I was at the fifth CCRi Conference this week and what an excellent event it was. With more than 400 credit professionals gathered at the Guoman Tower Hotel in London, it proved a great opportunity to network with colleagues, and provided plenty of learning to take away. I shared a quote I'd seen the night before in my brief comments at the beginning of the day that 'Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other'. How true those words are. Standing still is not an option because, if we don't grow and develop, the world moves on and leaves us behind!
Trevor Williams, Chief Economist at Lloyds Bank ended his keynote speech by observing that the future is impossible to predict because there are 'so many imponderables'. If that's true, and I believe it is, then all the more reason why credit professionals must build their skills and knowledge so they can continue to add value to their businesses and help them survive and prosper. What might have worked well a year or two ago won't necessarily work now and, if we assume it will, we could get seriously caught out. The new ICM CPD scheme currently being piloted, ahead of its formal launch for 2012, is well timed, and so is the continuing progress of our learning and development programme. We're demonstrating our commitment to providing the tools to equip people and make them truly effective, and feedback from our members and potential members attending CCRi on Tuesday was universally positive.
Credit management is a profession in just the same way as accounting or law are professions, and those of us working in it must not be afraid to make that point to our colleagues, peers and bosses. Credit management sits at the centre of the business and touches every aspect of the organisation; now is the time for us to stand up, be counted and show pride in our professionalism.
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