A DAY LIKE NO OTHER.
WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU WERE THE DECISION MAKER FOR JUST ONE DAY? WOULD YOU TEAR UP THE RULEBOOK, PRESS PAUSE ON THE MADNESS, OR FINALLY FIX THOSE THINGS THAT EVERYONE MOANS ABOUT BUT NO ONE CHANGES?
That’s the playful premise of this edition of BQ. And the answers from our contributors are as varied, human, and downright entertaining as the world of bidding itself.
Some would use their day to spark a cultural revolution. Rebecca Link reminds us that “people are very peopley” – and that real progress comes from understanding, not steamrolling. Sarah Hinchliffe would make bidding a respected business function equal to sales and delivery, while Lucie Arriss and Jon Williams both champion a “bid culture” that reaches from the bid room all the way to the boardroom.
Others would wield their day like a magic wand to cut through chaos. Andy Haigh imagines a buyer’s world with realistic deadlines and clear feedback, while Nigel Thacker shows the value of listening to bid teams’ insights on customer needs. Beth Wallace would gather every stakeholder in one room (pizza optional) to avoid those dreaded last-minute surprises. Lisa Readman, channelling the Queen of Hearts, calls time on audacity, weekend work, and the dreaded “holiday laptop”.
Technology isn’t ignored either. Kirsty Isles would use her day to give AI a seat at the table – but with training, champions, and ethics built in. Tony Birch agrees: tools are nothing without people who know how to use them. Nigel Dennis makes the case that financial literacy might just be the most powerful skill of all, while Bella Stevenson and Ceri Mescall show us how quality systems and Lean thinking can strip out waste and
lift performance.
Then there’s the human side. Alana McCarthy dares to suggest that being “busy” is not the same as being successful – and that giving teams space to breathe might just be the smartest investment. Larissa Cornelius wants to ditch win-rate obsession in favour of better behaviours, while Darrell Woodward warns us not to get trapped in the hamster wheel of relentless urgency.
Pippa Birch talks us through some fundamental ‘dos and don’ts’ that every business owner should know. And finally, both Chris Kälin and Javier Escartin sum it all up with a reminder that bids aren’t admin, they are growth engines. Ignore them at your peril. What ties these voices together is a sense of possibility. In one way or another, each contributor is saying: “It doesn’t have to be this way.” With better decisions – big and small, bold and ordinary – we can make bidding smarter, saner, and more successful.
So, while we may never get the mythical “Decision Maker for a Day” badge, we can still think like one. And if we do, perhaps the next bid won’t just be a document on a deadline – it’ll be a step towards the kind of bidding world we’d all actually like to work in.
Martin Smith
