How do you hold onto your value and purpose when you're bidding for work?

Its a tricky challenge sometimes, particularly when its a 'dog-eat-dog' world out there... (I have dogs, they wouldn't eat another dog so not sure where that saying came from!)

Bidding for work in a world where 'who you know' often leads the way to the work can seem like a fruitless exercise. Particularly if you're a lone ranger, or trying to break into an industry.

But without more people and organisations putting their hands up and saying 'we can do this, give us a try', we'll always end up with the same organisations getting the work, and the same approaches, which produce the same results. I'm not saying that's always bad, but clearly its not always good either!

In this article I share a story about my recent decision-making processes for submitting bids for 2 opportunities for work, and why I ended up submitting for one and not the other. And yes, of course I bid for work - somehow dream clients with amazing work opportunities don't just come knocking at my door (yet!).

Whether I get the work or not, having integrity in my thinking about why I'd be good for the work, and why it would be good for me, is crucial.

That applies for when you are going for your first job, your next job, your dream job, or a huge bid.

Being clear on what that will mean for you, and what you will bring to it - helps you maintain perspective if you're unsuccessful, and keeps you true to your value and purpose in that moment.

Am I working with or for?

One of the big differences in the last 10 years has been my mindset about whether I work for or with organisations, and by default align myself with their leaders and their organisational mission. 

I work for myself, my team, my family and our impact goals. I work with everyone else. That’s taken a while to get clear and be ok with!

A huge part of my boutique consultancy company’s point of difference is that the services and advice we provide are bespoke for each client and each context. We are ‘with’ you, along for the ride, presenting solutions and doing the work as ‘we’.  To tailor appropriately, we need to understand and believe in where the organisation is aiming for in their outcomes, and to be clear that our involvement will help on that journey. We know full well that nothing will ever be perfect about the now or the future, but there has to be intent.

Do good, have an impact, make human connections that last after we have left and don’t stay too long.

That’s also our approach to mentoring and to our Human Hub community at Humans at Work:

• conversation and questions, to help you identify and articulate what support you’re looking for and what your goals are
• sharing our own experiences, knowledge and insights, tailored to your context
• motivating, encouraging and inspiring you
• relationship building, so that we both trust each other to share ideas and reflect. 

Submitting bids for work

Boutique companies often need to submit RFPs, and to have credence for big programmes we sometimes utilise our excellent partners for joint bids. 

Submitting responses take brain power, effort, time and money, and more often than not they’re unsuccessful. The field is crowded, people like what and who they already know, your price point or proposed approach doesn’t fit.

Yet still we do it – because we believe in the value we can deliver, even if others aren’t receptive to it.

Sometimes I also do things as myself. I have my individual purpose and impact ambitions, which are absolutely aligned with both of my companies, but the companies don’t restrict or define me.

I’ve recently been working through 2 RFP responses, with ‘my professional experience’ as the product. 

To bid or not to bid, that is the question...

For one of them, in the end I decided not to submit a proposal. While I believe I can add value, the organisation isn’t really saying and acting in ways that show they’re moving or transforming. And the price they’re offering says they’re not valuing people’s time and expertise appropriately. 

I had 3.5 of the 5 things on their wish-list, and other things I wanted to inject. And I thought long and hard about it, challenging myself on whether I was giving into the mythical “imposter phenomenon”. But in the end, my conclusion was that they just wanted a process to be completed, cheaply, and with not quite enough focus on the networks or opportunities for innovation they could have created. 

I’m carrying on pedalling Reshma Saujani but just not down that road.

For the second one, it was a similar thought process but a different outcome. The organisation and the system they help lead are by no means perfect. However, I’m seeing visible signs of adaptation and openness to something different. They’re starting to feel more inclusive, and they’re willing to pay the market rate. 

But crucially, as an organisation they’re trying to be different, and this gives me the opportunities for impact, connections and to do good via human-to-human work.

Note, I’m by no means saying they’ll accept my proposal to work with them, but I feel confident in my choice to at least say I’m willing.

I’m very aware that it takes a certain position to be able to make decisions based on value and impact like this. And while I have some of that position now, I’m very conscious that its not set in concrete. 

Reputation, confidence, position and money – they come and go like trust – hard to build and easy to lose.

But while I can, I choose to continue to believe in the value that I can deliver, even if others aren’t willing or able to see it.

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