Power Your Impact

Today we are going to talk about how to transform a failed experience into a valuable growth experience. Find the show notes on my website at PowerYourImpact.com/8.

Have you ever worked really hard to achieve a certain outcome or goal, but despite your hard work you did not succeed?

Perhaps you did not achieve your desired outcome because of something in your control, like a choice you made when faced with options. Or perhaps the driving force for not achieving your goals was something outside of your control.

Regardless, failure does not feel good. You may feel demoralized, anxious, angry, and possibly even isolated. You may even begin to question your self-worth.

Reality though is failure is not a sign of weakness, but an opportunity to improve our understanding and to grow.

Failure can provide key learnings and insights that move us one step closer to our goals.

So how can you shift your mindset and transform failure into success? The key is to respond with curiosity.

It was a failed experience that led me to launch my business, Power Your Impact. 

After 2 ½ years in a Corporate role, I accepted a project-based role with my company primarily because it would lead to the CPO role in a 12-18 month period. Six months in I had received accolades for the work the team was delivering.

And then everything changed……the Company hired a new senior leader from the outside to spear-head the Field Service organization and Supply Chain. 

As is quite common, the new leader wanted to bring in his own CPO, someone he had worked with in the past. I didn’t like it, but I couldn’t really blame him. 

I left the company feeling like a failure, despite it being outside of my control. I was angry and disheartened. 

I was getting ready to put my resume out to my network when my daughter asked me a key question that caused me to pause and reflect. 

She asked me if what I was passionate about my work in Procurement & Supply Chain. 

I had never really thought about my passion. After all, I was from the generation that focused on financial security.

I spent some time thinking about this and realized two things:

1. I loved being in Procurement & Supply Chain because of the impact one could have on the bottom line.
2. I never felt like I had enough time to dedicate to helping other professionals in the function navigate their careers.

And so I embarked on a mission to launch a business to help high performing women in Procurement & Supply Chain elevate their leadership impact.

My daughter’s question had prompted me to do some soul searching that I would likely not have done on my own. I had failed by not getting the CPO position and was soley focused on securing my next role.

It’s how you choose to react to failure, not the failure itself, that will determine how your journey develops.

If you shift your mindset and respond to failure with a sense of curiosity instead of avoidance, you have the power to transform failure into success.

This episode is the sixth and final in the Series on Navigating the Male Dominated Fields of Procurement & Supply Chain. If you missed any of the prior episodes you can access them on my website at PowerYourImpact.com.

Today we are going to talk about the labels that are placed on women and how you can mitigate this type of bias in the workplace. Find the show notes on my website at Poweryourimpact.com/7.

Female leaders are often caught in a double-bind. There is a mismatch between what is expected of a leader, and what is expected of a woman.

Social expectations call for women to be caring, warm, emotional and sensitive beings.

While men are expected to be assertive, rational, competent, and objective.

However, being assertive, competitive, and decisive are essential to being successful in the workplace.

Women who choose to deviate from the social script on how a woman “should” behave often find themselves the subject of gender labels.

A woman who displays assertiveness or ambition may be perceived as aggressive or bitchy, whereas a man may be perceived as a leader.

And when someone does not conform to these prescribed roles and behaviors they can be penalized.

Reality is that women are judged differently than men. This makes assertive communication a bit tricky for women.

So how can you effectively demonstrate that you have the leadership qualities that management is looking for?

You need to demonstrate your competence and your confidence without intimidation or forcefulness. You need to state your opinion clearly and passionately without losing the impact.

Your body language, your attitude, and your behavior can all play a role in whether you come across as aggressive or assertive.

It takes conscious effort to be seen as assertive, but if you understand how you come across to your audience, you have the power to make your presence known in an effective way.

Here are 5 techniques that I have seen high-performing women use effectively:

1.Use impactful words when communicating your viewpoint.

Replace “I believe or I feel” with “I am confident or I am convinced”

2.Understand the difference between emotional communication and passionate communication.

Passion is purposeful and intentional, whereas emotion is a reaction to a stimulus.

3.Be aware of your gaze.

Make direct eye contact without staring someone down or looking away.

4.Get to the point.

Clearly state your objective and conclusion. Avoid sharing too many details about the effort to achieve the results.

5.Communicate your achievements.

Advocate for yourself and your team, but fall short of bragging.


You have the power to change the label and be viewed as a leader. You are just as capable of driving results as your male peers.

This episode is the fifth in the Series on Navigating the Male Dominated Fields of Procurement & Supply Chain.

In the prior episodes we talked about:
1.the different ways unconscious biases can show up in the workplace
2.the “double-whammy” that women in the functions encounter
3.how you can be your authentic self and still get the job done
4.why women fear failure more than men

If you missed any of the prior episodes you can access them on my website at PowerYourImpact.com.

