Fortnightly insights for leaders who shape how organisations buy, build, and negotiate — by Wes Jones, Principal, Triple‑A Strategy
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Fortnightly insights for leaders who shape how organisations buy, build, and negotiate — by Wes Jones, Principal, Triple‑A Strategy
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Every edition explores one idea that matters to procurement and commercial leaders — a sharper lens, a practical framework, or a provocation to think differently. Published fortnightly. All past editions are available in full below.
← Back to Triple‑A StrategyMost procurement leaders don’t struggle because their ideas are weak. They struggle because their ideas don’t land. Executive presence isn’t about charisma or confidence — it’s about how leaders experience you. Three forces drive the gap between how procurement sees itself and how the C-suite experiences it.
Most procurement leaders don’t struggle because their ideas are weak.
They struggle because their ideas don’t land.
Executive presence isn’t about charisma, confidence, or speaking in soundbites. It’s about how leaders experience you:
The gap between how procurement sees itself and how the C-suite experiences procurement is often wide — and widening. Three forces drive that gap.
Procurement leaders often come to the table with data, process, risk, governance, and category detail. Executives come to the table with strategy, trade-offs, timing, capital, and outcomes.
When procurement leads with detail, executives tune out. Not because the detail is wrong — but because it’s not the level of the conversation. Great leaders translate complexity into decision-ready clarity.
Procurement often defines value as savings, compliance, and process efficiency. Executives define value as growth, resilience, speed, and competitive advantage.
When procurement speaks in one value language and the C-suite listens in another, influence collapses. Executive presence is the ability to speak in the value system of the room you’re in — not the function you lead.
Most procurement leaders present information. Exceptional leaders present narrative. Narrative is framing:
Executives don’t remember data. They remember frames.
Clarity → Elevation → Framing → Influence
Clarity: Strip complexity to its strategic essence
Elevation: Move the conversation from detail to direction
Framing: Shape how decisions are understood
Influence: Earn trust, credibility, and early involvement
Before your next senior meeting, ask: “Am I bringing information — or am I bringing a decision?”
Executives don’t need more information. They need leaders who help them decide.
Coming next: Edition #6 — The Real Cost of Poor Supplier Management (And How High-Performing Teams Fix It).
Most procurement transformations fail not because the strategy is wrong, but because the operating model can’t deliver it. There are four dominant models — centralised, decentralised, hybrid, and federated — and most organisations choose theirs by accident.
Welcome to Edition #4 of The CPO Briefing - and thank you for reading.
The CPO Briefing is a publication for leaders who shape how organisations buy, build, and negotiate. Each edition focuses on one idea that matters: a sharper lens, a practical insight, or a framework you can apply immediately in your role.
Edition #3 explored the new commercial intelligence - what great leaders see that others miss.
Edition #4 shifts from capability to structure: the operating model that determines how procurement actually works day to day, and why so many organisations get this choice wrong.
Let’s break it open.
Why Operating Models Matter More Than Most Leaders Realise
Most procurement transformations fail not because the strategy is wrong, but because the operating model can’t deliver it.
The operating model determines:
where accountability sits
how influence moves
how value is created
how fast the organisation can adapt
Yet most companies choose their operating model by accident - legacy, politics, or convenience - not by design.
There are four dominant models.
Only one fits the needs of a modern, commercially intelligent organisation.
Strength: Control
Weakness: Speed
This model concentrates decision-making, capability, and governance in one place.
It works when:
categories are global
risk is high
the organisation is immature
But it breaks when:
stakeholders require autonomy
markets move quickly
Centralised models often deliver compliance, not commercial advantage.
Strength: Speed
Weakness: Fragmentation
This model pushes ownership into the business units.
It works when:
speed matters more than scale
the business is highly autonomous
But it breaks when:
risk needs coordinated management
commercial capability varies wildly
Decentralised models often deliver speed, but at the cost of leverage and consistency.
Strength: Balance
Weakness: Ambiguity
This is the most common model - and the most misunderstood.
It works when:
governance is simple
decision rights are explicit
But it breaks when:
nobody knows who owns what
central and local teams duplicate effort
Hybrid models succeed only when the boundaries are sharp.
