Maybe it is the dynamic speaking skills demanded by the internet radio format Jon Hansen knows so well from his PI Window on Business program, but his remote keynote speech at eWorld makes the case that being physically present is no longer necessary to contribute to a conference.  (Besides, who doesn’t speak more eloquently when given the opportunity to secretly present in bunny slippers?) The content is the critical component to any speech, and ‘The Changing (or Changed) Face of Procurement’ does not disappoint.

Jon’s comments on the growing need for procurement to align with the CFO and CIO are in agreement with many of the sources that have covered the same topic recently. One key detail of Jon’s take, however is that procurement needs to step up and make alignment happen by approaching the CFO and asking to know more about their areas of focus so we can proactively find commonalities between our functions. Being the driver of such conversations can be a challenge, particularly if you work in one of the 80% of companies where CFOs don’t believe procurement makes a contribution to competitiveness. I would still prefer that situation to not having any ability to affect the relationship – for better or for worse.

The other interesting component of his speech is the role of the internet and social media. As Jon asked, “How are you leveraging the internet to do what you want to do?” It seems as though having a LinkedIn account is an automatic these days, with some subset of people also using Twitter and/or Facebook for professional purposes. Continuing the idea from above, where each of us can be in the driver’s seat, I have to observe that there are far more onlookers in the discussion forums on LinkedIn than participants. The same contributors get involved again and again. On this subject, I also need to be totally honest in admitting a selfish interest, as the co-owner of one of the communities of interest Jon described in his speech. At Buyers Meeting Point we do our best to work within the time constraints of our peers and to stay on top of topics in a dynamic way that more formal curriculum-based associations are unable to. The more we communicate – whether with each other or with Finance/IT, whether face to face or via video link – the better positioned we will all be to tackle the changes and challenges to come. Maybe the question should not be about the format of the speakers, but increasing the engaged participation of the listeners.