It’s the top of the 12 months, and meaning awards. There’s one which is at all times steeped in thriller, that of the person award. Be it a fellowship or a person advantage award, the method to resolve who will get what isn’t typically clear. Most are nominated by a gaggle who then select the ultimate identify. It’s additionally typically unclear as to what these persons are being chosen for, and little data is revealed after the aim. There’s little in the best way of openness, transparency or understanding of why these individuals characterize the very best within the business. What you do see is these deciding who’s awarded typically selecting individuals they know personally, or individuals who replicate them, or (as is usually the case) there’s a monetary purpose for the choice.
This 12 months’s awards have been no completely different, with little reasoning as to why anybody was chosen. There’s additionally an over reliance on individuals based mostly within the UAE. Whereas I perceive that the nation is residence to a lot of the area’s multinationals and regional company HQs, it’s not consultant of the broader area. Simply have a look at what is occurring by way of growth in Saudi Arabia, international occasions such because the Qatar World Cup, or regional media powerhouses like Egypt and Lebanon. That is however a pattern or what is occurring by means of the Center East’s marcomms sector.
Given the variety of the area, these behind such awards must do rather more to achieve past the UAE’s borders and discover these from the Center East who’ve each achievements to their identify and who can characterize function fashions to the subsequent technology of entrepreneurs and communicators.
I’d hope that the media and the teams behind such awards consciously think about the necessity to honor professionals from throughout the area, particularly those that have main achievements to their identify and who’ve supported the expansion of their colleagues. It additionally must be clear to the viewers why these persons are being known as out, with a clear course of.
After all, there’s additionally the problem of these being awarded having upstanding values (with a give attention to ethics and morality). However that’s a separate weblog publish…
Based mostly on the above, who’s your function mannequin? Who would you nominate for a person achievement award? I’m curious to listen to your ideas.
