Why do we at Actee want to receive the Brandon Hall Group prize? Let me take you back to a situation where I knew that we really wanted to be win that prize and why!

Just the previous year one of our super cool global partners CCL (center for creative leadership https://www.ccl.org/our-locations/emea/middle-east-africa/) won a Brandon Hall prize for the best leadership program designed in collaboration with STC (Saudi Telecom https://www.stc.com.sa/). The program has run for many years out of the South African CCL office. The program got super ratings from participants and the work from the conslutants designing and delivering the program have been admirable.    

On the program, one of the Actee games was used as a learning element. The game has been changed by CCL to fit the specific needs of STC for the specific program. And, we consider the collaboration with CCL who design games and in this case designed a great program as a perfect partner. Everyone involved in the program gave high ratings, the design seemed perfect, and they ended up getting rewarded by receiving a gold award by Brandon Hall.     

The only little nagging thing from my side (and only from my side) as the CEO of Actee, was my feelings due to a little, small and not important lack of spotlight on Actee when the program received prize….

(to be honest there were no reason to mention Actee) 

Of course, as the CEO of Actee I’m a little biased when it comes to wanting eyes on Actee. The lack of spotlight had nothing to do with the application, the marketing done later, nor the program or the client who received the prize.

It had purely and only something to do with me and my eagerness and wish for light on Actee for the most obvious and primitive reasons (I’m sad to reveal them and admit that I’m that kind of person, but here they come).

I spend all my time on Actee and Actee is on my mind when I wake up in the morning and go to bed at night. Sometimes my partner asks me to stop talking about Actee because it consumes my focus and time to an extend that is out of the ordinary. Even my kids are referring to Actee as the most important thing in dad’s life…. I guess there are some truths about all the sayings and experiences. To understand this in the right way, you also must know I love my work, I love the field of learning and I think we are Actee have created something very special, which is confirmed by the usages by cool clients around the globe and accepted by +2.000 certified organizational development consultants and accessed by more than 500.000 players on all the continents. Who all wants to learn something about organizational life and how we behave as colleagues, managers, and leaders in various situations?  

And we did win Gold from Brandon Hall as best technology solution. 

Can you imagine what it means to me and my colleagues to have someone from outside of Actee, not playing our games, not knowing about our games, not working with Actee already, but giving us the feedback, that our tool deserves GOLD as the best gaming and simulation technology ….

Receiving gold makes me proud; it makes my colleagues proud; it makes our investors proud, and I hope it makes all our clients who onboard players from there companies, proud too.

If you want to win a prize this would be my suggestion for a plan.

1. Have a stubborn mindset, but be open to new ideas

2. Find a product, an idea or alike you believe in

3. Continue after everyone has told you to stop

4. Include the 3F´s (ask me if you want to know what this means)

5. Be even more stubborn when you want to ask for clever money

6. Collect the right people to participate in all parts of your company

7. Ask for help

8. Keep speed

9. Get clients

10. Get clients

11. Get clients

12. Improve how to get clients

13. Get clients       

14. Get clients Get clients Get clients Get clients Get clients…

To be honest the best advice is to be working on something you’re passionate about and want to spend your life working with (from morning until your crash in your bed in the evening).

All of us at Actee are passionate and hardworking and sometimes the effort returns with more than business I called it “good karma payback”.

Thanks to all the Actee´vists around the world.

Leif Sørensen 

CEO and founder of Actee