Weekly Blog by Philip King, CEO of the ICM - 'The real definition of professionalism'

A month ago I started a discussion on the ICM Credit Community Group on LinkedIn asking: "What does professionalism mean to you?" The question generated some great responses that used words and phrases including: fair; knowledgeable; focused; integrity; confidence; experience; seeing the bigger picture; keeping up to date; reputation; experience; considered judgment; ethics; calmness; credibility; and stability.

Yesterday I spent a long day in a London office meeting a series of people who demonstrated professionalism in credit management in the truest sense - they were credible, competent and could obviously apply their knowledge in the real business world. Although not the strict definition, I believe someone displaying professionalism is someone who exudes a sense of confidence in themselves and to those around them. After all, that confidence comes from all the qualities and attributes mentioned above. If I'm going to rely on someone in any walk of life I'm going to want them to be confident in themselves and I'm going to want to sense that confidence when I'm in contact with them.

The ICM in recent times has been particularly encouraging its members to be proud of their professionalism and not to be 'shrinking violets'. Good credit management is vital to the sustainability and success of businesses and we shouldn't be afraid to say so, nor to broadcast the value we add to our organisations. A recent web clipping of a survey by Marks Sattin, a recruitment organisation, shows that pay rises for credit managers averaged 7% last year and were three times greater than those of other accountancy professionals. The accompanying press release talks about the enhanced significance and greater prominence given to credit management and supports the Institute's argument that the contribution of credit professionals is invaluable and indisputable.

Sadly, we all see examples of people showing a real lack of professionalism (including from time to time by their comments and behaviours on LinkedIn discussion forums and elsewhere) but let's make sure that those individuals remain a small minority and that we can genuinely be proud of our profession. If you're an ICM member and want to demonstrate your pride by wearing an ICM Badge, please simply send an email to members@icm.org.uk quoting your correct email address, saying how many people currently work in your credit department, and telling us the single most important thing you value from your ICM membership.

Finally can I remind you that the ICM Member Survey is still open and you can complete it here. We've been overwhelmed by the response to date but the more responses we have, the better informed will be our future planning. Can I also remind you that the latest ICM UK Credit Managers' Index opened this week - so please join the panel and respond here.

Weekly Blog by Philip King, CEO of the ICM - 'Pride in Professionalism!'

A couple of weeks out of the office and I'm back raring to go. I looked at only a few emails, turned off Twitter and was generally very well behaved - I think even Mrs K was surprised! While I was absent, I gave away my daughter on her wedding day which was as perfect as we could have hoped for, spent a few days in the North West of England, and watched the world going mad. Riots in London and elsewhere, the US economy being downgraded, and a possible European financial meltdown as just a few examples. So back to reality and I've decided not to join in the bigger debates that have been going on while I've been away since all the arguments have already been expressed and in better words than I can use.

I do want to share some thoughts on professionalism though. The Institute of Credit Management (ICM) delivers cash for business by empowering credit professionals working in those businesses to be more effective, and a couple of emails received from ICM members during my holiday reminded me of just how important the credit management role is. Members of the ICM are professionals working in the field of credit management who recognise the importance of what they do and are keen to develop their own knowledge and careers, whether that is through qualifications, training courses, keeping up-to-date through reading Credit Management magazine and ICM Briefings, attending regional networking events, participating in online forums, or engaging in other ways. In short, they are showing pride in being professional by belonging to an organisation that supports them, works for them, and encourages them.

And yet I meet many people working in credit management who, although they recognise the value they add, don't see it as a profession in its own right. Many of us would argue rightly that it is a challenging, rewarding and worthwhile profession, and needs to be seen as such. We have made significant strides in recent years in gaining recognition but we need to do more. The new Continuing Professional Development scheme the ICM is piloting is an example. More important though is getting those of us who do the job to make sure our peers and business colleagues (above and below) understand that we're working in a profession we're proud of and is vital to the sustaining and growth of business and the economy.

If you know someone who's working in credit management and hasn't yet got round to joining the ICM, give them a nudge or send me their details and I'll nudge them. The more members we have, the louder our voice will be and I'm on a mission to raise the volume - let's get all credit professionals to show Pride in Professionalism!