Yes, you guessed it. I believe the toughest discipline in federal contracting is writing winning proposals. This is not because I want to achieve job security or because Fedmarket happens to sell proposal products and services.

No, my reason for believing that proposals are the toughest activity to undertake verges on the fact that there needs to be seamless interfacing amongst very different disciplines within an organization. There are at least five functions that need to dance together in order to produce a winning proposal. These are: business development, technical subject matter expertise, executive management, finance, and proposal writing, and the proposal

So, the best proposal manager is like a good general. Steely under pressure; a great communicator; an even better motivator; knows when to say "no" and fight inane ideas; and can think both big picture (strategy - how am I going to have the five functions dance without stepping on their toes) and is also acutely attentive to detail (tactics - this approach is best for this type of incident). So, if a = b, and b = c, then a = c, and the proposal manager has the toughest job in the business.

If the person leading your proposal efforts is aptly described in the previous paragraph, then treat this individual with due respect. Next time you decide to bid, just keep in mind the invaluable contribution and engage your proposal manager with the deference reserved for those who are shouldering the greatest burden. If instead, you don't have the person described above in your organization, well, go out and find this person because in the long run, it will make all the difference for the success of your organization (see Message to Management: Why Should My Proposal Writing Capabilities Concern Me?).