Today we are going to talk about why women don’t share their unconscious bias experiences with their women peers. Find the show notes on my website at PowerYourImpact.com/6.

In Episode 1, I shared the research work that I conducted in order to understand the common goals and challenges that women in the Function face. Once I had identified the common themes I rounded back with each of the interviewees and shared the results.

There was a sense of relief from many of the women when they learned that 100% of the interviewees identified unconscious bias as a challenge.

Many of the women were relieved to learn that they were not the only ones who had these experiences.

It was clear to me that these women had not shared their experiences with other peer women before.

And then it dawned on me, even I had never shared my experiences with my women peers.

But why? Why don’t women share their unconscious bias encounters with other women in the Function?

When I asked this question I learned that these women didn’t want to be perceived as complainers. They described their experience as “minor” incidents.

What defines a major versus a minor experience?

If the experience made you uncomfortable shouldn’t that be the trigger that deems it unacceptable?

I recall a personal experience where a male manager notified me that I was not going to be assigned a project that I had requested because a male peer had more technical experience.

I couldn’t disagree with this as it was a fact. Before I could respond however, the manager the said that I should deal with any emotions I have about this news before we discuss it further.

I couldn’t believe what I had just heard and promptly left his office.

I played that statement over in my mind for days. Would he have said that to a male?

I never shared this experience with anyone. Instead I replayed it for days.

I invite you to reflect on your own experiences with unconscious bias and ask yourself what feelings the encounter conjured up in you.

Might you have benefited from sharing your experiences with your women peers?

It’s time to reverse the stereotype that women don’t support other women. 

Traditionally we have been taught to be competitive with one another because there are so few jobs at the top.

The truth is that by engaging with your women peers, by channeling the power of collaboration, you can change the equation.

If you begin to build connections with other women and share experiences imagine the impact you can have collectively. 

There is power in relationships.

This episode is the fourth in the Series on Navigating the Male Dominated Fields of Procurement & Supply Chain.

In the prior episodes we talked about:
1.the different ways unconscious biases can show up in the workplace
2.the “double-whammy” that women in the functions encounter
3.how you can remain true to themselves and still get the job done.

Today we are going to talk about why women fear failure more than men. Find the show notes on my website at PowerYourImpact.com/5.

In Episode 1, I shared the results of my interview with Executive women from Procurement & Supply Chain. One comment that I heard repeatedly was

                         “women don’t raise their hand for the challenging assignments”

To clarify, you probably do raise your hand to volunteer, and you likely accept an assignment when asked by your manager. But, are these opportunities promotable?

As a woman, you want to be helpful and nurturing, but if your assignments are disproportionately balanced with non-promotable ones it could be slowing your advancement.

There is a difference between opportunities that benefit the organization versus those that have high visibility and high impact.

I learned early on in my career that raising your hand for the challenging assignment, even if you didn’t check all the boxes, was key.

The company was experiencing repeated quality issues with a critical ingredient and it was starting to have a costly impact to the bottom line.

I had no experience in the specific Industry and had heard stories about how the supplier base was not “partnership” like. I would be completely out of my comfort zone, but the assignment would be highly visible and impactful.

That’s when I remembered some advice I once received: “The day you start to feel comfortable is the day you need to try something new”.

I raised my hand to lead the task force to identify and address the root cause of the quality issues.

It was a rocky start. I recall going home many evenings wondering if I had made a mistake in taking this on.

I was not going to let the imposter syndrome shake my confidence.

I had resources available to me to help me get up the learning curve and navigate the process. I was not expected to have all of the answers myself.

Ultimately, we identified the root cause of the issue and implemented the necessary changes. The task force was successful. Six months later I was promoted!

You don’t need to check all the boxes before raising your hand. Trust that you have the skills and the know how to get the job done.

I invite you to review your portfolio of tasks and see if it includes promotable assignments.

This episode is the third in the Series on Navigating the Male Dominated Fields of Procurement & Supply Chain.

In the prior episodes we talked about the different ways unconscious biases can show up in the workplace, and the “double-whammy” that women in the functions encounter.

Today we are going to talk about how you can be an effective negotiator while still being your true self.

There are countless studies that have shown that workplace gender stereotypes do exist:

Women are perceived as weak, emotional, and accommodating

Men are perceived as strong, rational, and assertive

Gender stereotypes can impact the approach and outcome of a negotiation when a woman is negotiating across the table from a man.

As a woman you may have been told that you are not viewed as a tough negotiator, particularly if your style is more soft or low key.

This may have caused you to question if you should alter your style. You want to be taken seriously. You don’t want to be considered as someone who is too easy on her suppliers.

