The power of recognition

We may not need a whole fanfare or our own theme song as we walk into a room, however, it IS nice to be recognised and celebrate efforts of excellency and hard work!

A thank you and a please is all I have ever needed for my efforts in life, and to be honest I’ve done a lot of work on myself to let go of my need to “seek approval” from others, so entering the realm of awards has always been a tough one for me, and something that I had dismissed until late last year.

We can go through life looking at others, wanting to belong, trying to keep up with other’s standards, but is it ever actually going to make us happy? 

My own “seeking approval obsession” came to a swift halt for me in 2019 when I woke up and realigned my values with my physical doing in life. My energy was getting used and wasted in places that it didn’t need to be, and my self-worth was on the floor. So I rebuilt, I realigned and I got back to being my version of me, and this year I have felt more me than I ever have been (maybe turning 40 has something to do with it too?).

Life gives us twists and turns, trauma and gifts, and along the way sometimes we can all get a little lost. It takes being in the right environment, which allows us to find ourselves again.

I never wanted to be involved in “awards”. I didn’t want to be judged by others when I was quite happy building my way. 

No one in business should be telling you how to run it, how you should communicate, and what the standards are. 

Standards are unique to you.

Luckily for me, I’ve been castrated in the past for having exceedingly high standards and expectations.

I don’t think high standards and high expectations are a bad thing, as long as you lead with grace and positive energy. And too high or too low is again a unique opinion to the individual.

Good enough in some people’s opinion might be wow amazing perfect in others.

For the first 3 years of business, I dipped my toe into a few networking and event opportunities, but never awards. I chose exceedingly carefully whom I associated myself with within the VA industry, reaching out to those with whom my values were aligned - like Amanda Johnson and Joanne Manville . And I made sure that when I built The VA Lounge ® , the vibe and values were very clear to attract the right people.

I hold my hands up though, as my understanding of awards within the industry was totally and completely wrong.

They are nothing to do with being judged or getting approval from others. They are not an arena to dismiss and not be part of. In fact they are probably the most important arena of the industry to associate yourself with.

Awards, if you are nominated, a finalist, a winner, a sponsor, a supporter, or the organiser, have one underlying reason for existence - to be a huge celebration of your industry and peers.

My error in thinking has come with a price of missing out on such amazing events, until this year when I’ve jumped in at the deep end and totally immersed myself within them.

I’ve still been quite conscious of the environment around me, as I am (as everyone is) a work in progress and still protective of my energy, but entering awards and attending award events has brought me more than I ever thought possible.

October 2022

My award adventure started in the realm of The PA Forum, with the amazing Daniel Skermer and his team. 

Now I’d been watching Daniel and his events on LinkedIn for some time and was feeling the urge of wanting to participate in the glamour. It was too much joy when a DM landed in my inbox from him to say that the Independent VA Award was open to national VAs due to the realm in which we work. 

I had instant FOMO and decided to forward the nomination request to my lovely loyal direct clients and ask, “if you have 5 minutes and fancy nominating me then here’s a link”.

All of them did.

I could of course nominate myself. However, this is where my ick starts.

There is nothing wrong with nominating yourself for an award. In fact, if you have a marketing and PR head on, it is a great way to invest in getting your name far and wide, but like I’ve said previously - I got issues!

The PA Forum West Midlands Awards is a full calendar year event, with celebrations for nominees in January, further celebrations for the finalists in May, with the Award ceremony in July.

Now Daniel knows a lot of things and can deliver many a skill, and throwing an awesome shindig is definitely one of them! The celebrations in January set a benchmark and I remember thinking, if this is just the first event, the award ceremony is going to knock my socks off. 

And of course it did!

Not only did I manage to spend the evening with some amazing VA Loungers, and some industry connections, but I also made new connections on the dance floor. But, of course, on Table 23! #JoshForTheWin!

It isn’t just about the partying though - honest!

It is about the coming together and the celebration of your peers - your peers within the admin industry as a whole.

That is why I wanted to be involved and support The UK VA Conference and Awards hosted by Amanda Johnson. It was the right time for The VA Lounge and for me personally. Amanda is someone that I have always admired and looked up to, with her honest, straight talking and exceedingly relatable life antics (don’t trust her with your hamster though!). It was an honour to be welcomed in.

The UK VA Conference and Awards was exceedingly special. The pre-drinks meeting before the day probably more so in some ways.

I speak about the admin industry as a whole, and the VA industry does sit within this, but the VA industry is separate and a somewhat different vibe. Maybe I can even say a “rebel” vibe. The naughty kids who are fuelled on caffeine, sugar and freedom. And more so comradery and understanding, and acknowledgment of each other and our individual paths.

If you ever find yourself as a non VA in a room full of VAs, you are going to be leaving as an honorary VA . Never have I ever felt so welcome, understood and supported as I do when I am surrounded by VAs.

