06:40
Faizan
Should proposal professionals redefine the way they think about themselves? Eric Gregory of CACI, Inc., delivered a keynote address at the APMP International Conference that caused some serious audience buzz at the follow-on networking session. He somberly stated that proposal professionals are different from the "normal" folk: we are warriors, the vanguard, the point of the spear, pioneers, adventurers, the legion, the cavalry...
According to him, what we do is a downright war. The true proposal professionals are a warrior class in our organizations - to think anything less is to diminish who we are and what we do. Some folks focused on civilian agencies and commercial proposals in the audience didn't take to the message too kindly. They complained that Eric's speech was too full of paramilitary talk, especially as Eric referred to us doing it all as a duty without expecting much rewards or even recognition of our value to the organization.
Defining ourselves functionally as capture managers, proposal managers, business developers, proposal coordinators, writers, and so on, doesn't tell the whole story, according to Eric. Many can fill a function, but far fewer can become a proposal professional, which according to him is "a state of being." He rocked the Association's boat a bit, as he asserted that achieving accreditation doesn't create or endorse a proposal professional. It was a surprising thing for the keynote speaker to say, for an organization that is trying as hard as APMP is to get everyone accredited. He continued by asserting that skill and competency are necessary but insufficient for the proposal profession. He argued that a proposal professional can only be represented by who we are. It is not a skill - it is an attribute.
Warriors are those who protect society from internal and external threats through defensive and offensive means. Tools of politicians and strategists, they don't control much of the decisions but deliver victories. They are ready, willing, and able to deliver sacrifice for continued existence of the organization - just the way that proposal professionals have to bid on a proposal they know is a bluebird and that they have no chance of winning. They recognize that they are responsible for the livelihood of 3-4 times the people our organizations employ. Their work directly affects thousands of people - not only the employees, but their wives, children, aging parents, and those others depending on the employees. If they cannot make this critical emotional connection - they should be in another field. It all boils down to a hefty sense of responsibility: "When I fail and lose - people suffer; when I succeed and win - people prosper."
According to him, what we do is a downright war. The true proposal professionals are a warrior class in our organizations - to think anything less is to diminish who we are and what we do. Some folks focused on civilian agencies and commercial proposals in the audience didn't take to the message too kindly. They complained that Eric's speech was too full of paramilitary talk, especially as Eric referred to us doing it all as a duty without expecting much rewards or even recognition of our value to the organization.
Defining ourselves functionally as capture managers, proposal managers, business developers, proposal coordinators, writers, and so on, doesn't tell the whole story, according to Eric. Many can fill a function, but far fewer can become a proposal professional, which according to him is "a state of being." He rocked the Association's boat a bit, as he asserted that achieving accreditation doesn't create or endorse a proposal professional. It was a surprising thing for the keynote speaker to say, for an organization that is trying as hard as APMP is to get everyone accredited. He continued by asserting that skill and competency are necessary but insufficient for the proposal profession. He argued that a proposal professional can only be represented by who we are. It is not a skill - it is an attribute.
Warriors are those who protect society from internal and external threats through defensive and offensive means. Tools of politicians and strategists, they don't control much of the decisions but deliver victories. They are ready, willing, and able to deliver sacrifice for continued existence of the organization - just the way that proposal professionals have to bid on a proposal they know is a bluebird and that they have no chance of winning. They recognize that they are responsible for the livelihood of 3-4 times the people our organizations employ. Their work directly affects thousands of people - not only the employees, but their wives, children, aging parents, and those others depending on the employees. If they cannot make this critical emotional connection - they should be in another field. It all boils down to a hefty sense of responsibility: "When I fail and lose - people suffer; when I succeed and win - people prosper."
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