You start to ask yourself:

                  Do they think I am less competent?
                 Do they question if I am less knowledgeable?
                Am I supposed to be someone I’m not?


I recently interviewed an Executive woman from a Fortune 100 company who shared her struggles with this challenge. Her true style was to be more soft-spoken, gentler.

She shared that over the years she had been told that she needed to project a more “hard-core” image if she wanted to be taken seriously.

She tried for a period of time to change her style, to be more aggressive.

It just didn’t feel right. She realized she was not being her authentic self, and that was important to her.

She realized that there is more than one way to be successful at making deals. She quickly reverted back to being her true self.

She had the confidence to recognize that being her authentic self was in fact an effective strategy for her.

She opted instead to play to her strengths:

• She knew how to develop a strategy
• She had developed solid relationships over the years
• She was a good listener
• She was confident in her delivery

She was able to get the job done in a manner that felt right to her.

The key is to remember that there is more than one way to be successful at making deals.

Perhaps your strategy is to listen more so as to understand your audience. Afterall, listening can create a position of strength.

Perhaps the way you show your confidence is different from that of a male peer.

Perhaps your strategy is to build a long-term relationship.

I invite you to check-in with yourself and confirm: “Are you being your authentic self in the workplace”?

This episode is the second in the Series on Navigating the Male Dominated Fields of Procurement & Supply Chain.

In episode 1 of this series we talked about the different ways unconscious biases can show up in the workplace. 

Today we are going to talk about how you can overcome unconscious bias actions and not let it shake your confidence.

As women, we encounter unconscious bias both inside and outside the workplace.

Such actions may stir up many different emotions in you, such as:

•Frustration
•Anger
•Insecurity

How you handle unconscious bias acts in the moment is critical to the perception you leave with others.

I recall having been promoted to my first executive role in Global Procurement at PepsiCo. I was the first woman to join the leadership team on the Direct Materials side.

My role as Global Director meant that I was now the decision maker for the Category. The Category was not one that I had experience in. I was the new comer.

I was thrilled to have “broken the glass ceiling” and was looking forward to attending my first Industry event: a conference comprised of both suppliers and customers.

I will always remember walking into the large ballroom for the kick-off dinner with my name badge prominently displayed, a bit nervous as I didn’t know anyone.

                          As anticipated, I was one of only a handful of women in the room.

I entered and immediately joined a group and introduced myself to the gentleman on my right.

He looked a bit surprised and commented that he had assumed Shami was a male.”  I simply smiled as I had encountered that assumption often over the years.

His next comment however stunned me: “we won’t know how to handle a female!”

I could’ve been rattled; I could’ve reacted sharply, but instead I counted to three, smiled and respectfully responded “I hope you are able to figure it out soon”.

I then turned my attention to others standing in the group.

Taking a 3-second pause helped me to formulate a response that projected confidence

•I didn’t ignore the statement
•I didn’t show my discomfort
•I didn’t go to battle

I did, however, send a clear message in a respectful manner.

It was in that moment that I knew I was on my way to establishing my presence in this male dominated Industry. 

It is a natural reaction to let an unconscious bias act impact your confidence. After all, you are human. No one likes to be under-valued.

                                  How you handle it will set you apart

Do you have a tool that can remind you to “pause” before reacting to an unconscious bias encounter?

This episode is the first in the Series on Navigating the Male Dominated Fields of Procurement & Supply Chain.

Today we are going to talk about unconscious biases and how it affects women like you.

Unconscious bias, in the simplest terms, is the hidden beliefs that impact your perception of others.

Unconscious biases:
• can be subtle or obvious
• happens outside of your control
• is automatic and is triggered by your brain making a quick judgement or opinion
• are shaped by your background and your life experiences

Two key takeaways:
1. Your story creates your biases, and
2. Everyone brings their unconscious biases to the workplace

Your biases influence your behaviors and decision-making in the workplace. When I first read this, my first impulse was to challenge it. I did not have any biases!

Then I found a simple, but insightful exercise that demonstrated how everyone carries their own biases. 

The exercise was to identify 4-5 non-family member confidantes in my life. What it quickly revealed to me was that my go-to network was basically a replica of me:
• Professional woman in her 50’s
• Trying to juggle work and family

 My unconscious instinct was to identify with women like me! I had to ask myself: how might this show-up in the workplace?

Women in Procurement & Supply Chain face unconscious biases both inside the organization and outside in their supplier community.

Think about the amount of time and energy women in Procurement spend to overcome the Double-Whammy!

While there are many stories I can share from my own experience in the Function, the one that stands out relates to a challenging negotiation back in 2009-2010.

