Laura’s Winning Ideas

Sometimes new proposal team leaders get a accused of being control freaks. Funny, how all the successful proposal team leaders have the same profile as turn-around specialists: They first work to batten down the slippery, haphazard methods of getting the work done, and then get criticized for being “control freaks.”

Then they analyze the process (or lack thereof) and implement new controls. In the best scenario, the controls are criticized as “busy work,” in the worst cases the proposal team leader or turn around specialist are personally demonized and despised. It is not pretty work.

Once controls have been implemented, folks don’t remember how the work was done before a process was put in place. Similar to the phenomena that women often don’t remember the pain of childbirth.

In every case I know, once a robust process is put in place, the team’s ability to respond improves. They can respond to new challenges because the process has given them some space and time to enhance, customize or adapt to new customer requirements. They don’t respond so well to the few renegades who want to ignor the process and do things their own way

The funny thing is, that insiders often don’t notice the new responsiveness. They are accustomed to the proposal process being fast, energetic and tense. The atmosphere remains the same. It continues to be fast, and energetic. The tension that was created by inventing solutions to common problems is shifted to responding to new challenges. So, to the folks working with a proposal team, things look the same.

But under the hood, everything is different.

Before, everyone was relieved when the proposal got delivered on time. All the energy and time was used to get a response out the door…in most cases, just barely. They are spent. They feel they’ve done their best.

But once a process is in place, everyone is relieved to get the proposal delivered with the extra responsiveness they know will make the difference between being in the pack and leading the pack of competitors. They are spent. They feel they’ve done their best.

If you have the challenge of creating a process from chaos, it helps to remember that everyone wants the end result, very few want to witness the birthing. The results are worthwhile.