The Essential Skills that Make or Break a Procurement Career

What makes a procurement superstar? In this episode, we’re breaking down the essential skills that can make or break your procurement career. Join former Adobe CPO Conrad Smith, procurement leader Natasha Gurevich, and host Zach Bagir as they reveal why EQ might trump technical skills, how AI is reshaping the procurement toolbox, and why being “radically open to feedback” could be your secret weapon. Whether you’re a procurement rookie or veteran, discover the skills to help you crush it in 2025 and beyond. Plus: Why hiring for curiosity beats experience, and the surprising truth about specialist vs. generalist roles in procurement’s future.

Watch now or read the transcript below.

Transcript: Proc-N-Roll 06 | Curiosity, EQ, and Problem-Solving: The New Procurement Skillset

Zachary | Hello and welcome to Proc and Roll, your guide to practical procurement, where we make procurement rock and roll. Welcome to episode two. With me again is Natasha the pro CPO. We’ve got Conrad, the former CPO of Adobe and now founder and CEO of Graphite. And you have myself, the management consultant who will give you real insights from the other two CPOs. We join you with almost 70 years of practical procurement experience. At Proc and Roll, we’ll discuss the latest trends and topics in procurement while walking through the cornerstones and key building blocks. Whether you’re new to procurement or a seasoned veteran, we have discussions that will elevate your thinking while keeping you grounded in practical procurement and value. Ultimately, procurement exists for one purpose – to enable business success for organizations. Natasha, Conrad, welcome. How are you?

Natasha | Doing great. How are you?

Zach | Very well. Busy as usual, but we squeeze these episodes in because they’re valuable for me and hopefully for others. How about you, Conrad?

Conrad | Really good. We’re on three different sides of the world today – I’m in Hawaii, you’re in London, and Natasha’s near San Francisco. It’s fantastic that we can continue these conversations no matter where we are.

Zach |  Absolutely. Today’s episode is about the fastest growing skills in procurement and what can make or break a career. I’m interested in this topic because you both have been in procurement for a long time. Last time we talked about how procurement is moving from tactical to more strategic function. Now we bring it down to the individual – people working in procurement day in, day out. What skills should they acquire and develop? Conrad, have you seen a big change in skills over time in procurement?

Conrad | Technology is changing around us, but the core skills haven’t changed much. Understanding AI and new technologies matters, but the skill that stood out most early in my career was curiosity and passion for data. As I matured, I saw the importance of EQ – the ability to build relationships of trust and be customer-focused, which differs from traditional procurement.

Natasha | You stole my line. My notes say “endless curiosity.” In procurement, we often deal with something we’ve never encountered before. A successful procurement professional combines endless curiosity with problem-solving skills. Curiosity is necessary because we’ll buy everything from toilet paper to private jets. You need to learn about different markets, understand buyer versus seller markets, track acquisitions, and know supplier landscapes.

Zach |  Looking at real teams – many are structured around categories and need experts with deep industry knowledge. But we also have generalist procurement pros driven by curiosity. Are we moving away from category manager experts?

Natasha | The future is moving toward specialists because technology will handle general and transactional activities. Even within a single category, you can go deep. Take toilet paper – you learn about paper, ecological impact, packaging design, plastic usage, pricing, shipping logistics, partnerships with other companies, paper quality, durability. You must train yourself to explore everything deeply.

Conrad | I wonder about AI’s role. Will it replace relationships? I don’t think so. Will it solve problems? Maybe it can help with brainstorming and putting new ideas on the table. But I can’t see it taking over complex problem-solving completely. AI won’t remove the need for curiosity, but it might help with expertise by assembling and summarizing information.

Zach | AI is a great tool for curiosity. Before, we’d use Google, but now it’s mostly sponsored results. With AI, you can quickly learn about any subject. You still need to verify information and build knowledge.

Conrad | I use AI constantly to research companies and customers – their size, revenue, employees, strengths, weaknesses. We don’t know how accurate it is yet, but that will improve. There will always be experts who are incredibly specialized in specific areas. The question is whether we need that deep expertise in procurement or someone who can learn enough to contribute effectively while bringing curiosity, EQ, and problem-solving skills. Teamwork might be our fourth essential skill.

Natasha | Let me add analytical skills – it’s different from intellectual curiosity. When using AI, you must verify everything. I once presented about Fortune 500 companies and found AI gave me incorrect historical data. Another time, AI suggested a hiking route but didn’t account for closed bridges, turning a 55-kilometer hike into 65 kilometers.

Zach |  Analysis needs data and information. AI might be a skill itself, with prompt engineering becoming important. What about technical skills – have they changed fundamentally?

Conrad | In hiring, I care less about procurement experience. You can learn procurement, but you can’t easily learn curiosity. I once hired someone with no software negotiation experience despite pushback. Six months later, the person who opposed the hire tried to recruit him to their team.

Natasha | For the first 15 years of my career, I didn’t think about technology. But as I advanced, I focused more on how technology supports the entire procurement process. Now, procurement technology connects with the company’s entire infrastructure.

Conrad | That relates to EQ – understanding the company’s experience and business impact. Your problems shift as you advance, but underlying skills drive success.

Zach | I started strong in analytics but realized I needed to develop teamwork and EQ. That came through experience, mentoring, and training.

Conrad |  Being radically open to feedback is crucial. The realization that you’re not perfect opens opportunities for growth.

Natasha | It’s liberating to acknowledge your weaknesses to your team and empower others to take charge where they’re strong.

Zach |  Let’s summarize our key skills: intellectual curiosity, problem-solving, EQ/IQ, teamwork, analytical skills, being radically open to feedback, and passion for data.

Conrad | These skills are universal. Getting good at them doesn’t limit you to procurement – you can go anywhere with these skills if you make them your strengths.

This transcript has been edited for clarity while maintaining all substantive content