Strength: Influence
Weakness: Complexity
This is the model modern CPOs increasingly choose.
It works when:
commercial capability is distributed
central teams set direction, standards, and intelligence
local teams execute with autonomy
Federated models create:
faster decisions
better alignment
higher commercial maturity
But they require:
clear capability expectations
a shared commercial language
trust between central and local teams
When done well, this is the model that unlocks true commercial performance.
The Modern Procurement Operating Model
Direction → Intelligence → Enablement → Execution
Direction: Strategy, governance, and commercial standards
Intelligence: Market insight, risk sensing, and performance visibility
Enablement: Tools, playbooks, capability building
Execution: Category leadership, supplier management, negotiation
This is the architecture behind high-performing federated models.
Choose one category, supplier, or decision flow and ask:
“Is our operating model helping or hindering this?”
If the model is slowing decisions, diluting influence, or creating friction - it’s the wrong model.
Coming next:
Edition #5 — The Executive Presence Gap: Why Many Procurement Leaders Struggle to Influence the C-Suite.
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If there’s a topic you’d like me to explore in a future edition, just reply - I read every message.
Commercial intelligence used to mean “knowing the market” or “understanding cost drivers”. That’s table stakes now. The leaders who consistently outperform operate with a different level of perception — they see patterns earlier, interpret ambiguity faster, and connect dots others don’t even notice.
Welcome to Edition #3 of The CPO Briefing - and thank you for reading.
The CPO Briefing is a publication for leaders who shape how organisations buy, build, and negotiate. Each edition focuses on one idea that matters: a sharper lens, a practical insight, or a framework you can apply immediately in your role.
Edition #2 explored why most procurement teams plateau at Developing (Level 2).
Edition #3 builds on that foundation by examining the capability that separates good commercial leaders from exceptional ones: the new commercial intelligence - the ability to see what others overlook, interpret signals earlier, and shape outcomes before the negotiation even begins.
Let’s get into it.
The New Commercial Intelligence
Commercial intelligence used to mean “knowing the market” or “understanding cost drivers”. That’s table stakes now.
The leaders who consistently outperform operate with a different level of perception. They see patterns earlier, interpret ambiguity faster, and connect dots others don’t even notice.
Three shifts define the new commercial intelligence.
Most teams drown in data but starve for insight.
Great leaders don’t chase more information — they extract meaning from the information they already have.
They ask:
What’s the signal, not the noise
What’s the implication for leverage, timing, or risk
Commercial intelligence is not about volume.
It’s about interpretation.
Knowing the market is useful.
Positioning yourself advantageously within the market is transformative.
Great leaders understand:
how motivations shift
which constraints are real vs perceived
how to create optionality where none appears to exist
They don’t just read the market.
They shape their place in it.
The most effective commercial leaders don’t win because they negotiate better.
They win because they frame the problem better.
Narrative is now a source of leverage:
how suppliers perceive risk
how stakeholders understand trade-offs
how options are presented and sequenced
When you control the narrative, you influence the outcome long before the negotiation starts.
The New Commercial Intelligence Model
Meaning → Positioning → Narrative → Advantage
Meaning: Extract insight from complexity
Positioning: Create leverage before the negotiation
Narrative: Shape how value and risk are understood
Advantage: Win through clarity, not confrontation
This is the operating system of modern commercial leadership.
Choose one negotiation, supplier meeting, or internal decision this week and ask:
“Am I interpreting the situation - or just reacting to it?”
That single shift moves you from participant to strategist.
Coming next:
Edition #4 - The Four Procurement Operating Models (and Why Most Organisations Choose the Wrong One).
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And if you know someone who would benefit, feel free to share it.
Let’s build a community of leaders who raise the bar for procurement - together.
If there’s a topic you’d like me to explore in a future edition, just reply - I read every message.
Most procurement teams don’t fail. They stall. And almost always at the same place: Developing (Level 2) maturity — where processes are defined, tools are implemented, and activity is high … but strategic impact is limited. The root cause is rarely capability. It’s almost always misdiagnosis.
