I will only do an RFP if I really know the organization well and have a reasonable chance of success due to my relationships.
RFPs are a massive amount of work and are often not read by the senior decision makers.
Understanding the decision process is key. You need to know who is reviewing and deciding at each stage.
You have to work with all of your relationships as well as complete the paperwork or you will be wasting your time regardless of the quality of the submission.
RFPs are counter to idea generation. If you want ideas, you need to start with an openness. RFPs by their nature are exceptionally defined.
RFPs are slanted to big expensive consulting businesses who have teams dedicated to writing RFPs.
If you are small, like us, and you want to respond to an RFP, you need to be innovative and take risks. Be prepared to give them what you think they need not what they ask for.
I seem to be stuck on this concept lately. Maybe because I am getting older. Maybe because I own my own business and have flexibility to decide what I will work on and what I won't. Whatever the reason, I feel the need again to express how important purpose is -- in everything you do.
Purpose comes from within and it is unique to each and every one of us. Purpose is why you do what you do and it is what gives your life meaning. Purpose is doing work you love and getting better at it, helping people, seeing people develop or making a difference. Purpose is not "meeting plan".
As I work through As I work through a "mega" proposal to do a huge piece of work, I get unfocused, I get frustrated, I get refocused. I am tired.
Late yesterday, I somehow rediscovered my purpose. I had temporarily misplaced it as I waded through "mega" proposal to do a huge piece of work for a client. I was trying to figure out how to do what the client asked for. Then I realized, “I just can’t own this. It won’t work and I don’t want to do the work as defined.” After many iterations last night, my purpose allowed me to refocus. I rewrote the proposal, again, made the work much smaller and focused on what IMPACT is good at and what gives us life -- our purpose.
I do what I do because I really enjoy coaching, I am passionate about helping and I love being a little part of helping people be better. That is my purpose and IMPACT's core purpose.
After the rewrite, I wrote to our coaches, "I can now breathe..." I wrote that not because I was holding my breath but because the air had lifted off my shoulders and I felt refreshed.
If the client likes our proposal, it will save them significant money. More importantly, we have stayed true to our purpose and have not been swayed by trying to be everything to everyone in pursuit of the big payout. We all feel good about that.
And the work will be really fun which is the best test of purpose.
You rely on them. You ask them to help you. It is amazing how much this brings people together. Our IMPACT team has always been great. We get along. We like each other. We help each other.
In the past several weeks we have become closer. Why? We have a common goal. We are working on a project that requires all of our expertise. I knew that I couldn’t tackle this project alone. I asked the team to help and, true to form, they stepped up. Guess what? Each day we work through this project, we are more of a team than we were the day before. It makes it all worthwhile.
Simon Sinek has codified how the world’s most inspiring leaders think, act and communicate. And he concludes that they do exactly the opposite of everyone else. In his 2010 TED Talk, Sinek draws his Golden Circle to emphasize how inspiring leaders/ companies communicate from the inside out. First why, then how, then what. “People don’t buy what you do. They buy why you do it”.
As we collectively mourn the loss of Steve Jobs, Sinek illustrates his code with Apple. Apple believes in challenging the status quo (why they do it); they do it thru beautiful design and easy to use technology (how they do it); they happen to make great computers (what they do).
Just this morning I was informally coaching a small business owner friend. She was rushing to write a proposal for a very large Canadian company. Winning this business would be by far, their biggest account to date. As I listened to her talk about how her partner rushed to create a demo product and crunched the numbers so they could offer a great price ...(what they do), I was struck by how, in rushing to explain what we do and how we do it better than everyone else, we really miss the heart of the matter.
The alternative Sinek offers is to get really grounded in why we do what we do. I would add that gaining a deep understanding of why our prospective client does what he does can be profound. What beliefs do we have in common? This is the sweet spot where magic can happen.
I believe that we all need strong champions and challengers in order to live our best life. This is why I coach leaders.
Why do you do what you do? Things will get a whole lot more compelling for you and everyone else if you would take the time to figure it out.
I suggested in my last blog that you focus on moving the middle group when it comes to change. Don’t focus on the people who already do what you want, don’t focus on those who will never do what you want. Focus on the middle – those who want to change and either don’t know how, are lacking confidence or both. Moving each and every one of those people can creat significant change.
How do you move the middle? One person at a time! To move the middle, capture each person's heart and mind. As each individual comes onside, others follow. It is a lot of work at first but it eventually becomes much easier. As momentum builds you suddenly have your change. Jim Collins calls this the "fly wheel effect" and it works. There is no short cut.
Don't try the broad brush. I know it is appealing. It seems more efficient to send everyone on a course or issue an edict from above, but be honest, It never really elicits much change.
Personality tests are a big part of our coaching process. At the early stage of a new coaching relationship, it's important for individuals to get insights into their strengths and areas of opportunities. There are many tests out there, however not every tool has the right impact. One of the tools that we leverage in our coaching practice is The Birkman Method (http://www.birkman.com/birkmanMethod/whatIsTheBirkmanMethod.php).
We recently used it with one of our executive clients. Through a debrief discussion, we were able to focus on the behaviors that get in the way of him delegating effectively. By identifying those obstacles and leveraging what he is actually great at, we were able to help him set very specific goals around delegation. Following a recent meeting with his coach, he was happy to report that he is now delegating more and he is much happier! Now that's a positive impact!
How do you help large groups of people change their behaviors whether it be coaching, selling, or better customer service?
Do you stand up and issue an edict in the form of a new strategy?
Do you build it into their goals?
Do you change their compensation so they have to make the change in order to make more money?
All those things are what most people do and they have some impact but it is limited.
A better approach is to "move the middle". When you think about the behavior change you want think about the many people who need to change. They will always break down into three groups:
those who already do what you want and already do it well,
those who will never do what you want and
those who would like to but don't know how or need a little nudge. That last group is the "middle" and it is a big group.
Any work you do on the first group will have limited gain – they are already doing all they can. Work on the second group will be time consuming and is unlikely to bear fruit. If you can move everyone in the middle just a little bit, you can make significant change. Move the middle first – but do it one at a time.
Our son plays hockey. Last week he had a lackluster game. He was tired. He floated around the ice and made no impact. I was ready to provide feedback! My husband, also a hockey player, turned to me and said, " A great coach once told me, "After the game is not the time for feedback.” I suggest you congratulate him and move on."
Today our son had a great game. I'll do the same, congratulate him and move on.
Sometimes if makes sense wait to give feedback and sometimes it's good not to give feedback. More often than not they already know how they did.
We are always preaching feedback everywhere, at work, at home and at school. Sometimes we just need to let them think about it and decide for themselves how they did.
A very to the point and well researched list of nine things successful people do differently. I have witnessed the power of goal setting, reducing temptations, and having grit in my own life and in the lives of my clients. Heidi Grant Halvorson is bang on with these nine points. Print them out. Practice them. You will see your “success meter” climb!
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