Sharon M Weinstein

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What’s in a credential?

You see lots of letters after someone’s name, and you wonder what they might stand for! Perhaps your search for those acronyms leads to a discovery that your new friend or peer is a highly credentialed professional.  They are “Certified.” Certification is an earned recognition that demonstrates specific skills, knowledge, expertise in a given area. Usually aligned with a profession, technology, or industry, the credential is usually awarded by a professional organization or credentialing body.

A professional certificate, like many offered online, is not the same thing as professional certification. Certificates are not all equal…and those who have earned the highly regarded credential are honored to be recognized.  According to the American Association for Legal Nurse Consultants, certificates and certification are very different.

Certification
  • Results from an assessment process that recognizes an individual’s knowledge, skills, and competency in a particular specialty
  • Typically requires professional experience
  • Awarded by a third-party, standard-setting organization, typically not for profit
  • Indicates mastery/competency as measured against a defensible set of standards, usually by application or exam
  • Standards set through a defensible, industry-wide process (job analysis/role delineation) that results in an outline of required knowledge and skills
  • Typically results in credentials to be listed after one’s name (LNCC, ONC, CCRN)
  • Has on-going requirements in order to maintain; holder must demonstrate he/she continues to meet requirements

 

Certificate
  • Results from an educational process
  • For newcomers and experienced professionals
  • Awarded by educational programs or institutions often for-profit
  • Indicates completion of a course or series of courses with a specific focus (different than a degree-granting program)
  • Course content determined by the specific provider or institution, not standardized
  • Usually listed on a resume detailing education
  • Demonstrates knowledge of course content at the end of a set period of time

Let me provide an example that is critically important to me. The Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) is an earned credential.  The CSP credential offers skill validation from clients, peers, meeting professionals, and other CSPs. It adds opportunities to command greater fees and to develop new and sustainable connections. It also showcases the designees, allowing them to shine on paper as much as on the platform, in the training room, or in the virtual studio. The CSP designation is the speaking profession’s highest earned international measure of professional platform competence. Less than 17% of National Speakers Association members worldwide have achieved the CSP designation. With support from NSA’s CSP Committee, the CSP is conferred by the NSA Board of Directors upon qualifying members of NSA as well as upon qualifying members of the 16 Global Speakers Federation (GSF) associations. For me, earning the CSP credential was a milestone; it was not my first credential, nor will it be my last. As Chair of NSA’s CSP Committee, I’m pleased to announce that on September 4th, candidates for the CSP Class of 2021 were encouraged to begin the application process. https://www.nsaspeaker.org/csp/. 

Certification is an earned recognition that demonstrates specific skills, knowledge, expertise in a given area. When you see lots of letters after someone’s name, take note of what each acronym stands for, and realize how hard they worked to earn that credential. What about you? If you are a speaking professional, are you prepared to apply for the highest earned international measure of professional platform competence – the CSP?

The application process begins now…for professional members of the National Speakers Association (NSA) or one of the Global Speakers Federation (GSF) member associations.  Will you be certified? 

 

 

 

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Keep your Distance…but stay close!

What a change a pandemic can  make!  Covid-19 has wreaked havoc in our daily lives, disrupted business and the economy, and taken its toll on human lives. What more can we expect, and how can we keep our distance, yet remain close?

I think about a colleague whose dad is quite ill; she needs to be at his bedside, and she is unable to be there, to have a presence, to provide support. I think about how that makes her feel, and I am saddened by her inability to be physically close. I think about my career as a nurse and how how the opportunity to hold a hand, to wipe a forehead, and to smile beyond a mask brought joy to those for whom I provided care, as well as to me.

I think about today’s students at all levels of their education who are having a transformational experience…whose connection is across networks, and who are learning as much about life as they are about required core curriculum.  I think about the Class of 2020: the 3.7 million high school seniors for whom natural trauma has been a constant. Born right after 9/11; they were fifth graders during Sandy Hook, and they were sophomores when a gunman attacked Marjorie Stoneman High School in Parkland, FL.  Our country has been at war since they were born, and the current war, the Coronavirus Pandemic, has reinforced life’s lessons that change happens.

I think about those on the frontlines, the healthcare workers, first responders and all of those who are working in “essential industries,” who risk their lives and those of their loved ones each and every day so that we may remain safe.

As controls are lifted, and as some communities venture out into a new type of normal, please consider these best practices for distancing: 

  • Limit your time in public; schedule your outings carefully 
  • Keep your distance
  • Bring hand sanitizer; continue to wear gloves 
  • Wash your hands
  • Cover your mouth; wear a mask to protect others

Remain close with phone calls to friends and loved ones, video chats, virtual game night (bring out those board games and decks of cards), virtual movie night, exercise videos and workouts online, mindfulness activities, and video games that connect you locally and globally. Use your devices to connect, to see others, to celebrate birthdays and milestones, and to stay connected. Keep your distance…but stay close! 

