Motherwell's Mark McGhee is the Clydesdale Bank Premier League manager of the month for November.
McGhee has made a significant impact at Fir Park
Forward Ross McCormack also won the young player award for the second successive occasion.
And boss McGhee, 50, believes the in-form Steelmen are poised for another good run of results.
He said: "We now face the more fancied teams like Celtic, Rangers, Hibs and Hearts, so if I was to win it next month I would be especially pleased."
It was McGhee's first award as Well boss, after he led his side to victories at Kilmarnock and Inverness in November, and December started in a similar fashion with a 3-0 triumph over Gretna.
That victory leaves the Lanarkshire outfit fifth in the SPL, six points above Hearts.
The Tynecastle club host Motherwell on Saturday, and McGhee said: "We have got to reproduce a quality performance in order to have a chance of beating them.
"I think Hearts are getting better and are starting to find a bit of consistency. It will be the result of the season if we come away from there unbeaten.
"Not that we are playing for a draw, our tactics won't be different from any other game."
McGhee - who has been linked with the vacant post with Scotland - paid tribute to his emerging players at Fir Park.
"(David) Clarkson's getting better, Ross McCormack still has a lot more to come, Chris Porter I think had his best game last week.
"The two centre-halves, (Stephen) Craigan and (Mark) Reynolds, are playing the best they have played all season. Graeme Smith has got better game by game.
"It's getting better all the time and we have to try to maintain that improvement."
While their attacking play has won the plaudits this season, the defence have kept three consecutive clean sheets and McGhee again challenged them to maintain their form.
"It certainly gives the defence and the goalkeeper a lot of pleasure, I prefer just to get one more goal than the opposition, I'm satisfied with that," he added.
"But we now play the better teams and if we keep clean sheets, then we will be cooking with gas."
Meanwhile, McCormack is hoping to maintain his rich vein of form for the remainder of the campaign.
"Last month was my first time getting it so to get the award again is really sweet," said the Scotland B forward.
"Last season was poor, I never really got going. I'm now getting back to where I want to be.
"I'm feeling really fit, it's just the little things I need to brush up on in terms of performance."
But the striker offered a note of concern regarding the reports linking McGhee with other clubs.
"There is a slight worry, if he doesn't get the Scotland job, is he going to be here past the end of the season?
"Because I think he is that good a manager that he can go down to the Premiership.
"Everybody is looking to better themselves and I don't think the manager is any different," he explained.
"As a striker, he has taken us to the side and worked really hard with us and it shows it is working. He works on our movement and getting into positions to score goals."