The COO in the Color Team: Why Execs Should Stay in the Proposal Trenches

This is the second piece in our Leading from the Proposal Trenches series. In the first, I explored why strong leadership in the bid process isn’t just a ‘nice to have’, it’s a differentiator. This time, I’m diving deeper into what it actually looks like when executives stay close to the solicitation and bid process, not just at sign-off, but from the start.

In most organizations, a member of the C-Suite attending a proposal review is a rare occurrence, sort of like spotting a General in the mailroom. It’s not that executives don’t care about bids. They care deeply, especially about the ones worth serious money and industry credibility. But too often, they show up at too late a stage in the process – during a Red Team review or worse, only at the sign-off stage, when the window for meaningful input has narrowed to a crack. Unfortunately, this can result in forced major rewrites and huge pressure on the writing team when the execs realize their vision hasn’t been articulated as they had expected.

At Salentis, we do things differently. We believe senior team members should be involved far earlier in the process. I sit in on all the Color Team reviews, including early reviews such as the Blue Team and Black Hat, and I think more executives should.

Why do executives show up late in the proposal process?

First, let’s acknowledge why this late involvement happens in the first place. It’s certainly not negligence…

Belief that the proposal strategy is clearly defined

They may believe that they have already set a clear direction as to their expectations or what the solution is and therefore trust the team to deliver that vision. Given this, they assume their role is to review and approve, not shape and interrogate. The result is that it’s only when they arrive at the eleventh hour, that they realize things haven’t evolved quite how they anticipated.

Time constraints

Then there’s the classic constraint: time. With the multiple responsibilities of an executive, it’s easy to give lower priority to something that already has a team “handling it.” Bids don’t always register as the best use of executive hours, until the final review lands and the gaps are glaring.

Dashboard delusion

Some execs also suffer from what I call dashboard delusion: the belief that pipeline reports and capture summaries are a substitute for real-time visibility. They’re not. You can’t spot narrative drift or misaligned messaging in a bullet-point update.

Cultural issues

Finally, there’s culture. In organizations where execs have never been hands-on in the proposal process, their absence is the norm. Involvement feels unnecessary, or worse, like interference.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. Let me explain why…

The importance of seeing the proposal landscape, not just the dashboard

When you’re in an executive role, you often need to take a broader view of the business; the helicopter view. You don’t have the time or availability to get into the nitty-gritty of day-to-day operations. But for strategic, must-win bids, there’s no substitute for seeing how the sausage is made, or, in our case, how the strategy becomes words on a page.

Sitting in the Kick-Off Meeting and Color Team reviews gives me situational awareness that dashboards can’t provide. I see where a capture strategy has translated cleanly to a proposal and where it’s fraying at the edges or has been miscommunicated. I see how teams are interpreting client needs and how well we’re articulating our value. I see tension points that, left unresolved, could quietly weaken (or lose) a bid.

It’s like walking the floor in a manufacturing plant. You don’t go there to micromanage the assembly line; you go to understand what’s working, what isn’t, and what needs to change. That kind of visibility is gold, especially in sectors like defense and logistics, where the stakes are high, the requirements are complex (and often contradictory), and the margin for error could mean the difference between a win or failed bid.

Showing up (early) sharpens the proposal strategy

You get much more clarity and can provide meaningful, valued input, being close to the work. When I’m in a proposal room, I’m not theorizing about differentiators or hypothesizing about win themes. I’m seeing, in real time, how they live and die on the page. It makes me a better strategist.

Sometimes a narrative can sound fine in the early capture meeting, but falls flat in the written response. It could be a technical feature we’re excited about that doesn’t land with evaluators because we’ve buried the benefit, skipped the ‘so what?’ logic, or not provided compelling evidence. These aren’t copywriting problems. They’re strategy problems that only become visible when you’re close enough to see the disconnect.