Most procurement teams don’t fail. They stall.
And almost always at the same place: Developing (Level 2) maturity - where processes are defined, tools are implemented, and activity is high… but strategic impact is limited.
It’s a pattern I see in global enterprises, mid-market manufacturers, and fast-growth scale-ups.
The root cause is rarely capability. It’s almost always misdiagnosis.
Organisations mistake process maturity for functional maturity.
And that misunderstanding keeps teams stuck.
Let’s break it down.
The simple model looks like this:
Emerging (Level 1) → Developing (Level 2) → Established (Level 3) → Leading (Level 4)
The jump from Emerging (Level 1) to Developing (Level 2) is fast and visible:
sourcing processes
governance
systems
reporting
It feels like progress — and it is. But Developing (Level 2) creates a false sense of security:
compliance looks like control
dashboards look like insight
throughput looks like value
Teams get busy.
Leaders get comfortable.
The organisation assumes procurement is “mature”.
This is the plateau.
Established (Level 3) is where procurement becomes commercially intelligent - where the function shapes outcomes, not just manages processes.
But reaching Established requires capabilities that processes alone cannot create:
Strategic clarity - understanding how the business creates value
Commercial intelligence - reading markets, cost drivers, and leverage
Influence - moving decisions without owning the org chart
These are judgement-based capabilities. Which require experience, context, and confidence - not templates.
The truth is: You can’t process-engineer your way to Established (Level 3).
Many organisations assume digital transformation will lift maturity. It won’t.
Digital accelerates what you already are.
AI amplifies your existing clarity - or your existing confusion.
If you’re stuck at Developing (Level 2):
dashboards give you more visibility into the wrong metrics
AI optimises decisions you shouldn’t be making in the first place
tools free up time that never gets reinvested in capability
Technology doesn’t fix maturity gaps. It exposes them.
The teams that break through the Developing (Level 2) plateau make one decisive shift:
They stop relying on process maturity and start building commercial maturity.
That means:
understanding value, not just enforcing policy
influencing decisions early, not negotiating late
building options, not dependencies
partnering with the business, not policing it
This is the shift that moves a function from Developing (Level 2) to Established (Level 3) - where procurement becomes commercially intelligent and materially shapes business outcomes.
From there, the path toward Leading (Level 4) is about integration: procurement embedded in how the enterprise creates, protects, and grows value.
If you want to understand where your team sits on the maturity curve, the Procurement Maturity Diagnostic is a fast way to get clarity.
Choose one major initiative and ask:
“Are we operating at Developing (Level 2) or Established (Level 3)?”
The answer will tell you where the real work is.
Coming next:
Edition #3 — The New Commercial Intelligence: What Great Leaders See That Others Miss.
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Let’s raise the bar for procurement leadership.
Also, if there’s a topic you’d like me to explore in a future edition, just reply - I read every message.
The CPOs who consistently deliver outsized impact all master the same three capabilities. Not tools. Not processes. Capabilities. Strategic clarity, commercial intelligence, and leadership through influence — and why mastering all three transforms a procurement leader into a value engine.
The expectations placed on today’s CPOs have outgrown the job description most of us inherited. The leaders who thrive now operate with a different level of clarity - and they’re shaping the next decade of commercial performance.
Across industries, one pattern is unmistakable:
The CPOs who consistently deliver outsized impact all master the same three capabilities.
Not tools or processes.
Capabilities.
Let’s get into them.
The modern CPO isn’t a functional operator - they offer a strategic lens for the entire organisation.
Strategic clarity means you can:
read the business model like a CFO (financial acumen is no longer optional
understand where value is created - and destroyed
see risk and opportunity before they hit the dashboard
simplify complexity so others can act
This is the capability that moves a CPO from “procurement leader” to “executive thought partner”.
Without it, everything else becomes reactive.
Commercial intelligence is the difference between running a process and shaping an outcome.
It’s the ability to:
read supplier motivations with precision
negotiate from insight, not templates
build options instead of dependencies
spot leverage where others see constraints
This is where modern procurement leaders separate themselves.
