Storytelling for the Big Win
I've never been a big fan of awards. To me, they’ve always felt insider-y, more about an industry celebrating itself than an viable honor that actually moves the needle or leads to genuine positive growth. I certainly don't begrudge anyone winning an award – I've won a few myself – but the effort and accompanying bragging rights feel a bit empty and unnecessary.
Even the big guns, the Tony's, Oscars, Grammy's, Emmy's, are just not my jam. The Nobels? Too political. Pulitzers? Too esoteric. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? Seriously, that band? Brand awards, achievement awards, performance awards, all fun, all lovely gestures, but to what ultimate end?
Yet every now and then my cold heart thaws. An award is bestowed on a story that actually counts, and I find myself nodding enthusiastically, thinking, 'Now there you go! That award makes sense.' Last week was one of those rare now and thens.
I was invited to emcee Cisco's annual Pinnacle Awards, an occasion that recognizes extraordinary achievements by some of the world's leading engineers, and the technologies they've created to solve civilization's most perplexing and deeply vital challenges. We're not talking about new LLMs, apps, gadgets, or data lakes; we're talking lives saved en masse, disasters averted, and nations uplifted. And there I was, onstage with the winners, tearing up over their passion, grateful for them, for their brilliance, and for their award-worthy fortitude.
The sharp point of the right story
Cisco is a global organization with over 28,000 engineers applying powerful skills to advance and secure society. This particular ceremony honored just six of their projects. Tough odds. And while every technology Cisco's experts create has a worthy story, some #corporatestorytelling hones to a sharper point.
Recipients reconfigured Ukraine's electric grid to maintain power as they repel Russia's invasion. Piercing, meaningful, personal. They unified disparate networks into a singular architecture boosting national infrastructures. They maximized radio frequency extending WiFi to the planet's most remote and underserved locations. They improved testing speeds by 300x to clear production bottlenecks and get solutions that serve billions into the market faster than ever before.
These stories extend past the recipients honored for their skills. They deserve recognition, but their work delivers exceptional, expansive benefit to so many. And that’s what deserves celebration. Some winners were teams of 50, spread across nations, who invested five years of their lives bringing these remarkable projects to reality. Such lightning in a bottle is so rare, but when it hits, it merits celebration.
People first, products second
We celebrate successful communication in the same way; the sharper the point, the clearer the value, and the more impact it creates for those who hear it and realize benefit from it.
No sector illustrates this better than technology. Tech for tech's sake is just another product for sale; the differentiator is in how that tech positively alters the lives of the unique individuals who deploy it. This year’s Pinnacle Award winners envisioned then enacted tech that improves human lives and builds communities. They’re rewarded for putting people over products.
Each of us can assess the quality of our professional and personal engagements – and whether they deserve to awarded or discarded – using similar criteria. Leadership can choose to pitch product and give orders, or it can choose to elevate others and create positive transformation. Every time we speak to our employees, or present to a session audience, we either sell something or empower and uplift. One deserves recognition, the other does not.
Bottom Line
Mary Kay Ash, founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics, said, "There are two things people want more than sex and money: recognition and praise." Receiving an award temporarily satisfies both desires. But that short-term award pales next to the long-time reward of creating something that deeply serves and truly lasts.
Most speakers stand onstage or in front of their teams in order to impress or prove value. Audiences tune out this kind of #CorporateStorytelling. Speakers who instead share their knowledge with greater purpose and a deep, clear commitment to benefit others build their influence, and truly earn praise.
Award-worthy connection is atypical. The most honest awards go to those who sharpen the point, assure mass value, and strive to be one of the six out of 28,000 leaders in their industry making a real difference. I believe in delivering the big win for as many people as possible.
