And the winner is . . . .

by Helen Vollmer, VOLLMER CEO

So “Slumdog Millionaire,” Kate Winslet and Sean Penn are big winners this year (http://www.oscars.com/). Hooray-- it’s award season! Most industries (not just the entertainment world) are in the throes right now of submitting their work or nominating their people to be recognized by their peers. Heck, as a past winner I’m even headed to New York in a couple of weeks to judge the upcoming Public Relations Society of America’s annual Silver Anvil entries (http://www.prsa.org/). Awards madness is everywhere I look.

So the real question I always ask about this time as our staff is busily preparing award entries is “who cares?” Does all the effort that goes into submitting awards pay off? Is there any payback for winning? Why are we taking our eye off the ball to pat ourselves on the back?

I really struggle with this every year. I come from the school of if you do really good work that should be enough reward in and of itself (how German of me). But I’ve come to realize that it’s really not about the awards; it’s about celebrating achievement, having pride in your work and often times overcoming odds to succeed.

Researchers cite that recognition by our peers is more valuable than monetary rewards—it is an engine that motivates us to persevere and to continue striving for excellence in all things. In fact, an article in Psychology Today (www.psychologytoday.com) by author Peter Doskoch comes to the conclusion that “passion and perseverance may be more important to success than mere talent.”

Grit counts. It just might be character as well as talent that not only wins awards, but rules the day. And character, my friends, may be inherent to some degree but clearly often blossoms under the guidance of parents, relatives, teaches and coaches, spiritual leaders and yes-even bosses-when they encourage individuals to be the best they can be, to learn from failure, to think independently and to feel good about themselves.

We have a client, Sheila Aron, who has just written a wonderful parenting book, “I’m Glad I’m Me, Weaving the Thread of Love From Generation to Generation” (http://www.amazon.com/) that is meant to read out loud to children. The premise is that in a given day there are many opportunities to tell someone they are loved or to build their confidence and self-esteem. Building character and getting people to believe in themselves can be hard work that takes consistency and perseverance in and of itself. And this is a lesson that not just children need to hear.

It occurs to me that entering awards this season, perhaps more than in years past, may be more meaningful than it has been in awhile. Reflecting positively on our accomplishments gives new relevance to our life’s work, whatever that may be. So much the better if we actually win awards and our peers acknowledge our success.

But whatever the outcome, entering an award-no matter how time consuming the entry-gives us pause to reflect all that we are capable of achieving as human beings. We just need to continue to believe in ourselves, find passion in what we do and persevere. We are all winners-right, Mickey Rourke?