About two thousand years ago, three clever chaps saw a star in the night sky. It was rather bright and twinkly. One of them said, “Cor, fellas, let’s go follow!” And so they did, carrying gifts of gold, frankincense, and something my spellchecker wants to describe as ‘M’eh’. So, I guess one of them wasn’t that bothered. Anyway, the star led them to a cute little baby, a stable full of animals, and a couple of days off work each December. Not bad for a long trek caused by a severe case of curiosity.
Whilst the biblical story of the Three Wise Men and their gifts symbolises the three phases of life – youth, adulthood, and old age – I like to think of the men as wise counsel for a child with great potential and that the star represents the promise of greatness. It’s easy to apply the ‘follow yonder star’ metaphor to oneself, pinpointing where we want to go and who can help us get there. But let’s wish for something bigger, that could benefit our whole profession.
What is it, then, that should beckon most vividly for all of us within the bid and proposal profession? Do we have a Star of Wonder that everyone in our world can gaze upon with awe? And if we chose to travel towards it, who would be our Magi to guide us?
My wish is to see a star unobstructed by gatekeepers, associations, or ambiguity; I want it to empower our people by shining brightly on the one thing I’ve heard asked more than any other in the last 25 years: “Show me”. I want it to be the clearest and most transparently obvious vision of what good looks like in terms of behaviours, skills, pace, and output; so that everyone – including our peers in closely associated professions like Sales and Marketing – can see what good looks like and how amazing we can be. That’s the brilliant, dazzling, star-like image that would fill us with awe and authentic wonder.
And the people to guide us? It’s all of us. Every time we see someone doing something great, we should point to it so others can learn.
Our stars of wonder are all around us. Show them to the world.
Dr Nigel Hudson
Affectionately known as ‘The Bid Doctor’, Nigel has a doctorate in workplace learning and is BQ’s resident professional development expert. His career spans more than 25 years and includes coaching and leading sales and bid teams, training more than 5,000 people worldwide, winning multiple awards for his bid academies, and – with Jon Williams – creating Europe’s leading proposal training syllabus.
