By Ruwena
Spring Break may be over, but I’m at the coast this week for a special event. I’m in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with women from all over the world who are being recognized at the 2013 Enterprising Women of Year Awards from Enterprising Women magazine.
In previous blog articles, I’ve shared with you what an honor it is to be included in a group of women of this caliber. The Enterprising Women of the Year Award recognizes women business owners who have demonstrated fast-growth business development and who stand out as leaders in their communities. The honor also goes to women who actively mentor and support other women committed to entrepreneurship.
This the 11th year of the Enterprising Women of the Year Awards and this celebration is unlike any other event I’ve been a part of in the past. It honors each award recipient and brings together the finest women entrepreneurs from around the world to network, share best practices and celebrate their amazing achievements. I know through the events of this week, I will learn such valuable information from these women entrepreneurs, and more importantly, make new business connections and deepen my entourage.
Being a part of events such as these is one of the primary reasons I encourage other business professionals to take the time to apply for awards. Most people are hesitant to enter awards they may not win. But if you feel that way about the awards process, you’re completely missing the point.
In previous blog articles, we’ve talked about preparing your information to enter awards, but once you’ve compiled that first awards package, follow these tips to get more mileage out of your work and you will quickly find out why it’s always worth it to enter:
- Once you’ve compiled the necessary information and entered your first award, take that entry package and find other ways to leverage the information. You worked hard on it, so use the information wisely. If it was a large award concept, break down some of the smaller areas and enter those pieces into other categories. For example, if you entered an entire public relations campaign that included an awesome video, enter the video in a specific category for video productions or broadcast.
- Next look at how the same information from your original package can be entered in other award competitions. Recently, I helped a client win two important awards by entering the same community service project. I customize the information to meet each of the award specifications, hence, resulting in two different winning awards.
- Finally, win or lose, as you go through the award entry process, you will be enlightened about all the positives or best practices uncovered or discovered about your company. The process includes reflection and gathering data that supports or substantiates the entry. Additionally, it might bring to light what others say about your work or your company, since some award entries require supporting nomination letters from clients, colleagues or people with whom you do volunteer work. When all is said and done and that award entry is submitted, it’s now time to reflect and identify your own best practices
and showcase your company’s commitment to excellence.
I would love to hear from you. Please share the awards your company has won and what you and your colleagues have learned during the awards entry process.
