Episode 38 – Part 2: Did Anything Change After Winning the RICS Matrics Awards with Zoe Baker and Joe Ellison

The following transcript is autogenerated so may contain errors.

Matt Nally: In part two of this week’s episode with Zoe and Joe, we’re going to look at life after winning the award or the Bricks Matrix awards. With part one, if you missed it, we’ve looked at why did they apply some interesting thoughts in there. So take a look at that, but yeah, let’s take a look at life after the award.

So. I don’t know if maybe you want to go first this time, Zoe, but how did you, I think I know how you felt about it, what I was on your table, luckily for that particular event. But what, yeah, what were the benefits being? How did you feel about it?

Zoe Baker: I just remember the tension building just before my name was announced at the table.

And I think Matt, you actually said, I felt the tension. I think I stopped breathing. I was like, you need to go

Matt Nally: up now. Yeah,

Zoe Baker: I was in complete utter shock. I don’t think I’ve ever been shocked in my whole entire life. But but yes, life after the award. Initially winning it, it was very overwhelming and it was it was an amazing feeling.

just to feel that I’ve been recognized [00:01:00] by an external review system, which isn’t with me every day, but I’ve been able to put across, what I’ve been doing, and it’s been recognized which was incredible. But I also did get some opportunities after that. So I spoke at a couple of events the Sava Careers Fair, which was at the Coventry Stadium.

And I spoke at the RPSA annual conference at the British Moster Museum. And actually although I can speak quite well and confidently, Speaking in, on a stage in front of hundreds of people, I actually felt quite difficult. But that’s another thing that I had that imposter syndrome and I was like, I can’t do this, but I pushed myself the first time.

I was a nervous wreck. The second time I felt like a bit more relaxed cause I’d done it before. So ultimately you, you’re still going to feel a [00:02:00] bit nervous here and there, even if you win something and you think I’m onto it now. There’s, but don’t turn down the opportunities that come your way after just because you’re not used to doing something, I think that’s really important because when you apply for the award you’re not, you’re behind the screen, you don’t do anything in regards to a physical interview or anything like that. And then after you win, You become someone that people want to, take on and do things with and then you’re thinking, Oh God, can I do that?

But actually just go and do it because it would be really good for your professional profile to continue that momentum.

Matt Nally: Oh, definitely. I can imagine actually. It’s a good point. You go from sitting behind the computer doing the application to you’re in a room with a hell of a lot of people. on awards night and you’ve got the mood lighting and the dinner and all that stuff.

So suddenly it’s Oh, what have I done? Yeah.

Zoe Baker: Yeah. What have I created? [00:03:00] A big ball of anxiety, but no, it was brilliant and it definitely pushed me outside of my comfort zone. And I was able to build on skills that I had probably not really worked on for a few years, from when I was an employee.

I stood up and talked in front of people. That all went when I became a business owner. And, when you’re starting a business. It’s quite small. And then you’re only talking to people at work and it’s, you’re not really engaging with many other people. Yeah, it was like, Oh, wow.

All these people now know me and what I’ve done. This is scary. Take the positive from it because there’s, for your career, it can really help teleport you to the next step and opportunities start flying at you. And yeah, it’s fantastic.

Matt Nally: Definitely. What about you, Jo? I was have you found it?

Sort of winning the award and the benefits [00:04:00] after, if you notice the difference.

Joe Ellison: Yes. I think just firstly, reflecting on the awards night, whether or not you’re nominating yourself or whether you’re shortlisted or whatever, think about going to the awards night is something that I would also suggest to everyone because it’s such a good night and it’s not often that we as residential surveyors.

Get to get together and meet each other. Residential surveys is full of people working in their own small companies. And particularly for the people that the matrix awards are for the people up to 10 years qualified. It’s great to be able to just get together and have a chat with different people. But yeah, I think like Zoe says when your name’s called out, you go into a state of shock.

How do I walk again?

Matt Nally: Yeah.

Joe Ellison: Yeah. You’re suddenly in a room that is full of tables and you don’t really know how to get to the stage.

Zoe Baker: I’m glad you said that. You’ve won it twice, Joe. So [00:05:00] you might have got that both times.

Joe Ellison: And the first time I was sat at the very back of the room and working out how to get all the way to the front was difficult.

But yeah. You get an immediate rush, an immediate buzz, and I got an immediate boost of confidence as well, and that sort of propelled me through. And what I did almost immediately after that we’d the applications have just come out for the rics professional group panels so I applied for that a lot of that was based My application was based on the fact that I just won the matrix residential severity of the year and I got on to the residential professional group panel and it’s probably from that, that I’ve used my award.

It’s probably that, that I’ve used my award most for. But like with Zoe, from that I’ve sat on stages and stood on stages in front of [00:06:00] hundreds of people talking and I get the imposter syndrome too. And I, you have to go back and think about What you wrote and what got you the award to then think, yes, I can do this, but suddenly people know you.

And I was at a conference recently and people were coming up to me because they knew who I was. And that was just a very strange experience. Sort of feeling for me because I’m not the most vocal when it comes to social media, but people still, they’ve recognized your photo from the RICS publications and it is a great feeling.

Matt Nally: Oh, definitely. I’m similar to you. I’m not I think I don’t put. Much online. I tend to try and keep myself off there. Just, I don’t know why I’ve personally hidden on there, but but I completely agree. It’s, it was a really, it’s a really good night. I’ve been a couple of times and yeah, I’m not going for awards.