They don’t just manage spend - they create advantage.
This is the capability that determines whether a CPO can actually shift an organisation.
Influence means you can:
bring alignment where incentives clash
create clarity in ambiguity
elevate teams to think commercially, not procedurally
build trust with executives, suppliers, and partners
Processes don’t transform organisations.
People do.
And people follow leaders who bring clarity, conviction, and calm.
The Modern CPO Impact Model
Clarity → Insight → Influence → Impact
Clarity: See the whole board
Insight: Understand what truly drives value
Influence: Move people and decisions
Impact: Shape outcomes that matter
Choose one decision, meeting, or negotiation this week and ask:
“Am I approaching this with clarity, insight, and influence - or just process?”
That single question will shift how you show up.
The CPO Who Masters All Three
When a CPO combines:
strategic clarity
commercial intelligence
leadership through influence
…they stop being seen as a functional leader and start being treated as a strategic one.
They become one of the people the CEO calls when the stakes are high.
They become someone who shapes decisions, not just executes them.
They become the leader who turns procurement into a value engine.
This is the direction the profession is moving - and the leaders who embrace it early will define the next decade of commercial performance.
Coming next:
Edition #2 — The Procurement Maturity Gap: Why Most Teams Plateau at Developing (Level 2).
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If you’d like future editions delivered directly to your LinkedIn feed and inbox, subscribe below.
And if you know someone who would benefit, feel free to share it.
Let’s build a community of leaders who raise the bar for procurement - together.
If there’s a topic you’d like me to explore in a future edition, just reply - I read every message.
Today marks the launch of The CPO Briefing — a concise, insight-driven publication for people who shape how organisations buy, build, and negotiate. One idea every two weeks: focused, useful, and designed to elevate your commercial leadership.
Today marks the launch of The CPO Briefing, a new publication designed to bring sharper thinking, clearer frameworks, and practical commercial insight to procurement and commercial leaders.
Across commercial and procurement roles, I’ve seen a consistent challenge: leaders are expected to deliver more strategic value than ever, yet the insights available rarely match the complexity of the decisions they face.
The CPO Briefing exists to close that gap.
What The CPO Briefing Is
A concise, insight-driven publication for people who shape how organisations buy, build, and negotiate.
Every edition will offer:
A strategic lens on a real procurement or commercial challenge
A practical idea you can apply immediately
A framework or mental model to sharpen decision-making
A provocation to help you think like a modern CPO
The goal is simple:
One idea every two weeks - focused, useful, and designed to elevate your commercial leadership.
What The CPO Briefing Is Not
To be clear, this newsletter is not:
A trend roundup
A generic leadership newsletter
Another piece of inbox clutter
It’s designed to deliver clarity, not noise.
Who It’s For
This briefing is written for:
Commercial, operations, and supply chain executives
CEOs and COOs who want procurement to be a strategic engine
Rising leaders accelerating toward senior roles
NEDs seeking sharper commercial oversight
If you influence how your organisation spends, negotiates, or partners — this is for you.
Why Launch This Now?
Procurement and commercial leadership are in a moment of transition.
Expectations are rising.
Budgets are tightening.
Risk is multiplying.
And the leaders who thrive will be those who combine commercial intelligence with strategic clarity.
The CPO Briefing is built to support that shift — and to contribute to the evolution of the profession at a time when it matters most.
A Note of Appreciation
This newsletter is also my opportunity to acknowledge — and pay forward — the leadership, support, and generosity I’ve benefitted from throughout my own journey. The CPO Briefing is one way of contributing back to the community that shaped me.
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This is the launch edition — providing an outline.
Edition #1 — The Three Capabilities Every Modern CPO Must Master — will be re-published today. Subsequent editions will follow every fortnight onwards, starting Tuesday 31 March.
If you’d like future editions delivered directly to your LinkedIn feed and inbox, subscribe below.
And if you know someone who would benefit, feel free to share it.
Let’s build a community of leaders who raise the bar for procurement — together.
A Light Invitation
Also, if there’s a topic you’d like me to explore in a future edition, just reply — I read every message.