Larry Tracy

June 27, 2014

Shakespeare’s Juliette said, “A rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.” General Motors learned that was not so when it introduced a new model, the Chevrolet Nova, to Mexico. Unfortunately for GM, “No Va” means “no go” in Spanish.

I recently listened to a discussion among three experts on proposal writing in which they were critical of the term “Red Team” for fine-tuning the written proposal. They believed that title created a mindset among those recruited for this team to be hyper-critical, to nit pick the draft proposal, not make constructive advice and recommendations to the writers.

The term Red Team, of course, comes from military war gaming exercises where the “Red Force” is the enemy. Members of this team are hell-bent on attacking and “destroying” the opposing force. I know- I’ve been a member of Red Forces in war games.

Following this logic, could it mean that those selected to be on the Red Team believe their primary role is to be critics and editors of the pending proposal? Would it not be more conducive to winning the contract to have less criticism and more constructive advice to the writers?

These three proposal experts suggested the name be changed to “Win Team” to encourage a positive, morale-building attitude among the writers, not one in which the writers are on the defensive.

I had an epiphany on hearing that. As an orals coach, I have long been an advocate of the “Murder Board,” which I bring with me from the military, for practicing all presentations. My book even has two chapters showing how to conduct Murder Boards. Now, for the same reason outlined about changing Red Team to “Win Team,” I will call this rigorous practice sessions for orals the “Orals Simulator,” drawing on aviation’s flight simulator, which allows pilots to anticipate in-flight emergencies and learn how to react quickly.

I am not suggesting that the “Win Team” and the “Orals Simulator” be group hugs, culminating in a chorus of Kumbaya. Their purpose must be to find and fix vulnerabilities, as well as applying vigorously the compliance matrix. These sessions need not, however, be adversarial.  Changing the mindset by changing the titles may prove a more effective way to “answer the mail.”