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Life as a Balancing Act…working/schooling at home

Coronavirus has given us a new appreciation for our “spaces.” While many of us are fortunate to have a designated home office, others are not. While some have a designated play space for kids that can be converted in to a mini-schoolroom, others do not. What can you do to keep the balance while confined during this pandemic?

Tips from B is for Balance, 2nd edition offers this advice:  

  • Create a Designated Work Area at Home

When you are in your home “office,” that’s the time to work, to respond to calls, complete electronic banking, update social media, and reply to electronic mail. When you are finished, walk away from the office and computer. Set aside specific times for checking messages.  Then, reward yourself with personal time.

  • Master Efficiency

Many of us are teleworking; keep in mind that many professionals find it difficult to adjust to working from home, even those who have done it forever. The freedom of working in casual clothing (or not getting out of your pajamas), of not reporting for work at a specific time, and of not being directly supervised by others creates an environment that may become lax. You must be responsible for your own efficiency, effectiveness, and efforts. Is your work environment efficient and ergonomically correct? Does it lend itself to a high level of productivity in a short time span? Are you a morning person—someone who works best in the early hours of the day? Set a schedule to plan your work at home, and then work according to your plan.

  • Manage your Time Wisely

You schedule appointments with other people in your personal planner, so why not schedule time with yourself? Make appointments for regular exercise or meditation (even more now than ever before).  Regardless of whom we are and what we do, we still have the same 24 hours in each day.  Do you delegate, or you the one who must do it all to get it right? 

  • Know What Is Important and Why

In his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey showed that for many of us, the day is filled with tasks that attract our attention and seem urgent, but they may never need to be done. Weed those out and make time for the important tasks. The important duties that are also urgent require our immediate attention.  Learn to prioritize.  Know which of the things you must complete today, or this week, are most important and engage in systems that can help you to stick to your schedule. This is a great time to master prioritization; you may be “in” for quite some time.

  • Identify homeschool space

Perhaps your peers have homeschooled for years; suddenly, you find yourselves in the same situation, and by chance, rather than choice. Identify a dedicated space where your child or children can work on class assignments with good lighting, connectivity, and a sense of ownership. Encourage downtime, and recess; for yourselves and your kids.

And, for those of you out of work, again not by choice, and struggling with what to do to maintain a sense of calm, I offer these tips:

  • No one knows you better than you; work that to your advantage
  • Become a master of efficiency
  • Identify those areas of life most important for your well-being and balance and integrate them within your lifestyle
  • Know your limits
  • Treat yourself with kindness

What matters most is, do your best! There is no playlist…hundreds of thousands of moms, dads, and grandparents will be forced to balance homeschooling with their day-to-day work responsibilities. Life is a balancing act─ now more than ever before. All of us need downtime…be sure that you take the time in your day to appreciate life, be grateful, and be kind.

 

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There is no box…not even on the golfcourse!

When I learned to play golf at age 50, the topography was beautiful and challenging. As we approached the 14th fairway one Sunday afternoon, my husband said, “Start thinking about how you will manage that water hazard.” Hazards on a golf course may be lakes and rivers, man-made hazards such as bunkers, or a tall tree or thick rough. If it gets in your way, it is a hazard. I looked ahead and then said, “Water, I don’t see any water.” Of course, there was water ahead, but I knew that I could not let it get in my way. It is that concept that has taken me through a myriad of countries, opportunities, challenges and success stories.

We all face challenges in our personal and professional lives. By looking beyond the hazard, or outside of the box, we see opportunity. We forge ahead and achieve success. See what I mean here!

I grew up in a big box and was told that I should not ask, nor should I try, because I would never amount to a thing. Moving beyond that box opened many doors and a chance to ask for what I needed and get it. Many of us are stuck in that box…unable to get out because of perceived barriers to change. We must encourage others to thrive and survive. I am who I am today because I learned how to ask. A storyteller, I go beyond “once upon a time” to a place we’ve all been – where obstacles stood in our way and held us back.

President/Founder of SMW Group and the Global Education Development Institute, I educate and train others to be the best version of themselves. A native of Philadelphia, I completed my nursing education at Pennsylvania Hospital, followed by undergraduate and graduate degrees in Florida and Texas. I’m a graduate of the Kellogg Executive Management Program and a recipient of the Frist Humanitarian Award. I use my nursing platform to create change and empower others to succeed.

#removethebox #mindset #leadership #serviceexcellence

To start the process:

  • Please complete the contact form or email Sharon directly at info@sharonmweinstein.com.
  • Visit Sharon’s Consulting site for information about work/life balance programs and services, as well as an extensive client list by category.
  • You may also reach Sharon by phone at 202.798.0092.

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