every employee adopt the mindset of spending company money as if it were their own.

It is tough to shift from “cop” to “coach” and back again throughout the day while performing all of the duties required of procurement leadership.

A system like Coupa’s can help make enforcement automatic, freeing up a ton of time and relieving the frustration that comes through confrontation.

Good luck with your balancing act!