107: Donna O’Toole on a strategic approach to winning awards

Donna O'Toole is the Founder of August Recognition, a business dedicated to helping other businesses to win awards as part of their marketing strategy. Donna and her team advise on the strategic timing of award entries, leveraging past successes, and aligning award participation with business goals. 

Donna also talks about her own challenges as a business leader, including navigating uncertainty, adapting to change, and providing clarity to her team. 

I’ve entered and won awards in the past but Donna has explained how much more there is to creating a compelling entry. I particularly loved her award personas and the fact that mindset and different perspectives are also a key component to being successful. 

I’ve worked with Donna and her team over several years and seen her grow her business substantially. Their dedication to helping their clients demonstrate credibility and achievements is exemplary. Donna’s ability to balance business ambition with empathy ensures she gets the best from and for her team, enabling them to do the same for their clients.

How well are you balancing results, with empathy and relationships?

You can find out more about Donna O’Toole and August Awards at https://www.augustawards.com

Topics covered:

·      Strategic approach to entering awards (00:01:18) 

·      Understanding the judge's perspective (00:05:10) 

·      Different personas in award entries (00:07:16) 

·      Maximizing the value of winning awards (00:10:21) 

·      Overcoming mindset barriers (00:15:22) 

·      Strategic Approach to Awards (00:20:05) 

·      Uncertainty and Clarity (00:21:29) 

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