What procurement can learn from sport

Today Buyers Meeting Point welcomes back two of our previous guests: Anya McKenna is the Marketing Manager for Market Dojo, an eSourcing provider based in the UK, and Ed Cross is the co-founder of Odesma, a business advisory firm also based in the UK.

In March, Anya and Ed joined me to discuss their posts asking the question ‘Are Procurement Professionals Stuck in the Stone Age?’ Today they have returned to discuss a post that brings their love of sport to bear on procurement: What procurement can learn from sport. Ed is an IronMan triathlon competitor and Anya has been training in Olympic weightlifting for over a year.

And that’s not all… Anya and Ed have brought Harry Wiltshire with them.

Harry is Ed’s fellow Ironman competitor and coach. His accomplishments include being ranked as one of the top 25 triathlon competitors in the world, being shortlisted for the Olympics, and representing the UK in a number of international competitions. He also found time in there somehow to earn a law degree.

In this conversation we discuss:

• How to balance the thrill of accomplishment and achievement with the frustration of failure in sport and business
• The critical role of coaches and mentors and how to make the most of their wisdom
• How to avoid becoming a "complete tactical numpty" in the execution of a carefully crafted strategy