The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to President Obama on Friday, October 9th. Ever since the award was announced, sentiments of praise, confusion, anger… have been expressed across every medium. President Obama himself was humbled by the award, although he didn’t believe that his work to date had risen to the level that is symbolic of the prize. Hilary Clinton noted on the Sunday morning talk shows that she felt he won the award because of “his attitude toward his role in the world.” If you were to do a google search with the words “why Obama won the Noble Peace Prize,” over 3500 entries will be noted. Each of these will carry a different spin, a different perspective, a different viewpoint around why he won, and possibly why he isn’t worthy of the award.
So what is the lesson regarding the bigger world, especially in the world of business?
The lesson is quite simple. If a prize is awarded and no one understands why they received it, especially the receiver of the award, you have a problem. Therefore before a prize is awarded, it should meet certain criteria. These being:
- The communication surrounding the prize and why it is being awarded must be clear and concise.
- The recipient of the award must have clearly demonstrated to the committee and the community why they are worthy of the prize.
- The recipient of the prize must exemplify the standards and inherent meaning of the award
Possibly the most coveted prize of all, The Nobel Peace Prize hit a big thud last week. I’m not saying whether President Obama deserved the award or not. I’m saying that the Nobel Committee didn’t clearly communicate, nor demonstrate why President Obama deserved and earned this award. And that is a problem.
The Lesson: Don’t let this happen to you and the awards you extend to those around you for their exempilary service. Be certain you can authenically convey the reason and a corresponding message for extending the award. If you can’t, the significance of the award will be diminished.
A very thoughtful piece.