Welcome to the Graphite Connect Blog. Check in for frequent articles and podcast episodes that will help your team operate at the highest possible level.
In Ep. 70, Conrad and former Adobe colleague Adam Lancaster explore the pivot from corporate procurement to real estate entrepreneurship. Adam shares his leadership hiring framework: EQ, data analytics, and critical thinking. They contrast management (execution) with leadership (vision). Adam also reveals how daily affirmations eliminated career "boogeymen" and drove massive success.
The hosts detail strategies to reduce PR to PO cycle times. They identify legal, security, and supplier onboarding as the primary process bottlenecks. Zach and Natasha advocate segmenting purchases by risk, utilizing P-cards and catalogs for high-volume, low-risk buys. Conrad stresses that CPOs must own the operating model and enforce strict cross-functional SLAs.
Discover how AI in banking fraud detection helps financial institutions identify suspicious activity, prevent fraud, and respond faster.
Learn the IT vendor management process step by step, from vendor selection and risk assessment to onboarding, performance management, contracts, and offboarding.
The hosts detail their executive decision-making frameworks. Zach shares a 5-step analytical process verified by Claude AI, focusing on evidence and flexibility. Natasha relies on intuition and political capital, arguing true altruism doesn't exist amidst short-term quarterly incentives. Conrad outlines a structured problem-solving method based on data and expert believability.
Build a procurement data strategy that creates a single source of truth, improves data quality, strengthens analytics, and prepares your team for AI.
Navigate the complexities of outsourcing in life sciences. Learn to differentiate between CRO, CMO, and CDMO models to optimize procurement, ensure GxP compliance, and build resilient supply chains.
Learn how to build an audit-ready procurement process for GxP environments. This playbook covers vendor onboarding, risk assessment, and continuous compliance.
Learn how to mitigate third-party risks in pharmaceutical procurement. Discover practical risk-management frameworks for CROs, CMOs, and logistics providers.
Master medical device supplier management by integrating ISO 13485 and FDA compliance into your procurement workflow. Learn to optimize supplier onboarding, quality records, and traceability
Ensure compliance and operational efficiency. Discover essential requirements for pharma procurement software, from audit trails to seamless ERP integration.
Learn how to optimize pharmaceutical supplier qualification with this practical GMP compliance checklist. Discover strategies for risk-based tiering, cross-functional vendor management, and audit readiness to ensure supply chain integrity.
Conrad and Natasha record live to unpack core leadership philosophies. Natasha shares why "everything is rented"—from titles to teams—so leaders must be "great renters" who elevate others. They explore truth-telling over corporate spin, building a "personal board of directors" for peer support, and balancing head, heart, and hands to lead effectively.
Conrad and Zach explore AI's rapid evolution in procurement. They highlight "vibe coding," proving anyone can build custom tools using plain English. Still, Zach stresses that clear human requirements and judgment are irreplaceable.
Conrad, Zach, and Natasha debate AI's impact on executive decision-making. Natasha argues humans must remain the "master" to prevent intellectual laziness. Zach champions autonomous AI agents, believing human roles will naturally evolve to manage tech. Conrad warns against "autopilot" leadership, urging leaders to retain their intuition and accountability.
The hosts break down the core mechanics of executive decision-making. They explore powerful frameworks like Jeff Bezos's "one-way doors," Ray Dalio's believability weighting, and Colin Powell's 40/70 rule. The trio also debates data versus intuition, with Natasha explaining how "gut feelings" are actually rapid biological pattern recognition crucial for navigating tough people decisions.
Conrad and Natasha reflect on their massive career shifts from enterprise CPOs to startup founders. They unpack the harsh realities of entrepreneurship, the loss of the corporate "dopamine yo-yo," and why viewing suppliers as true partners changes everything. Tune in to discover why continuous learning is the ultimate metric for lasting career fulfillment.
Bart Reekmans shares leadership insights from his military and CPO background. He emphasizes adapting to company culture and prioritizing stakeholder outcomes. Comparing team management to marathon training, he advises engineering "sprints" to build crisis muscle memory. Bart also champions prioritizing collaboration to be a "customer of choice".
