I started this letter two years ago. After reviewing another round of RFQ’s, it’s time to publish four ideas that might help. But really the last one is the only one that counts (assuming you already have relevant experience for the project).
Take care in your project approach narrative. It’s your only chance to signal that you understand what the selection committee is searching for. A mistake in this section is catastrophic. Don’t make it easy for the reviewers to disqualify you.
Show experience that is directly related to the project. If you apply to multiple projects, try to submit separate portfolios for each project. Make it easy for the reviewers to connect your expertise and their project.
Explore white space. A wall of text is bad enough — multiply it by ten (while still saddled with the usual day-to-day work overwhelm). Punchy >>> flowery. Try reading your PDF on a smartphone on Friday afternoon. Make your book easy to read.
Create relationships. When given a chance, put a full team on a small job. Earn a reputation. The same words sound totally different depending who wrote it. The time to make an impact was four years ago.
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Some Links
David Marquet gave an excellent talk at Google about his time as the Captain of the nuclear sub Santa Fe. I’ve tired of military men turned business consultants, but I was pleasantly surprised.
Perun is publishing some of the best strategic and operational analysis videos of the war in Ukraine. His quadrilogy How Corruption, Lies, Politics, and Procurement Destroys Armies is not to be missed.
Jonathan Parshall examines history with a presentation on a major myth in the Battle of Midway. After the formal talk, they have great chat about the challenges of translation.
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Thanks for reading!
Justus Pang, RA