Not surveying [00:07:00] myself, but it’s a really good buzz and it’s nice to see the industry together and everyone’s very relaxed cause it’s not a work environment. And you just suddenly see that it’s. There’s a lot of people that you can talk to and then they relate to you.

So you have those conversations, but I imagine the same boost that you got from winning. Did you get that? I suppose from being nominated initially, cause that’s, you’re still being recognized at that point and there’s about six or so people in each category generally that will get the nomination. So I imagine that feels quite good too.

Joe Ellison: Oh, yeah, definitely. Like from the outset you get a buzz and it’s exciting and I I, we, when I went down to the awards last year, I was actually on the train with some other nominees and we were all, there was just a buzz about everyone because it’s just an exciting thing. It’s something that we all look forward to.

Matt Nally: Definitely. It was the same for you, Zoe.

Zoe Baker: And that is something to be just as proud of, to be honest, because you’ve already been recognised to be shortlisted. In a [00:08:00] way you have won something because you’ve still been recognised. So yeah, I remember receiving the email and, gobsmacked.

Okay. But yeah, but that you’re right. It’s nice. But then that, that then there’s a buildup because you get that news and then there’s a bit of a wait until the night. So it does, the feelings do build up over that time. Yeah, absolutely. And there’s

Joe Ellison: been a wait before then. So after you’ve pressed the submit button, waiting for the shortlist to come out is also the buildup.

So you go through these sort of ups and downs all the way through it.

Zoe Baker: If anyone wants to slow their life down, this is the way to do

Matt Nally: it. That’s a good advice. I think, cause everything does go so quickly now. Yeah. My last question on this topic is having. You’ve got into a position where you’ve gone for the award.

You’ve won. Is it motivated you to continue to do things consistently or [00:09:00] differently? Or is it changed the sort of the next goal you’ve got for what you want to achieve within your role? Or Joe, you mentioned you like the, you went through a period of going for it, going for awards.

If you got your eye on the next thing potentially, you don’t have to say that is you might not want to, but but yeah, does that change your motivations?

Joe Ellison: I think for me I’m a very motivated career motivated person anyway. So I will always push for more. And one of the things that you probably don’t expect after an award is to win the award.

And then within a couple of weeks, start thinking what’s next is there how do I. Beat this. How do I improve on this? Because you feel like there’s nowhere else to go. But then I come back to the different categories that you have to write about. And something that I’m particularly interested in is innovation.

And that’s one of the categories that you have to write about in the submission. And I think innovation, because that is just continuing onwards, then you’ve always got something to work towards and you can always Push for [00:10:00] more that might not be awards. You don’t have to be constant consistently going for awards throughout your career But it’s definitely a good springboard to then be able to push yourself further and further Either in your business or zoe did in bed and setting out your own business and the sort of the world’s your oyster once you’ve got that but there is a fear there.

There is certainly a fear straight after the awards of thinking, what do I do now?

Matt Nally: Yeah, it’s interesting. I saw a comment off the back of the Olympics. I think it was Simone Biles, the us gymnast. And she said, can we stop asking people when they’ve just won a medal? What’s next? I haven’t finished celebrating yet.

Yeah. What about you? So is it changed? You had the business already before you apply, but has it changed the focus on. Did it change straight after the focus on what you wanted to do? It’s been a couple of years nearly now.

Zoe Baker: Yeah it definitely motivated me to think about other things I wanted to do with business and that’s when I thought about writing a book and developing a product.

But that was [00:11:00] the motivation to do that because of all these ideas. Then you win an award and you go, ah, I could do it. So also it’s important to understand that you don’t have to win an award to recognize that you’ve got ability. So it’s using it in the right way, not relying on it to fuel you, but using it in the right way to, to push you.

Yeah, I would say that my mindset did change after that. It’s natural. For it to change. And I think that like I say, it’s not getting too obsessed with it to the extent where you’re relying on it to fuel your motivation, but that it’s like a nice thing to have attached to you.

And maybe it might help progress you a bit quicker, but you would have got there anyway, type thing,

Matt Nally: yeah, definitely. I think the key takeaway I’ve got from this, and correct me if I’m hearing it wrong, but for both of you, it’s apply, it’s good. It’s good to reflect on what you’ve done and [00:12:00] whether you actually submit the application there’s another thing and whether he wins another thing but actually even just reflecting on what you’ve done can be enough of a confidence boost to go, actually.

Yeah, I can do what I want to do next. Or, and brilliant. If you get nominated, that’s a recognition in itself. And obviously the cherry on the top of winning is another, but that isn’t the be all and end all at least for me personally. Reflecting on where you’ve come from can be a real motivator.

Zoe Baker: You can’t always get a yes to everything. It’s completely impossible. You’re going to have various knockbacks in your careers because a lot of things are out of your control. However, you’ve just got to be confident in yourself. It all goes back to that self confidence and consistency and just a passion for what you do.

If you love what you do, that will come across. And in everything that you do and other people will see it as well and then that’s when you start to get Recognized I think

Matt Nally: definitely. I think that’s a nice round off to this topic so join us for part three if you are looking to Go through the [00:13:00] application process.

We’re going to look at tips for applying