Being in the room means I can help close those gaps early, not by dictating fixes, but by asking the right questions: Why are we telling this story? What does the client need? How are we proving it, not just saying it? It keeps the team aligned and the strategy on point.

Building proposal teams, not silos

Proposal work is intense, deadline-driven, and often invisible to those outside it. That can make proposal teams feel like an island. When executives stay remote from the process, it reinforces that divide. It signals, however unintentionally, that proposals are a back-office function, not a leadership concern. I believe proposal managers should be trained to think more strategically and then be viewed as such within an organization.

I want our teams to know that their work is visible and valued. Showing up and listening matters. When I sit in a Pink or Red Team review, I’m not just there to critique the product. I’m there to back the people, to understand their thinking, and to acknowledge their grind. That presence builds trust and cohesion in a way that memos and shout-outs never can.

We talk a lot at Salentis about our regulated synergy of people, process, and discipline. This is what that looks like in practice. The people doing the work are supported, the process is pressure-tested, and discipline is maintained. This comes from leadership engagement, not just oversight.

A page out of APMP’s book

The Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP) has long advocated for professional development, process maturity, and leadership visibility. They’re right to do so, and from my current seat on the Board of Directors, I see their work in progressing this way of thinking. Proposal professionals aren’t just writers and coordinators; they’re strategic assets. But they can only thrive in that role if leadership gives them the visibility and support they deserve.

Executive presence in proposal reviews reinforces that culture. It signals that this work matters, not just because of its financial impact, but because of its strategic significance. It sets a tone and models behavior. And it tells junior professionals that there’s a clear, respected path from the pressure of creating the proposal to the decision table.

Boardroom credibility starts in the proposal room

So, here’s my challenge to fellow executives: if you want better proposals, stop parachuting in at the end. Get into the room earlier, listen harder, and ask smarter questions. Your job isn’t to write copy or approve font sizes. It’s to keep the strategy aligned to what the customer needs, for the team to feel supported and connected, and to keep standards high.

If you want to lead effectively from the top, spend more time in the proposal trenches. Not every day, nor on every bid. But often enough that your presence is felt, your insights are timely, and your teams know you’re walking the walk.

Making time to add value early

Executive time is finite. That’s not an excuse; it’s a real constraint to manage. The key isn’t being in every bid room. It’s knowing which rooms to be in, when, and why. Early visibility isn’t about volume; it’s about value. To prioritize effectively, I ask myself a few questions:

• Is this bid a strategic fit, or just a revenue filler?
  If it’s core to the business we want to build, show up early.
  
• Will the client be looking for signals of leadership credibility?
  Some bids, especially in defense and logistics, are won or lost on trust, not just capability. In those, executive presence matters from day one – attend key customer sessions.
  
• Is the solution complex or politically sensitive?
  If there’s a risk of strategic drift, or the narrative needs careful shaping, it’s better to share that at Blue Team and Kick Off, and then look for it at Pink Team, than to panic at Red.
  
• Are we leaning into new ground – new client, new tech, new geography?
  Anything that stretches the business model warrants closer oversight.

Once I’ve answered those questions, I make space in my calendar accordingly. That might mean attending early color team sessions, doing a pre-review of win themes, or simply having a pulse-check call with the bid team leads. It’s not about looming over the process. It’s about being close enough, soon enough, to make a difference.

Because in the proposal world, leadership isn’t about being above the work. It’s about being part of it.

About the author

Mindy Marchel is Chief Operating Officer and co-founder of Salentis International. With 17 years of proposal development experience, Mindy brings a sharp focus on what it takes to win. As co-developer of The Salentis Way® she empowers teams around the world to deliver maximum quality and value to government, infrastructure, energy, and IT clients. With over 150 projects totaling more than US$100 billion under her belt, Mindy supports Salentis teams across the Americas, Asia Pacific, and UK-EMEA – all with one goal: to craft compliant, compelling bids that make our clients the obvious choice.

Article published: October 2025