An effective federal proposal manager is a rare breed and should be nurtured and treated as such. Ideally, a proposal manager should have the following traits.
<ol>
	<li>Must be a skilled writer, manager and communicator</li>
	<li>Should have extensive experience in writing federal proposals</li>
	<li>Must have an understanding of the subject matter</li>
	<li>Should be exceptionally proficient in Word, Adobe Acrobat and Excel, - yes, you got it - the lot</li>
	<li>Can separate the wheat from the chaff and possesses sound business acumen and judgment (i.e., has street smarts)</li>
</ol>
Where do you find this person? It's unlikely that a member of your current staff has all of the traits or they would be in top management or would have left for greener pastures a long time ago. Try to find as many as you can in one person and give that person your full support. This lucky individual has the success of your organization in their hands; make sure you treat them accordingly!