By Jon W. Hansen | Procurement Insights | November 2025
I woke up this morning and read words that stopped me cold — words that explain why I do what I do:
“In my heart it is clear to me why I go to the line time and again. I can assure you it’s not a medal hanging around my neck I’m after. Medals are things I send to my mom in Winnipeg, which she in turn shares with friends and family. They are not what provide the deep sense of accomplishment, which fills my sense of self, in turn teaching me how to live.”
— Clara Hughes, Six-Time Olympic Medalist
And I realized: this is the question the procurement profession must answer in the AI era.
The Medal vs. The Line
There’s a difference between chasing recognition and doing the work that earns it.
Too many transformation initiatives are designed for the medal:
- The press release
- The vendor logo on the slide deck
- The “digital transformation complete” announcement
- The conference keynote about “our AI journey”
But going to the line? That’s different.
Going to the line means:
- Measuring readiness before you deploy — even when leadership doesn’t want to hear the score
- Telling a client “you’re not ready” when the truth costs you the engagement
- Refining methodology across 27 years and 180+ cases because getting it right matters more than being right
- Sending signal into space for decades, waiting for an echo that might never come
The medal is what you show others. The line is where you find out who you are.
Why This Matters Now
The AI era is exposing a fundamental question: Why are you doing this?
If you’re implementing agentic AI for the medal — the board presentation, the innovation award, the “first mover” status — you’ll cut corners on readiness. You’ll skip Phase 0. You’ll deploy before you’re prepared.
And you’ll join the 80% failure rate.
But if you’re going to the line — if you’re doing this because the deep sense of accomplishment that comes from doing it right is what fills your sense of self — then you’ll do the hard work first:
- Assess organizational readiness
- Measure leadership alignment
- Address the governance gaps
- Build the foundation before the structure
Not because someone’s watching. Because that’s who you are.
The Question for Practitioners
The AI era will sort procurement professionals into two categories:
Those chasing medals:
- Announce transformation before measuring readiness
- Deploy AI because competitors are deploying AI
- Measure success by technology adoption, not outcomes
- Blame practitioners when initiatives fail
Those going to the line:
- Measure readiness before deployment
- Deploy AI because the organization is prepared to absorb it
- Measure success by sustainable outcomes
- Hold leadership accountable for creating conditions for success
The technology doesn’t determine which category you’re in.
Your relationship with the work does.
The Deep Sense of Accomplishment
I’ve been in this profession for over 40 years. I’ve watched seven technology eras come and go. I’ve documented the same 80% failure rate across all of them.
And I can assure you — it’s not recognition I’m after.
What keeps me going to the line is the same thing that quote describes: the deep sense of accomplishment that comes from doing the work right. From building methodology that actually predicts outcomes. From telling the truth when the truth is uncomfortable. From refusing to shortcut readiness because shortcuts produce failure.
That’s what teaches you how to live.
The Invitation
The AI era is here. Agentic systems are coming. The transformation pressure is intensifying.
You can chase the medal. Or you can go to the line.
One produces announcements. The other produces outcomes.
One fills your LinkedIn feed. The other fills your sense of self.
Which procurement professional are you prepared to be?
This reflection is part of an ongoing series on organizational readiness and transformation success at procureinsights.com.
#Procurement #AI #AgenticAI #OrganizationalReadiness #TransformationPhysics #Leadership #GoToTheLine #HansenFitScore #ReadinessFirst
Procurement Insights
Is Procurement Finally Prepared to “Go To The Line” in the AI Era?
Posted on November 30, 2025
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By Jon W. Hansen | Procurement Insights | November 2025
I woke up this morning and read words that stopped me cold — words that explain why I do what I do:
And I realized: this is the question the procurement profession must answer in the AI era.
The Medal vs. The Line
There’s a difference between chasing recognition and doing the work that earns it.
Too many transformation initiatives are designed for the medal:
But going to the line? That’s different.
Going to the line means:
The medal is what you show others. The line is where you find out who you are.
Why This Matters Now
The AI era is exposing a fundamental question: Why are you doing this?
If you’re implementing agentic AI for the medal — the board presentation, the innovation award, the “first mover” status — you’ll cut corners on readiness. You’ll skip Phase 0. You’ll deploy before you’re prepared.
And you’ll join the 80% failure rate.
But if you’re going to the line — if you’re doing this because the deep sense of accomplishment that comes from doing it right is what fills your sense of self — then you’ll do the hard work first:
Not because someone’s watching. Because that’s who you are.
The Question for Practitioners
The AI era will sort procurement professionals into two categories:
Those chasing medals:
Those going to the line:
The technology doesn’t determine which category you’re in.
Your relationship with the work does.
The Deep Sense of Accomplishment
I’ve been in this profession for over 40 years. I’ve watched seven technology eras come and go. I’ve documented the same 80% failure rate across all of them.
And I can assure you — it’s not recognition I’m after.
What keeps me going to the line is the same thing that quote describes: the deep sense of accomplishment that comes from doing the work right. From building methodology that actually predicts outcomes. From telling the truth when the truth is uncomfortable. From refusing to shortcut readiness because shortcuts produce failure.
That’s what teaches you how to live.
The Invitation
The AI era is here. Agentic systems are coming. The transformation pressure is intensifying.
You can chase the medal. Or you can go to the line.
One produces announcements. The other produces outcomes.
One fills your LinkedIn feed. The other fills your sense of self.
Which procurement professional are you prepared to be?
This reflection is part of an ongoing series on organizational readiness and transformation success at procureinsights.com.
#Procurement #AI #AgenticAI #OrganizationalReadiness #TransformationPhysics #Leadership #GoToTheLine #HansenFitScore #ReadinessFirst
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