Bidding is intense. It’s exhilarating, unpredictable and stressful – sometimes all within minutes. It takes a special type of person to thrive in our profession, and it takes a special environment to make that happen.
For that reason, I’m incredibly proud that BidWrite’s efforts to build a winning culture have been recognised with an Australian Business Association 2024 Employer of Choice award.
Sure, this award acknowledges that we have all the right policies and procedures in place. But for me it goes much deeper. It reflects our efforts to build a working environment that’s co-created by our staff, all of whom work so incredibly hard to achieve success for our clients.
But it hasn’t always been like that. I admit that when establishing BidWrite 16 years ago I viewed staff solely as a means to achieving particular commercial outcomes. Thankfully, since then I’ve come to realise that staff are people too, and that de-humanising them is a sure way to kill culture.
So, for this issue I am not listing whatI want for Christmas. Here are nine things the BidWrite team have told me are valuable enough to be gift-wrapped and placed under the tree – every year!
- Commitment: having a passion for our craft and the quality of our work, so we can deliver over-the-odds value for clients.
- Harmony: respecting that different colleagues have different needs and enabling an environment that allows us to bring our best to the table.
- Resilience: supporting each other through life’s inevitable ups and downs.
- Inclusivity: welcoming and valuing colleagues from a rich blend of social and cultural backgrounds.
- Support: empowering us all to do our best work, irrespective of how much pressure we are under or how busy we are.
- Teamwork: feeling part of the ‘same team’ in an open environment, striving together to produce results we are proud of.
- Mentorship: having more experienced colleagues unselfishly entertain our questions and guide us daily.
- Adaptability: always, always finding a way to help clients win.
- Synergy: ensuring memorable instances where everything just comes together, whether perfectly or imperfectly.
If that’s not a blueprint for a high performing ‘bid sleighing’ team then I don’t know what is.
So what do I want? That’s simple. As CEO, and with an ode to the famous line by Oliver Twist, “Please sir, I want some more”. I want to keep delivering what our team needs so they can continue to do their best work for clients and each other. Although we have proven to be making great strides, the pursuit is never over. Bring on 2025!
Until then, here’s wishing all BQ readers a safe and (hopefully) peaceful Christmas.
Nigel Dennis
Nigel has been called a proposal pioneer in Australia for his work in shaping the professional bidding landscape in the region. He has three decades of proposal consulting experience and has trained thousands of people. Nigel started the APMP Australia New Zealand Chapter, runs Australia’s largest specialist bid consultancy and is a strong advocate for development of the profession.
