Accent Awards - Motivator of the Year: Gwen Jefferson
The way we show up every day matters far more than we sometimes realise.
Positivity breeds positivity!
I’m not often lost for words, but when my name was announced as Motivator of the Year at this year’s Be Accent Awards, I genuinely was.
For those who know I help organise the awards, yes, I did suggest withdrawing my nomination. Thankfully, wiser people than me said no.
Firstly, congratulations to Azhar Ahmed and Soya Keaveny, colleagues also shortlisted for the award. To be shortlisted alongside colleagues who make such a positive difference every day was an honour in itself. The competition was incredibly strong, which makes this recognition feel even more special.
During the awards in the chat, a colleague described me as a “Happiness Hurricane”.
I’m not entirely sure my family would use the same description, and if we’re being completely honest, there have probably been moments when Debbie Hinbest (Executive Director of People Culture and Transformation at Accent) has wondered whether a strategic “no” might finally slow the hurricane down.
Thankfully, she hasn’t managed it yet.
But behind the humour was something that genuinely resonated with me.
One of the comments from the awards that has stayed with me came from Nick Apetroaie (CEO at Accent), who described positivity as “being contagious”. I genuinely believe that.
Behaviour breeds behaviour. Positivity breeds positivity. Energy spreads.
The way we show up every day matters far more than we sometimes realise.
That doesn’t mean pretending everything is perfect.
Accent, like every organisation, has its challenges. We all experience busy periods, difficult conversations, competing priorities and moments when things don’t go to plan. Nothing is ever perfect. But what defines a culture isn’t the absence of challenges, but how we respond to them. It’s what we do, what we say and how we make people feel.
Perhaps that’s what Jeanelle Hartley (Data Protection Coordinator at Accent) was getting at with the Happiness Hurricane comment. Not relentless cheerfulness or pretending everything is perfect. Just a belief that the energy we bring into a room affects the people around us.
One thing I’ve learned throughout my career is that people rarely remember every detail of what you said in a meeting. They do remember how you made them feel.
They remember whether you encouraged them. Whether you listened. Whether you believed in them. Whether you helped them see possibilities rather than barriers.
Having worked both inside and outside the housing sector, I can genuinely say that Accent is a special place. We have fantastic people who care deeply about customers, support one another and want to make a difference.
And I think we’re at a really important point in our journey.
We should absolutely enjoy what we do. We should laugh, celebrate successes and have fun together. Work shouldn’t simply be something we endure between holidays. But equally, we shouldn’t lose sight of why we’re here.
We’re here because what we do matters.
Every decision we make, every conversation we have, every repair completed, every complaint resolved, every customer supported and every colleague encouraged contributes to something bigger than ourselves.
If there is one piece of advice I would give, it would simply be this: be yourself. Don’t try to be someone else. Don’t wait until you have a leadership title to have an impact.
Don’t underestimate the difference a kind word, a positive attitude or a bit of encouragement can make.
Authenticity matters. People connect with people, not perfection.
The most powerful way to motivate others isn’t through grand speeches. It’s through consistently showing up, caring about people and believing that together we can make things better.
Finally, thank you to those that nominated me, supported me, challenged me, worked alongside me and occasionally told me to slow down.
This award may have my name on it, but it reflects the people around me every day.
Gwen Jefferson, Director of Organisational Development and Culture at Accent.