"I had to learn the hard way that people's feelings really matter."

That was Zachary Bachir’s candid admission about his journey from a logical "robot" to an EQ expert. It serves as the foundation for today’s deep dive into Brain Science and the "Fluff" that actually drives multi-million dollar business results.

In this week's Proc & Roll, hosts Conrad Smith, Natasha Gurevich, and Zachary Bachir strip away the spreadsheets to explore the single most important engine in procurement: Stakeholder Management.

We debate why being a "gatekeeper" is a death trap for your influence, how to overcome imposter syndrome when dealing with the C-Suite, and why a relationship with zero friction—a "Love Fest"—might actually mean you’re failing at your job.

In this episode, we cover:

• The 90-Day Listening Tour: The one diagnostic question Natasha uses to uncover organizational pain without getting defensive.

• The "Fluff" Myth: Why brilliant tech and supply chain architects fail the moment they ignore the human side of the business.

• The Ego Audit: A masterclass in taking "brutal" feedback and turning a critic into a coach.

• The "Hobby Buyer" Pivot: How to address shadow procurement by carrying the "torch of empowerment" across the whole enterprise.

About Proc & Roll

Proc & Roll is your guide to practical procurement, hosted by industry heavyweights Zachary Bachir, Conrad Smith (CEO, Graphite), and Natasha Gurevich (CEO, Candor Procurement). From brain science to visual mapping, we deliver actionable insights to help you win hearts, minds, and budgets.

That was the response Natasha Gurevich’s CPO gave to a stakeholder who said, "Don't worry, we got it." It is the ultimate definition of fiduciary duty, and the perfect example of the Enterprise Mindset we discuss in today’s episode.In this week's Proc & Roll, hosts Conrad Smith, Natasha Gurevich, and Zachary Bachir revisit a key prediction for 2026: The shift from "functional" procurement to "enterprise" leadership.We debate whether you should hire "hobby buyers" via rotation programs or stick to dedicated pros, why staying in procurement too long can turn you into a "compliance bot", and how to stop stakeholders from bypassing you by delivering value before the contract is written.Plus, we explore the "Power of And"—why you don't have to choose between savings and value and issue a 1-Week AI Challenge to wake up your team's strategic brain.

In this episode, we cover:

• The Enterprise Shift: Why "keeping score" isn't enough—you have to get in the game.
• The Compliance Bot Trap: Why Zach argues you need to rotate out of procurement to truly understand the business.
• The "End Up" Bar: Natasha’s hilarious analogy for how some procurement teams are staffed with people who just "end up" there.
• The 1-Week AI Challenge: A practical exercise to force your team to think like a C-Suite executive.
• The Elephant Mindset: How to break the mental chains that keep you focused on tactical tasks.

About Proc & Roll

Proc & Roll is your guide to practical procurement, hosted by industry heavyweights Zachary Bachir, Conrad Smith (CEO, Graphite), and Natasha Gurevich (CEO, Candor Procurement). From fighting inflation to navigating AI, we deliver actionable insights to help you turn procurement into a strategic powerhouse.

Why Your SRM Program is Useless Theater?

Why has Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) progressed so little in the last 20 years? And what can procurement leaders learn from the messy "divorce" between Amazon and UPS?

In this episode of Proc & Roll, hosts Conrad Smith, Natasha Gurevich, and Zachary Bachir tackle the stagnation of supplier management. They debate why most QBRs are just "useless theater," why indirect procurement struggles to build real partnerships compared to direct procurement, and how to stop trying to manage 20,000 suppliers and start focusing on the few that matter.

Plus, we break down the strategic shift in the Amazon vs. UPS partnership, and why knowing when to end a relationship is just as important as starting one.

In this episode, we cover:

• Amazon & UPS Split: Why Amazon is UPS’s largest customer but least profitable, and what it teaches us about ending partnerships.

• The "Useless Theater" of SRM: Why running QBRs without business buy-in is a waste of time.

• Direct vs. Indirect: Why manufacturing teams are often decades ahead of indirect procurement in managing relationships.

• The "Data God" Strategy: Natasha reveals why you don't need to be a data expert to lead SRM; you just need a "Data God" on your team.

• Practical Advice: Stop overcomplicating segmentation. Start with one supplier, one stakeholder, and one spreadsheet.