Yay - We are State Finalists in the Telstra Best of Business Awards!
I started the process way back in April this year, and after making it through Stage 2, I told myself I was happy with that! That’s good enough.
These are one of the most prestigious awards in the country and getting to Stage 2 was an achievement in itself. I felt I had ‘no hope’ of making it through the next leg or the leg after, so why bother?
I built out an entire shopping list of reasons why I would fail:
My Business probably wasn’t as a big, or making as much money, or as established as some of the other businesses that were applying.
Have you ever done that? Disqualified yourself from something you might have accomplished?
What changed, was that instead of thinking of the process as being externally judged by others, I viewed it as an internal opportunity to evaluate the business against the stringent judging criteria. The Telstra awards occur over multiple stages, include verbal and written presentations, and they explore and examine every area of your business, past, present and future. They leave no stone unturned.
As I pored over the 7,500 word written submission for Stage 3, I started to learn a lot about myself and the business. I started to notice my blindspots and to create pathways through them. My plans for the future gained more clarity and I was able to create more action around the strategies to achieve them.
I was so proud and excited with my responses, that I decided “what the heck?’and I clicked the ‘submit’ button. You could have knocked me down with a feather when I found out that I had advanced to the next stage. It was a complete surprise.
The next stage involved a panel Q&A session with the judges. Because my written answers were authentic and heartfelt, I was able to confidently and passionately speak to all their questions. I was able to convey my goals and share my love and excitement for disrupting the board landscape. I demonstrated that I had a strong purpose; positioning diversity as not just a matter of equality, but as a strategic advantage for our boards and businesses.
My knees were shaking after the interview. I knew I had knocked it out of the park. I had left everything on the field and all I could do was wait to hear if it was good enough.
And to my utter delight, excitement and disbelief, I received the email confirming that we had made State Finalist in Victoria. Something so monumental to my business, such a milestone in my career, and it almost very nearly never happened because I doubted myself and almost excused myself from entering.
A glorious thank you goes out to all my wonderful clients; the Board Stars. This business is nothing without you.
Congratulations to the other 5 finalists in the Victoria Accelerating Women category, and to the other 200+ finalists. We did it! A sterling achievement out of 22,000 entries.
Is there anything you're disqualifying yourself from?
#TelstraBestofBusinessAwards
Portfolio Manager at Baird Specialized Asset Management (SAM)
1wWell deserved recognition!