Internal benefits
There is a new perspective on the work completed and the projects being undertaken when compiling information for an award submission. It is a unique opportunity to benchmark your progress as an individual, team and wider organisation, particularly if it is a category you are seeking to enter year-on-year.
When applying to awards, it forces the applicant to examine their business in a critical manner and compare it to competitors and previous experiences. This helps data leaders consider ways in which their approaches and operations can be improved for the future, as well as identifying new areas for exploration. This in itself can become a prime candidate for an award submission!
Award nominations – and ultimately wins – are prime ways of improving team morale, cohesion and ambition. Data teams are constantly operating at the edge of the budgets and – more often than not – with a reduced team, so developing motivation is core to excelling in the industry. Winning awards impacts team morale and improves motivation. Team members focus on what is great about the business, the data team, the projects and the opportunities available to them, and this gets maximised when their individual or collective efforts are recognised and rewarded. Even if the team does not win the ultimate prize, hold a staff meeting to celebrate being shortlisted and nominated against the best in the industry. Ensure that team members and business decision makers are invited to the awards galas so they can network, learn more about their talents compared to rivals and have an exciting night out.
Organisational benefits
The first major benefit for the wider organisation is that being shortlisted for an award – and ultimately being crowned winner – is excellent free publicity for the business. This is very true in the short-term after the immediate award announcement, but it is also true (to a lesser degree) for long-term publicity as many awards maintain a historic list of nominees and winners, as well as seeking interviews with winners to discuss specific topics for industry publications.
Furthermore, award-winners can forever state that they won a certain title in a specific year for their work and efforts, which is a life-long claim to fame, particularly for industry-recognised awards. Previous winners of the DataIQ Awards and those listed in the 100 frequently include this badge of honour in their professional profiles, CVs and on business social media to demonstrate that their efforts have been recognised.
Businesses with award winners on their teams receive increased credibility and legitimacy in their chosen fields. By being able to state you have been peer reviewed and deemed worthy of an award indicates that not only does the business have the talent and resources to achieve these heights, but that the team members are actively engaged in wider industry conversations and events.
There is an increased draw of fresh talent to organisations that have award-winning teams and leaders. The data industry has been suffering with vacancies and a lack of specific talent for multiple years, so every opportunity to stand out from the competition is essential – and showcasing award-winning team dynamics, projects and programmes is a surefire way to draw attention from new talent.
The effort
The time of a CDO is valuable – they find themselves being pulled in every direction and have challenges that not many other department leaders face, so finding the time to craft an award entry is difficult. But it does not have to be done alone. Ask for input from your team, business leaders, clients, peers and other departments you have worked with. Some businesses utilise their marketing and public relations teams and are able to get assistance crafting award submissions through them.
Data professionals work hard to achieve great things for their teams and businesses, but they often get overlooked as they tend to perform in the shadows. Now is the time for data leaders to grasp the spotlight and shine it on the work of data teams to highlight their importance and benefits to businesses of all shapes, sizes and niches.
Nominations for the DataIQ 100 2024 are now open. Showcase the excellence of yourself and peers in the data world. Click here to submit your free nomination.
