A monthly letter from D.A. Abrams on leadership, growth, and building organizations that last.
This Month's Theme: The Case for Broader Supply Chains
Dear Reader,
Happy New Year. I want to start 2027 by addressing a topic that too many organizations still treat as a compliance obligation rather than a strategic opportunity: supplier diversity.
Here is the straightforward business case. Organizations that intentionally broaden their supplier base gain access to innovation from smaller, more agile firms. They build supply chain resilience by reducing concentration risk. They strengthen relationships with customers and communities who increasingly evaluate vendors on their economic impact, not just their price.
None of this requires a moral argument. It is arithmetic. And the organizations that figure it out first gain advantages that compound over time.
Three Common Mistakes
When I advise organizations on supplier diversity strategy, I see three mistakes repeatedly:
- Treating it as procurement's job alone. Supplier diversity is a business strategy. It needs executive sponsorship and cross-functional engagement, not a line item buried in a purchasing policy.
- Setting goals without building pipelines. Announcing a supplier diversity target without investing in outreach, mentorship, and relationship development is a recipe for failure and cynicism.
- Measuring spend without measuring impact. Dollars directed to diverse suppliers are one metric. Innovation sourced, supply chain risk reduced, and community economic impact are the metrics that reveal real strategic value.
Getting Started
If your organization does not yet have a formal supplier diversity program, start small. Identify three procurement categories where you can introduce a diverse supplier into the consideration set. Not to meet a quota—to genuinely evaluate whether a different vendor might bring better value, more innovation, or stronger alignment with your organizational priorities. The results will speak for themselves.
From the Blog
This month's featured posts explore supply chain strategy, personal foundations, and leadership engagement:
- Supplier Diversity: The Business Case Beyond Compliance — A comprehensive framework for building a supplier diversity program that delivers measurable business results.
- The Six Pillars of a Strong Personal Foundation — The personal infrastructure that supports everything else you build professionally.
- Engagement: The Metric Every Leader Should Obsess Over — Employee engagement is not an HR initiative. It is a leadership responsibility with direct bottom-line impact.
A Question Worth Sitting With
"What assumptions am I making about who can deliver value to my organization, and when was the last time I tested them?"
This question applies to suppliers, candidates, partners, and ideas. The assumptions we never examine are the ones most likely to limit us.
What I'm Reading
This month I have been deep in The D&I Big Six, particularly the chapters on organizational infrastructure and systemic inclusion. If your organization is building or refining its approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion, this book provides a practical, business-centered framework. Browse the full collection on Amazon.
Coming Up
In February, we will explore under-promising and over-delivering as a career strategy—why the professionals who consistently exceed expectations build reputations that open doors. We will also share new frameworks for values-aligned goal setting.
Starting the new year with a development plan? Our online courses cover leadership, diversity strategy, career development, and more. For enterprise teams, our corporate training programs are designed to produce lasting behavioral change.
To a strong start to the year,
D.A. Abrams