• We had been working on a long-term agreement with a strategic supplier in the Ingredients Industry
• The team had taken the negotiations as far as they could and as a next step, had engaged me as the head of the Category and the President from the supplier
• Although I had been in and out of the Ingredients Industry for over 10 years, I was new to the role of Vice-President of the Category: The first female leader representing a customer for the male dominated Category!
• The President of the supplier was fairly new to the Industry and he and I had not had a chance to form any sort of foundational relationship. Basically, our introduction was the negotiation.

We started off the phone conversation with the traditional niceties and segued into our understanding of where the negotiations stood. After 15-20 minutes of dialogue, we were able to make some progress, but a gap clearly existed.

While I had hoped that we would work towards finding a compromise, the conversation came to a screeching halt when the supplier declared

“I feel like I am negotiating with my wife”!

You can only imagine what was going through my mind when I heard that! I could’ve reacted; I could’ve shown my frustration. And although it took everything in me not to engage, I calmly stated that the conversation was over and that if he wished to resume talks someone else should reach out to me. 

Needless to say, I never heard from the President directly again, BUT we did conclude the negotiations in PepsiCo’s favor a couple weeks later with the President’s right -hand guy!

Unconscious biases:
• are underlying attitudes and stereotypes that people unconsciously attribute to another person or group of people
• affect how they engage with a person or group
• can be subtle or it can be obvious
• adds up and can have a big impact

I invite you to give some thought to:
• how your own unconscious biases show up in the workplace
• how much of your time and energy is spent navigating of the Double-Whammy

What would you do with the extra-time if you didn’t have to naviga

In today’s episode we are going to talk about the common goals and challenges that women in the Function face. Find the show notes on my website at PowerYourImpact.com/1.

After 20 years in Procurement & Supply Chain I made the decision to launch Power Your Impact, a Leadership Coaching & Strategy Business designed to help women in Supply Management elevate their leadership impact.

I give credit to my 25-year old daughter who one day said to me “I know you love what you do, but are you following your passion”? Following my passion?

I had never thought about my passion!

It was with this prompting that caused me to take a pause and reflect. After much soul-searching, I realized I wanted to dedicate more time to helping other women in the Function.

In order to best understand the common goals and challenges that women in Procurement & Supply Chain face I interviewed a diverse group of Executive women from the Function:

•All levels of Executives
•All major Industries
•5-20+ years in the Function
•20% Women of Color (Black, Asian, Hispanic)

95% of the interviewees were women I did not know as I wanted to get the straight talk.

The results showed 4 common themes:

Challenge #1: Navigating a Male Dominated Field
Challenge #2: Changing the Perception of the Function
Goal #1: Building a Strong Talent Pipeline
Challenge #3: Reclaiming Time for Self

The results may not surprise you, but what may surprise you is the degree of commonality:

100% of the women identified the first 2 themes
Over 75% identified the 3rd theme
Over 50% identified the 4th theme


Here are 6 specific comments that these women shared:

1. “There are no tools to navigate unconscious bias, particularly from the supplier base”.

In many companies there is training and procedures to address internal harassment; should there be similar tools and processes for external harassment?

2. “Women don’t raise their hand for the challenging assignments unless they check all the boxes”.

Do women fear failure more than men?

3. “I didn’t elevate my concerns when facing unconscious bias because I didn’t want to be perceived as a complainer.”

Should any level of unconscious bias be acceptable if it makes you feel uncomfortable?

4. “The Function has a stigma of being a support function and not a strategic enabler”

How can leaders more effectively package the total value proposition that the function contributes?

5. “Supply Management is not a destination Function”

How can leaders build awareness about the impact the Function drives to the bottom line?

6. “Women carry a larger load both at home and in the office”

How can women lighten the mental load and free-up time for self?


If any of these comments resonated for you, know that you are not alone. 

 
 

A career in Procurement & Supply Chain is exciting and challenging! Having a measurable impact on the bottom line keeps you going day in and day out. 

But as a woman in the function, you’ve had to work harder to earn the credibility and get a seat at the table.

This podcast will have a lot of straight talk, practical guidance, and inspiration to help you navigate the undervalued, male dominated fields with confidence and impact.

Episodes will cover topics such as how to:

•Navigate the male dominated field
•Change the perception of the Function
•Build a strong talent pipeline 
•Reclaim time for self

We will also explore what may be holding you back and how to breakthrough.

In some episodes we will hear real life experiences from other women just like you. 

You may just find that you are not alone in the challenges 
you are experiencing.

When women support each other incredible things happen!

In the meantime, start listening to episodes. Go to poweryourimpact.com/1.

Don’t forget to subscribe on your favorite podcast app so you don’t miss anything!

Power Your Impact podcast is hosted by Shami Anand, Leadership Coach & Strategist for Women in Procurement & Supply Chain