How to Benefit from Awards Season

How to Benefit from Awards Season

On Sunday, Hollywood’s glitterati will gather to bestow honors upon its most accomplished members.  Whether you watch the Oscars, Grammy’s, or the like, seeing the recipients’ expressions upon winning is part of the joy of watching (and of course the dresses).

Last month, I attended a corporate awards ceremony, and watching the faces of the people getting the awards was just as enthralling.  It wasn’t the Oscars, but for these recipients, their version was equally as glamourous to them.

In the span of 5 seconds after hearing their name, an entire kaleidoscope of human emotions splayed on their faces.   The winners were center stage, surprised, proud, humbled, and beaming.  Suddenly, I was 25 again receiving my first employee award.  All over again, I reveled in those same euphoric feelings even without the stage (or the dress!).

Years later, I chuckle at the thought of the letter of recognition and the accompanying AMEX gift card they handed me for the award.  Not a shiny Emmy but much more than that was the acknowledgement, the recognition, and the subsequent memory of the award that is deeply gratifying.

It re-reminded me how important it is for folks to be recognized for their hard work. So many of us forget that we were once so influenced.  Now, we can be the influencers.  We can nominate. We can cast the awards.  Firms, as a whole, benefit from taking time to recognize employees’ efforts because being valued has deep intangible attributes for all of us.

We all like it!

Employees of all tenures benefit from such an acknowledgement.  They may feel inspired or grateful.  They may reconsider or even dismiss other opportunities.  All because it does mean something to be acknowledged.  Even actors, making millions of dollars, still vie for an Oscar nomination because it means something.

When someone receives a nomination or award, it will affect their job performance going forward.  They may go the extra mile without being asked to.  They may push to get the job done because they know that you value that level of performance.  That you, as their boss, or even the company, in general, doesn’t just take their commitment for granted.  They feel valued.  That perceived value has incalculable effects on their focus and their day to day interactions with peers and customers. It is a collective benefit shared by the organization, team, profession, etc.

If you have the mechanism to nominate someone for an award today or provide acknowledgement in some way, do it!  Make a difference in someone else’s life that they will indeed remember.  Rarely do any of us tire of hearing someone say, “Great job!”.

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