By Cindy Dopson, CHRP

Recognition can be a powerful thing. And truly worth the time and effort it takes to submit a nomination for one of BC HRMA’s Professional Awards.

Last year, Nina Simone and Krista Lampman from BC Children’s Hospital Foundation nominated their colleague Cheryl Stafford for the Award of Excellence: HR Professional of the Year. The two experienced first-hand how the outcome was worth the work.

“I lived, ate and dreamed that thing. Cheryl was so deserving. I wanted the nomination to be perfect, to get her through the process,” said Simone.

“This was our opportunity to give back for all she has done for us,” added Lampman.   

And the results were definitely worth it to them.  They were excited to learn that Stafford had become a finalist; in fact, it generated excitement throughout their entire organization.

“We communicated to staff through our Intranet and at an all-staff meeting.  When we started educating people about the calibre of the award people saw it as a big deal. They had a lot of pride in Cheryl, and in the organization as well,” said Simone. 

All of the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation’s executive team, as well as the HR team, attended the awards presentation evening to show their support for Stafford – recognition that was as meaningful to her as the recognition from the HR community. “I felt like I had already won – there was huge pride in it for me,” said Stafford.

And how did Stafford feel about the process? While she admits that there is a fair amount of work for a nominee – preparing a presentation for the judging panel, filming the nominee videos and other promotional pieces – she got a lot out of it as well.  “It was exciting to get a chance to present in front of your peers.  And it didn’t feel competitive. It felt like we were all winners,” she said, adding that she and the other nominees communicated throughout the process. “You form a very different connection with the other people going through it.”   

Stafford appreciates that the awards are not just for elite people in the HR community.  “The people nominated are the people whose teams are behind them.  Those are the people whose teams took the time and value them – our community is filled with so much talent, it is so wonderful to celebrate it.”

The advice Simone and Lampman have for anyone considering nominating an HR professional in their organization is to get perspectives from the many people that person impacts.

“We wanted to make sure we were touching all the people and places we needed to in order to be thorough – asking pointed questions of people in the organization, gathering data from multi-sources to get the information we needed to put the final package together,” said Simone.

“We had one perspective, but wanted to show the rounded view of who she was and the value she brings,” added Lampman. They also took advantage of the support the awards committee offers, having a committee member work with them throughout the process.

And they learned that Stafford didn’t need to win in order for their nomination to have been a success.  At the awards event Barry Cook, Managing Partner at Western Compensation & Benefits Consultants, shared with Simone that it is a distinct honor to be nominated, and to become a finalist is incredible.  Simone now knows he is right and Stafford agrees: “The recognition was almost overwhelming.”

The nomination has had a lasting impact for Stafford.  She believes becoming a finalist has reinforced her brand by adding credibility and trust to both herself and her organization.  And she hopes it has an impact beyond her as well. “Hopefully it inspires other people. I hope other HR professionals watch the videos and get inspired,” she said.  (view videos of last year’s awards finalists)

The deadline for award nominations is December 3, 2010 at 5:00pm PST.

 If you are interested in putting together a nomination and would like support from the awards committee, please contact Quinne Davey at qdavey@bchrma.org or 604.694.6943.

Cindy Dopson, CHRP, is the Human Resources Director for the BC Cancer Foundation. She has been a member of the Awards Committee for a number of years, and also volunteers with the Vancouver HR Non-Profit Roundtable.  She is passionate about creating work environments that are dynamic, productive, and fun to be a part of.