I remember my youth clearly, the sense of carefree possibility and invincibility. The actions I took felt without consequence as I thought they had no bearing on the future.
Fast forward to adulthood and now most decisions are based on an internal discussion on the impact on myself, my family and my career and the influence of my actions on others.
Bidding too has grown up. We face much better recognition of the skills and influence we bring to our employers. As a result we need to mature accordingly. For me this means that to be considered a serious professional, I need to accept increased responsibility by embracing ownership and accountability for the full sales cycle; the pursuit.
A New Mindset – From Proposals to Pursuits
My career has been marked by a constant tension: the external assumption that I simply create aesthetically pleasing documents, and my own internal fear that this may indeed be correct! Early on, this combination sometimes left me feeling like an insecure teenager navigating the complexities of the adult world.
To counter this external and internal perception, I have come to the conclusion that to succeed in this profession, my role and those of my counterparts should be far more strategic.
The bidding professional then should embrace an all-encompassing approach that begins with strategy and flows into business development, capture planning, data analysis and onwards throughout the entire sales cycle. Throughout this holistic role we need to take ownership and accountability. The buck stops with us.
Embracing Accountability
This is a brave new world of myriad complexity that includes the managing of difficult internal and external stakeholders, pipeline analysis, commercial awareness and giving and receiving challenging feedback amongst much more. I embrace the impact this has on myself and the organisation.
The results behind such a holistic approach to pursuits are clear both personally and in the success of the organisation in increased win rates, career advancement, greater respect from colleagues and clients, and a sense of accomplishment.
Conclusion
The analogy behind a coming of age from childhood to adulthood and proposals to pursuits is apt. Adulthood in bidding requires a shift from single reactive tasks to a mindset of ownership and accountability across the organisation.
I encourage all bid and proposal professionals to embrace the challenges of responsibility and reap the rewards of professional maturity. This can be done by fighting your case to have a seat at the table. You deserve a strategic role in shaping the entire sales cycle and driving success both personally and for your employer.
Michael Brown
Michael Brown is a seasoned bid professional having won multiple projects across the built environment throughout Europe, the Middle East, APAC and North America. He is passionate about leading global teams to deliver top quality proposals and pitches to multinational clients.
