As a keen networker I knew I could utilise my contacts, but that this would be time consuming & in fairness my day job kept me busy.
Having attended several awards events during my career & won a few of them, I often found myself chasing award winners down to better understand what made them a winner. Call it a ‘eureka’ moment but it suddenly hit me – If I was to become a judge it would give me exposure to some of the best practices out there & help me further build out my network!

That was nine years ago & I’ve not looked back. I’ve just signed up to judge at the Customer Experience Awards 2019 (my favourite) & can’t wait to see some of my fellow judges, many of which I now call friends.

So, does judging give me what I was looking for? Quite simply ‘yes’, being a judge gives me exposure, fresh ideas & networking opportunities that aren’t available every day. My organisation also benefits – they get a manager back more motivated, with new ideas, an enhanced network & quite simply a spring in his step.

If you’re reading this blog, then I’ll assume you are considering becoming a judge. My advice is don’t ‘consider’ it, just ‘do it’ – you won’t regret it & neither will the corporate you work for.