Each year, professional communicators can submit their best work for consideration for a Gold Quill Award, a highly selective awards program that evaluates entries against a global standard to identify “the best of the best.” All entries are evaluated by international professional communicators.
We talked with Amy Lilja, of the IABC Minnesota chapter, about her recent IABC Gold Quill Award of Merit at the World Conference in Toronto, Canada. Amy’s award, her second, was one of 27 awarded to U.S. communicators in a field of 134 recipients worldwide.
In Amy’s case, the award recognizes an innovative, strategic communications program that increased participation in her company’s annual engagement survey. The project demonstrated a full range of planning and management skills, collaboration, influence and business results.
Amy, senior manager of employee communications for CPC (Colder Products Company), an operating company of Dover Corporation that designs and manufactures connector products, has more than ten years of experience in corporate communications.
“What was unique about this project is that it was done in the first six months of me joining the company and establishing their dedicated employee communications function,” said Amy. “It was a way to demonstrate the power and potential of strategic communication to an organization that had previously been more tactically focused.”
The initiative increased employee participation from 71% to nearly 94%, providing leaders with important insights about the employee experience during a time of major change in the organization. At the same time, the effort reinforced the company’s historically positive, fun and deeply connected culture to many new employees and an increasingly diverse and dispersed team.
“I like to challenge myself to perform at my best and help elevate the reputation of business communications,” said Amy. “There’s no guarantee of receiving a Gold Quill Award, but the effort and growth are really what matter.”
As someone who has always worked in-house at companies with smaller communications teams, Amy says she appreciates the connections she had made with other communicators through IABC. A member since 2015, Amy has taken advantage of many of the organization’s opportunities for connection and learning.
“It’s nice to pass along insights and best practices, support each other through common challenges, and enjoy the company of people with the same passion and purpose.”
Learn more about IABC Gold Quill Awards.
Read more about Amy and her Gold Quill Award.