The UK VA Conference and Awards expanded my VA network, meeting people that I instantly clicked with, Suzy Rennison , Amy Goss , Hazel Day , Elspeth Coppock , Abigail Glover , Kirsty Walton and Paula Edwards , to name a few and I know that I will have a long relationship with. The VA Awards celebrated the best of the best, with maybe the most relatable win being for Laura Taylor  for lead VA with a small team. Laura was in full action at the conference - supporting her client and being “US”. Delivering what we (VAs) do on a daily basis. When she won the award, I think every person in that room felt a little win with her.

Bringing my awards experience to an end, I’m pre-writing this blog in The Hilton in Reading (hopefully no fires here tonight! IYKYK), waiting to attend The PA Strategic Network Awards where I am one of the finalists for VA of the Year award.

I’ve turned up early to work, and because you can never prepare for how the M25 is going to treat you. I’ve been greeted by connections that I have met at previous events like The PA Show, but also friendly faces that I am yet to meet. It feels welcoming, warm and a bit like home. 

The evening is yet to begin but already I have had chats with Keynote Speakers and hugs with Lindsay Taylor FInstAM , Sid Madge and Paula Harding .

It is going to be a big turnout to celebrate the admin industry, with some faces I know and some I don’t. I’m on my own on this one, so will be hunting out those friendly faces in the crowd and making new friends at dinner - good luck to them!

What have I learnt from participating in this year’s award season, well……

👉Just do it!

What have you got to lose? What is going to happen if you don’t win?

Your clients or boss aren’t going to stop working with you.

You are going to gain more from entering than you will from not, so do it!

👉Being nominated can build your credibility and trust with people and potential clients.

It is great PR and can get your brand - personal and business - seen by many outside your network circle.

👉Networking is where the magic happens. People talk to people who talk to people. Leave them with a lasting impression. Even if it is that you are a mad squirrel tech geek. Your network delivers opportunity, not just on the work front, but for support, growth and understanding.

👉Nominating someone can build their confidence, your relationship with them and benchmarks your own standard of excellence - especially if you are known for going above and beyond. Your reputation is impacted by association, so if you are seen to have an amazing team this reflects on you!

👉When submitting an application or your response to a nomination take your time. 

Write it, re-write it and get someone else to read it. And if you have to record a video then make sure you script it and don’t gabble! It’s hard to fit all your greatness into a character limit or video time, so make sure you really focus on your USP (YOU if you are wondering) and relate it to the criteria within the award.

👉Be conscious of the events you associate yourself with, and the cost. 

There are many a big award in the UK that charge you for entering. As a VA do you really need this much exposure from a huge national campaign - or is there something that aligns with your values and more in an area of your industry of excellence that suits you? Choose wisely.

👉Even though you might be one of many nominees, don’t ever be afraid of the “competition”. No one is really your competition. Think of them as your companion of celebration. 

👉Don’t be afraid of being in The Losers Club. Now you aren’t really a loser, most of you know I don’t take myself at all seriously, so when I say Loser’s Club it is a joke. The fact that there are awards ceremonies that you can be part of for your profession should be celebrated, and you will gain so much for your business and learn about yourself - maybe even knocking down a few personal barriers along the way!

👉Interviews can be scary, especially if you have crossed paths a few time with the judges. Just be yourself, prep as much as you can, but don’t be afraid to take a minute before you answer. You are there for a reason, own your skills, your passion and your experience that has got you to this point.

Upcoming events and awards

The UK VA Conference and Awards - Bournemouth October 2024, make sure to follow Amanda Johnson for when the dates are announced and grab yourself an early bird ticket. And, of course, get nominated once the nominations open! As long as there are no family disasters I will be there next year and I hope many of you will be too.

The PA Forum West and East Midlands Awards - you can now nominate your stars for 2024. Well worth getting involved in for the ambience, the true celebration and the passion that the PA Forum delivers.

The Strategic PA Network Awards - a celebratory, informative evening that helps you expand your network and celebrate all different aspects of the admin industry. Held in October, but with many events throughout the year covering the South and South East of the UK.

Local business award - make sure to check out local awards to you.

Clair Abrey - Virtual Assistant and Vikkie Richmond ACIM are both involved in specific award nominations local to them and are a fantastic way to get your brand, name and expertise out to your local community.

Entering awards could be seen as a strategic marketing move by many, and they sort of are. However, what I have gained the most from them is the connection to others, the expansion of my network and, of course, the celebration of my and others' skills within the industry.

I’ve also had a great time, dancing, eating amazing food and drinking the odd cocktail here and there. I’ve seen more of the UK this year than I have in the past 4 years, enjoyed driving again and loved venturing out into the real world!

But it’s winter now and I’m going back into hibernation in my virtual bubble. So if you want to see my face, then you either need to invite me to your Christmas party or nip along to the Coffee Club in The VA Lounge on a Tuesday!

See you at the next awards event!

#VirtualAssistant

#Awards

#VA #PA #EA

#AdminstrativeProfessionals

PS I walked away with a Highly Commended in The VA of the Year category which I am chuffed to bits with.

PPS If you have got to the end of this and not fallen asleep then you deserve your own award!