The countdown is on to get your organisation entered in the Westpac Rotorua Business Excellence Awards. This is a great opportunity to showcase your business, your staff and celebrate your journey to success.
In this article, I want to demystify and encourage you to have the confidence to enter your business into the awards.
So, the question is "Why would I enter the business awards?" Followed by "How much time is involved? I don't understand the entry criteria and questions, what do the judges do? What happens at the presentation weekend? And what if we don't get to be a finalist?"
These are all valid and very real questions. At our last workshop we had Kellie Hamlett, director, Talent ID and Richie Fullard, GM, Osborne's Funeral Home, who shared their experiences both from an entrant and a judging perspective.
Their words of wisdom are invaluable and are summarised below;
Writing the entry - Closing date July 14
- You don't have to know all the answers to the questions at the start, you may not even understand how to answer a question at first. Ask questions from previous winners, talk to previous judges - how have they approached the questions? what does the question mean to them?
- Complete the entry form well, answer everything, and be succinct.
Preliminary judging - July 24 - August 15
- This interview is very important - this is when you can go into real depth and flesh out your written entry to support what you have written.
Finalist judging - September 23-24
- "Wow" the judges at your presentation - don't go over everything in your written entry - stick to the main points you want to get across - do it in a creative way.
- Involve the whole team - perhaps they could answer some questions, make it a real team exercise because if you win, the whole team stands proud and they feel totally involved in the celebration. It is not just about you the owner, it is about the organisation and everyone who helps to make it great.
- You may not get it all right the first time you enter - the judges feedback will be crucial to how you approach your entry the next year. Some organisations have entered two or three times before winning.
- And finally, if you don't make the finalists, no one knows because it is totally confidential - and if you are a finalist then it is very worthy accolade.