Whether it's in a trade newsletter or in the pages of company newsletter, a beaming healthcare executive is posing for the camera when handed a plaque or certificate. Why isn't that person you?
Just how important is such recognition for your career? Should you vigorously enter competitions for awards?
"I'm all for visibility," said Carole Hyatt, author of "Lifetime Employability: How To Become Indispensable" (Master Media, $12.95). Hyatt, an internationally known lecturer, author, speaker and career specialist, says no one should be shy about seeking recognition.
"Wallflowers do not work in today's economy, especially in the healthcare industry. We are moving around so rapidly in this world of projects that awards give you a validation people will respond to," says Hyatt. A prestigious award "lets people know you are a leader and that you stand out from the pack."
"It is so important to recognize marketers, give them a moment and encourage them," said Susan Dubuque, president of MSI, a marketing communications firm in Tennessee and a Touchstone award winner several years ago from the Association for Healthcare Marketing and Public Relations. "Too many times we work so hard that we forget to market ourselves."
Jean Marie Boylan, a cancer public affairs coordinator from Bend, Ore., is a recent recipient of a C. Everett Koop award for healthcare public affairs. Boylan created a widely-known AIDS campaign.
For women like Boylan, who has succeeded in a competitive field, and those who aspire to her profession, awards are especially inspirational. "I guess I can't quit now," said Boylan in her acceptance speech last year.
Hazel King, president and owner of H.A. King & Associates Inc., a healthcare marketing and PR communications company in Chicago, recognizes he value of awards.
"(They) certainly add to your credibility and visibility in the community," says King, who has been honored several times with awards, including the Small Business Administration's Small Business Advocate of The Year in 1994.
However, self-promotion doesn't come naturally or easily for many.
"People, especially women, are way too humble. We sit back and say this is what we should be doing and we don't need an award," said Dubuque. However, women dominate the healthcare and PR fields.
"Women tend to be more modest," said Rose Wolfe, a partner at Deloitte & Touche, New York, and founder of the firm's Women's Initiative for Networking, a group that encourages self-promotion. "They don't understand they need to promote themselves and be confident (about) their accomplishments."
Awards and honors help "men and women in their careers by validating their expertise and value to the firm," said Wolfe. "They need to participate in external organizations, either industry-related or not-for-profit," she said.
"They should seek positions on committees and awards." Dubuque said joining an industry association such as the Alliance For Healthcare Strategy and Marketing is a good move, but an umbrella organization for networking provides opportunities for broader recognition. Such organizations include the American Marketing Association or the Public Relations Association of America. Once you've joined, seek out past award winners for advice. Few are chosen without making their eligibility known.
And while awards enhance one's resume, constantly and aggressively seeking them is not wise. Make your talents and successes known, but don't lobby for the crown every season, said Dubuque.
If you are singled out for an honor, "Make sure everyone knows about it," she advised. Send out a press release to the company newsletter and the local paper. "Most people are waiting to be asked to dance, but that's an old-fashioned myth," she said. "It is appropriate to blow your own horn."
(Women's Initiative for Networking, 212/879-9001, Alliance for Healthcare Strategy and Marketing, 312/704/9700)