What is the Impact of Self Certification?

Unlocking the Power of Professional Credentials: Why Those Letters After My Name Matter.

I have had two points brought up regarding self-certification from my post regarding, what do the letters mean behind my name from Philippa Richardson and Dov Tsal . I would like to address this point in my newsletter and I feel it is an important point to discuss. As a disclaimer, I am writing this from the point of view of a seasoned professional who has shifted between work sectors my entire career. For example from #Sports to #Global Funds to #Human Resources (#HR) and to #Entrepreneur and #Credentialed Coach. How important was self-certification????

Hello LinkedIn community,

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Have you ever wondered what all those letters after my name mean? I often get questions about them, and today, I'd like to demystify these credentials and explain why they matter so much in my professional journey. Whether you're a potential client, a fellow coach, or someone curious about the world of coaching and professional certifications, this article is for you.

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The Alphabet Soup: What Do These Letters Stand For?

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Let's start with a quick rundown of some of the credentials I hold:

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- PCC (Professional Certified Coach): This is an internationally recognized credential from the International Coaching Federation (ICF). It signifies that I am a credentialed coach with a global standard of coaching competence and ethics.

- ORSCC (Organization Relationship Systems Certified Coach): This certification means I am a certified systemic coach and team coach, capable of navigating and improving complex team dynamics and organizational systems.

- CPCC (Certified Professional Co-Active Coach): This is a certification for individual coaching from the Co-Active Training Institute, focusing on personal development and transformation.

- CAC (Certified Agile Coach): This credential certifies my expertise in agile methodologies, allowing me to help teams and organizations adopt agile practices effectively.

- MBA (Master of Business Administration): An academic degree that demonstrates my knowledge and competence in business and management principles.

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### Why These Letters Matter

These letters reflect many things. For example, they reflect my commitment to personal development in the sectors I work.? They reflect that I have expertise and knowledge in these sectors. And also, that I have practical experience working in complicated and complex environments. It is not easy to show all of our skills and competencies in the environment today, and coaching skills are very subtle. For example, they say the best referees in a basketball game are the ones we don’t notice. They create a framework and ensure the rules are applied in order to for the teams to compete freely and to their highest potential. Coaches do the same thing so having a credential or certification can show that you have experience working in complicated and complex environments.?

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Here is the breakdown to the key aspects around my letters.

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#### Professional Recognition and Credibility

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The PCC credential is particularly significant. It assures corporations and clients that I have undergone rigorous training and have accumulated substantial coaching experience. This credential is not just a badge; it's a testament to my dedication to maintaining high standards in coaching. It also reflects on my practical experience.? As a parallel, when I tell you I have refereed over 1000 basketball games, what impact does that have on understanding how I can support you? Refereeing needs skills that are transferrable to the corporate workspace ie conflict management, reading the environment, applying a framework, confidence when working with groups, visual adaptability and agility.? I have practiced these skills over 1000? times in a complicated environment moving all the time. ?Do you need support with these aspects?? So the practical reflections from these credentials are very important in choosing who you would like to work with.

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#### Specialized Skills and Knowledge

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Each certification represents a specific area of expertise. The ORSCC and CPCC, for example, highlight my capabilities in both team and individual coaching. This dual expertise allows me to offer comprehensive coaching services tailored to different needs, from personal development to complex organizational challenges.

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I am also a licensed basketball coach and referee and an accredited coaching supervisor too. Having these targeted certifications can help people funnel and focus on what I can deliver instead of confusing people with the wide breadth of skills I have.

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#### Commitment to Continuous Learning

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These credentials are not just acquired overnight. They involve extensive training, practice, and adherence to ethical standards. My journey to becoming a Certified Agile Coach, Coaching Professional and completing my MBA underscores my commitment to continuous learning and professional growth and underpins the importance of a broad foundation where I can apply my skills and in various sectors.? I understand economic impact as well as business processes and can bring this expertise into my conversations with my clients.

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### The Unique Edge: Self-Certification

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One of the more intriguing aspects of my professional journey is my self-certification as a Professional Basketball player. ?Unlike other certifications, this one required me to leverage years of experience and expertise to validate my skills. Self-certification is a concept that some in the psychotherapy field advocate for as per Philippa Richardson comment in my post, arguing that peer certification could be as valuable as accreditation from official bodies.? Of course, this field needs education and practical work, but the years of experience bring forward a different perspective and ability to combine expertise in order to adapt to the ever changing world today and the dynamics effecting the people today.

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Self-certification reflects a high level of self-awareness and confidence in one's abilities. It requires a deep understanding of one's field and the recognition of one's peers. While it is not officially recognized like the PCC, CPCC, MBA or ORSCC, it carries its own weight and demonstrates a significant level of professional maturity and mastery.

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### The Debate: Official Credentials vs. Peer Certification

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There's an ongoing debate about whether professionals should be certified by official bodies or through peer recognition. Some sectors argue that peer certification might be more meaningful and reflective of actual competence. While this is an interesting perspective, I believe that both forms of certification have their place. Official credentials provide a standardized measure of skills and ethics, while peer certification can offer a more nuanced and personalized validation of expertise.

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The sports field comes to mind with regards to self-certification and peer to peer certification. ?I have had to showcase my basketball skills in order to receive a full scholarship to a major University in the USA where I have received a BA in Economics.? How did I get chosen? By peer-to-peer comparison, role identification and team dynamics. I had to deeply be confident about my individual and team basketball skills. Plus have an attitude, emotional intelligence and adaption/agility that matched what the University coach was looking for to fit into their team. ?I was 17 years old and lived self-certification and peer to peer recognition. So, I fully value experience and expertise. If this is not taken into account and we only look at the letters at the end of the name, we are missing potentially 50-70 percent of the person depending on their age.? ?

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I went through the same assessment after my university career with basketball. ?In order to get a job in Europe to play basketball professionally, it was all about peer review and getting a referral from my coaches and creating trust with the agent and new team I have worked with. ?There was no certification that could reflect my expertise and skills. Even relying only on stats from my university career would not have revealed how adaptable and successful I would be playing in Europe.? I had two major injuries, so I was not able fulfil my university destiny, but I have done this playing in Europe for over 10 years.

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### Why It All Matters to You

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As a potential client or collaborator, knowing the significance of these credentials helps you make informed decisions. Whether you need individual coaching, team coaching, or agile transformation services, these letters assure you that you are working with a seasoned, qualified professional. Plus, please look at the persons full life experience, it can bring a new perspective to what you might need.? Many people hire me because they see my professional basketball background and what it has brought to me thus, I can transfer my experience to their teams or to them when working with teams.

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###Call to Action

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Curious to learn more about how my diverse certifications can help you or your organization thrive? Let's have a conversation! Reach out to me here on LinkedIn or via email. I'm excited to explore how we can work together to achieve your goals.

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Thank you for taking the time to understand the importance of these credentials and the importance of self-certification. I look forward to connecting with you and supporting your journey to success.

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Best regards,

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Virginia Anderson

PCC, ORSCC, CPCC, CAC, MBA (Licensed B Basketball Coach and Licensed C Basketball Referee) Accredited Coaching Supervisor.

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This article is supported by ChatGPT.?? (Thank you ChatGPT for creating a framework for my article)

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