More from the APMP NCA Mentor-Protégé Program

Building relationships, sharing lessons learned, networking, and socializing—it has been a busy few months for the APMP-NCA Mentor-Protégé program. We all know that professional success in the capture and proposal field is based on personal interactions. What makes this new Chapter program so successful is that it encourages mentor-protégé pairs to spend quality time together while pursuing a range of professional growth activities.

Lohfeld Consulting Group Principal Consultant Lisa Pafe and her protégé, Sareesh Rawat, Proposal Coordinator at our customer Ace Info Solutions, Inc. have been attending networking events together, including the APMP-NCA Member Appreciation Night and the ProposalConnects quarterly networking happy hour. Working with Lisa, Sareesh developed an effective LinkedIn profile to further enhance his professional networking capabilities. The pair also completed the Wired That Way personality profile to develop strategies for workplace success and have worked on understanding pre-RFP proposal readiness activities.

In March, marketing guru Mike Parkinson met with program participants over dinner at the Westin Tysons Corner to share his insights. Mike’s interactive presentation From the Outside In: Listen, Learn, Share, Succeed resonated with both mentors and protégés alike. Two of the protégés, including Sareesh and Erin McClain, shared workplace challenges. Based on Mike’s strategies for effective problem solving, the group together leveraged insights based on personal experiences to help the protégés develop effective strategies.

“Being a mentor has helped me better understand the capture and proposal field by helping me see our field from a fresh perspective,” Lisa commented. “In addition, by participating in the program, I’ve not only helped Sareesh, but also grown my network.”

Sareesh said, “APMP-NCA’s Mentorship Program has benefited me immensely as I continue to grow professionally in the bid and proposal world. Attending networking events with Lisa gives me the unique opportunity to meet and learn from highly successful professionals in the field, such as Bob Lohfeld. Having an experienced mentor guide me through the early stages of my career has proved invaluable as I can always depend on her for sound advice.”

Most recently, Lisa and Sareesh attended the APMP-NCA Speaker Series Panel on How to Win Your Next Recompete featuring Bob Lohfeld. Next steps include helping Sareesh move further towards his goal of attaining APMP Foundation certification.

Lohfeld Consulting

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