My company's exhibit recently won a Best of Show award at a major international trade show. But when I got home, management didn't seem to care about the prestigious honor. How can I impress upon them the significance of the award and all the hard work that went into it?

There is an old English proverb that goes, "It is folly to sing twice before a deaf man." In other words, sometimes it's hard to get people to recognize the importance of things they may not know enough about to truly appreciate.

So before you try to spark the management team's appreciation for your considerable achievement again, I suggest you try a different tack from your current approach: If they won't celebrate your great achievement, perhaps you should.

For example, you might want to invite your co-workers to get together for, say, cake and coffee to let them know you are celebrating a great win for your company. By making a pleasant but still formal occasion of it, you'll have an opportunity to make a short speech, educating them on the contest you won, and publicly acknowledging all the individuals involved whose efforts helped make the booth a rousing success.

By spreading the credit around and turning the award into a reflection on the entire company, you can elevate it from what might be seen as a minor accomplishment of little interest, to an organizational triumph everyone can celebrate.