Scaling walls, swinging from rope to rope and jumping from one block to another can be quite similar to the experience of winning an award.
Just like a Ninja Warrior episode, there can be many highs and lows to winning an award – with just one misstep you can fall flat on your face.
In June, Illuminance Solutions was fortunate to win two prestigious awards; Microsoft’s Global Partner of the Year 2019 – Partner for Social Impact Award and a Business News Rising Stars Award for Diversity in workplace.
There’s no denying the benefits these awards bring; recognition on an international stage, news coverage, increased brand awareness and perhaps a competitive advantage.
But just because you’ve won some awards does not mean life is about to get easy – your Ninja Warrior journey is far from over.
Success is not final
Since winning these awards, it’s been hard to wipe the grin off my face with all the kind words of support and congratulations.
That doesn’t mean I can kick-back, relax and start binging a Netflix series.
It’s time for the real work to begin because an award can quickly turn your company into a bullseye.
Armed with a bow and arrow, your competitors start to take aim – not just at your service offerings and innovative ideas, but also at your staff.
And just when you think you’ve overcome that obstacle, you come up against a wall of expectations, higher than it’s ever been before.
Being an underdog has its advantages in that there are certain pardons that come with being underestimated. After winning an award, those footholds that once helped you reach the top of that wall of client expectations have since been smoothed over.
Winning an award also exposes you to more companies seeking partnership opportunities, but it’s equally important to nurture those collaborations and relationships you’ve already built.
What has this meant for Illuminance? We’ve just needed to up our game, shift our perspective and operate at an even higher level.
And keep in mind the words of Winston Churchill; “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”
A winner is just a loser who tried one more time
I’ve come up against tall poppy syndrome during my time in Perth, and awards can magnify that too.
But that has only helped highlight how important it is to remain focused on your vision, so you can keep navigating your way through the remainder of life’s obstacle course.
From selling ball pens at school to earn a bit of pocket money, to leading an organisation focused on creating tech for social impact, my Ninja Warrior journey so far has been full of interesting twists and turns.
I’ve learned a few tricks along the way.
As long as you stay true to your values and mission, and remember the people along the way who helped you, whether its your staff or clients or family, then what led you down this path of success will lead you to even greater achievements.
Now we’ve got some awards under our belt, Illuminance is ready to tackle the next set of challenges, and maybe even win some more awards.
As Geroge M.Moore Jr said, “a winner is just a loser who tried one more time.”
Illuminance Solutions is a Microsoft Gold Partner and a 2019 Microsoft Global Partner of the Year: Partner for Social Impact.
Talk to us about how to improve your customer service, optimise your resources and use technology to deliver innovative solutions.